Final Fantasy XIV Comes to Switch 2 on Tuesday 4 August 2026

Final Fantasy XIV is due to land on Nintendo Switch 2 this Tuesday, 4 August 2026 — marking the first time in the MMO's 13-year history that it has appeared on any Nintendo platform. Square Enix confirmed the release date, UK pricing, and key details during the FFXIV Fan Festival 2026 keynote in Berlin, with pre-orders opening on the Nintendo eShop the same day.

What's available and what it costs

Three paid editions are listed on the Switch 2 eShop, each aimed at a different type of player:

• Starter Edition — £11.99: Includes the base game, A Realm Reborn, plus the Heavensward, Stormblood, and Shadowbringers expansions, and 30 days of free subscription time.
• Complete Edition — £44.99 (pre-order price: £31.49): Adds the Endwalker and Dawntrail expansions on top of the Starter Edition content, covering everything released to date.
• Complete Collector's Edition — £87.99 (pre-order price: £61.59): Includes everything in the Complete Edition plus every collector's edition bonus ever released — additional minions, mounts, and weapons from across the game's history.

Players who already own the game on another platform and want only the Dawntrail expansion for their Switch 2 account can purchase that separately. According to Siliconera, the pre-order sale pricing on the US eShop runs until 13 August 2026; UK players should check the eShop directly for the precise expiry on the discounted prices.

The subscription catch

This is the detail that will matter most to anyone already playing FFXIV on PC, PlayStation, or Xbox. Normally, purchasing the game on multiple platforms allows players to use a single subscription across all of them. That is not how it works on Switch 2.

FFXIV director and producer Naoki Yoshida addressed the issue directly at the Berlin keynote, saying via translator: "After discussions with Nintendo, it was decided that the Switch 2 version of Final Fantasy XIV would require a separate subscription." He added: "Again, this was decided after many months of discussions with Nintendo, and I understand that this is different to how we've done things before."

According to Dot Esports, players who have remaining game time on another platform will be able to take out the Switch 2 subscription at half price. The monthly subscription cost in GBP has not been confirmed by Square Enix UK at the time of writing; players should check the Mog Station directly for the current UK rate.

One piece of good news: Nintendo Switch Online membership will not be required to play FFXIV on Switch 2.

Free trial and early access

The launch begins with an approximately one-month early access period designed to test server stability. During this window, no monthly subscription is required and no Nintendo Switch Online membership is needed either.

Beyond that, FFXIV's existing free trial — which allows new players to reach level 80 with no time limit — will apply to the Switch 2 version. Following the addition of Shadowbringers with Patch 7.5, the free trial now covers A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, Stormblood, and Shadowbringers, representing an estimated 200 to 400 hours of content depending on how it is approached, according to Screen Rant.

Free trial players do face restrictions: they cannot use certain chat channels, personal messages, the market board, trading, retainers, or Free Companies, and PvP is unavailable.

Storage, controls, and cross-progression

UK buyers should be aware that the estimated download size is 117 GB — substantial by Switch 2 standards. The console uses either internal storage or proprietary microSD Express cards, so many players will need additional storage before downloading.

On controls, Yoshida confirmed in a Famitsu interview that Joy-Con 2 mouse controls will be supported throughout the game, and keyboard and mouse setups will also be compatible alongside traditional controllers.

Cross-progression works as expected: characters, inventory, Gil, mounts, and minions are all accessible on Switch 2 without any migration process.

What else was announced in Berlin

The Fan Festival keynote also brought news of Evercold, described as the sixth expansion for Final Fantasy XIV Online, which is due to launch in January 2027. A new job called Bastion — a main tank — was revealed as the first confirmed addition, and a crossover raid series tied to the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy was also announced. Upon Evercold's release, the Complete Edition will be updated to include it.

Separately, Square Enix confirmed that PlayStation 4 support will end after Patch 8.3, well after Evercold's launch. Yoshida explained the reasoning via interpreter: "The reason why we are looking to transition from the PS4 to the PS5, or encouraging players to do so, is because of the hardware limitations of the PS4. It is the size of the game that is causing the hurdles right now. Sony has been kind enough to continue their support, even though we are reaching the hardware limit." PS4 players are being given considerable advance notice to plan their transition to PS5 before Patch 8.3 arrives.

Final Fantasy XIV on Switch 2 is due on the Nintendo eShop from Tuesday 4 August 2026.