Final Fantasy XIV is one of the premiere massively multiplayer online (MMO) games on the planet, with millions of subscribers worldwide, so it’s natural new players are looking to join all the time. Bizarrely, one of the most difficult steps in getting into FFXIV can just be buying and starting to play.
This is largely due to a slightly confusing Square Enix account creation process, and an unhelpful shop UI, especially if you’ve never used it before. So before diving in, take a look at this helpful guide for buying and subscribing to FFXIV.
Signing Up For the FFXIV Free Trial
Your first step towards playing FFXIV is signing up to the Free Trial. The Free Trial is one of the greatest deals in gaming, with three expansions-worth of content giving new players literally hundreds of hours of playtime. It’s so good, it even spawned its own meme.
The Free Trial is available on PC, PS4, PS5, and as of February 2024, Xbox Series X|S. To sign up and download the game on PC head to the Free Trial website. Create a Square Enix account and download the client. You may have to download a separate Free Trial client to the full-game’s client, due to a quirk in the system. You can also download the Free Trial on Steam, but you’ll still need to make a Square Enix account, and link it to your Steam account.
On PS4 and PS5, you’ll need to download the Free Trial on the PlayStation Store. You’ll need to create a Square Enix account separately and link it to your PlayStation Network account. With Xbox Series X|S, you’ll need to download the game from Microsoft Store. Again, you’ll need to link your Xbox account to your Square Enix account. On console versions it’s best to create a Square Enix account on a separate device or PC and then link it.
The Free Trial has a number of restrictions, but they’re pretty minor.
- One Free Trial account per Square Enix account
- You can create up to eight characters, with one character per server world
- The maximum level cap is level 70
- You can have a maximum of 300,000 gil (the game’s primary currency)
- You can’t trade with other players
- You can’t take part in ranked PvP
- You cannot join a Free Company (guild)
If you find yourself reaching these limits, and want more, it’s time to buy the full version.
How to Purchase Final Fantasy XIV
To purchase the full version of Final Fantasy XIV, you can chose a digital copy for PC, Steam, a special edition collectors edition, or digital downloads for PS4, PS4, and later in 2024, Xbox Series X|S. This can be done on the relevant console online stores, or for PC on PC or Mac digital copy on the Square Enix Online Store, Mac App Store, Amazon, or Steam.
In almost all cases you’ll receive a registration code. You’ll need to input this registration code into the Mog Station to link and activate your new copy of FFXIV. Sign in to Mog Station using your Square Enix account and select the “Add New Service Account” button. Enter the registration code you received from one of the purchase methods. This will apply the code to your account.
On console, purchasing the full version of the game should automatically link the game to your Square Enix account, provided you have already linked your account with the Free Trial.
Buying a game on one platform does not give you access to the game on multiple platforms. So, a PC version will not allow you to play on PlayStation. You’ll need to buy a new copy and register a new code for every new platform you play the game. However, you’ll still be able to use the same Square Enix account, the same characters, etc. if you switch platforms.
How To Subscribe to Final Fantasy XIV
Once you register your purchased game, you’ll get 30 days of playtime. Once that starting game time is up, you need to have a valid subscription or use a game time code in order to keep playing.
You can do this in two ways. The first way is to purchase a subscription through Mog Station. To do this, log in to your account, and select “Your Account.” Select the Credit Card/Crysta Payment option, and choose the Standard or Entry level subscription type. Subscriptions through this method renew on the same time period, although this can be affected by the payment method you use. For instance, using the Steam Wallet payment method can sometimes cause subscriptions to end without auto-renewing.
Second, you can purchase game time cards from physical and online retailers. These include Amazon, NewEgg, GameStop, and, slightly confusingly, the Square Enix Online Store. Simply buy the card, head to Mog Station, enter the code, and the time will be added to your subscription.
There are two types of subscription for Final Fantasy XIV: Entry and Standard. Entry subscriptions are $12.99 a month, can only be bought in 30-day increments and means you can have a max of eight characters per server, and eight characters per physical Data Center. Standard subscriptions cost $14.99 for 30 days, but give you access to 40 characters per physical Data Center. You can also buy increments of 90 days and 180 days, which reduce the cost of your subscription.
