Final Fantasy 14 has come an astonishingly long way since its original release back in 2010. Though official numbers are hard to find, reports suggest that FF14 has even managed to topple the king of MMORPGs – the one and only World of Warcraft – when it comes to player count. However, it’s always been exclusive to PlayStation and PC, leaving Xbox players in the dust. Well, after a somewhat poetic 14-year wait, a FF14 Xbox beta is now available on Series X|S – and you need to play it.
The bountiful realm of Eorzea is open to Xbox players from today onwards as the Final Fantasy 14 Xbox open beta is now live on Xbox Series X|S consoles. Though it’s certainly strange that FF14 will cost you twice as much on Xbox as it does on PS5 when it eventually leaves beta, there’s a lot of content to dig into for free – nearly a full decade’s worth, in fact. Even in its beta state, this is one of the best Xbox games you can play right now. As one of the best MMOs ever, its quality speaks for itself.
The FF14 Xbox beta is effectively the free trial that is available on PS5. This includes:
- A Realm Reborn – the original story
- Heavensward – first expansion
- Stormblood – second expansion
- Level 70 cap
- No playtime restrictions
As the equivalent of roughly three Final Fantasy games, this will easily drag you in for hundreds of hours before you even need to spend a dime. How do I know? Well, I’ve been lost in the rabbit hole for a good 200 hundred hours now, chipping away at the epic story and leveling up classes. Keep your eyes out for a stylish samurai and steadfast warrior in your dungeon runs – it could be me.
Though the starting A Realm Reborn story certainly shows its age and can drag at times, it’s a worthwhile adventure – especially with how more recent content builds upon it in unexpected ways. Unlike other live games, especially Bungie’s Destiny 2, its long and winding story is all easily accessible and maintained to make the new-player experience a fun one.
To play the FF14 open beta on Xbox, all you need to do is head over to the Xbox Store where you can download the trial. Hop in, make your account, and you’re good to go, Warrior of Light. Do note that if you’ve already got an account on a different platform, you won’t be able to join on Xbox during the open beta – at least not using the same account. However, you will be able to use your existing account and characters when the Xbox version officially launches.
The beta period is set to run until summer when the Dawntrail expansion launches, which will then see FF14 release fully on Xbox. Thankfully, your beta progress will carry over to the full game so you can sink your teeth into the gripping Shadowbringers, Endwalker, and the Dawntrail expansion.
Given its console exclusivity on PlayStation, it really is remarkable that Final Fantasy 14 has trumped so many records – drawing in a whopping 30 million players without it even being accessible on one of the largest platforms. In other words, Xbox players are in store for an epic journey alongside lots of other players in one of the best multiplayer games out there.
After so long waiting, I’m just hoping the servers don’t get flooded; at one point it became so popular that Square Enix had to suspend sales of the game. It’s ironic that one of the best new Xbox games of this year is already 14 years old, but it has more than stood the test of time.
For more Xbox news, find out how the next Xbox will be the “largest generational leap you’ve ever seen” according to Microsoft. Hopefully it will also offer up more tasty Xbox exclusives to set it apart from the competition.