It’s been almost two years since the Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail expansion, which was one of the worst-received add-ons for an otherwise critically and commercially stellar game. As usual, there were five major follow-up patches, the final one of which, Trail to the Heavens, is coming out on Tuesday, April 28.
So it was time for Square Enix and Creative Studio III to reveal what’s next for the award-winning MMO, reveal if and how the devs took all the feedback on board, and announce the next expansion.
The game’s Producer Naoki Yoshida used the opening keynote of Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival 2026 in Anaheim to reveal the MMO’s next expansion, its long-awaited Nintendo Switch 2 version, a major combat update, an Evangelion collaboration raid, and several changes that will reshape how players manage jobs, gear, rewards, and progression.
The headline announcement was Final Fantasy XIV: Evercold, the next major expansion, which is scheduled to launch in January 2027. The expansion will be available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, Windows, Mac, and Steam.
Final Fantasy XIV: Evercold is the next expansion
Evercold takes Final Fantasy XIV into the next main story arc, called the Godless Realms Saga. The expansion sends players to the Fourth, another reflection of the Source, where the world is being overtaken by spreading ice.
This is hugely curious because Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, the previous expansion, was supposed to mark the start of the next main story arc, following up on the Hydaelyn Saga that spanned A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, Stormblood, Shadowbringers, and Endwalker add-ons. But now, Square Enix is saying that Evercold is going to be its beginning. Whether this is a result of the incredibly divisive reception Dawntrail’s story got, or if this was a mere mistranslation or miscommunication, is currently unknown.
The teaser trailer showed the Warrior of Light, Alphinaud, and Estinien entering the Fourth through a portal. Square Enix has not revealed the full synopsis yet, but the expansion will traditionally have new cities, new areas, new allies, and new enemies. The setting is called the Icebound Realm of the Fourth, and it brings up the memories of Shadowbringers, where another reflection is dominated by a raging element.
Square Enix also showed several new environments during the keynote. The expansion’s art direction includes frozen regions, gilded cities, seaside settlements, flower-filled areas, and mechanical locations with lava and fire, suggesting Evercold will not be limited to a single snow-covered visual theme. A new small feline race was also shown, but its name has not been revealed yet.
Evercold will raise the level cap from 100 to 110. The expansion will also add new dungeons, trials, gear, crafting recipes, FATEs, hunts, treasure hunts, a new raid series, an Ultimate raid, PvP updates, Duty Support updates, and a new alliance raid.
Two new jobs are coming in Evercold
Evercold will add two new jobs: one tank and one physical ranged DPS. Both jobs are original to Final Fantasy XIV rather than returning jobs from earlier Final Fantasy games.
Square Enix has not revealed either job yet. The first new job will be announced at the Berlin Fan Festival, which is scheduled for July 25 and 26, 2026.
Reborn Mode and Evolved Mode combat
One of the biggest 8.0 changes is the new Job Action system, which splits existing jobs into Reborn Mode and Evolved Mode.
Reborn Mode keeps the current action and rotation structure. Evolved Mode gives jobs different actions and rotations, with fewer required inputs and a stronger focus on job identity. Players will be able to switch between the two modes outside combat, and job level and gear will carry across both.
The system applies to the 21 current main jobs. It will not apply to limited jobs such as Blue Mage and Beastmaster. The two new Evercold jobs, and future new jobs, will only use Evolved Mode.
Job homogenization was one of the biggest complaints leveled against the MMO parts of Final Fantasy XIV, so Square Enix doing something about it is a very welcome change. Yoshida stated that Evolved Mode will likely end up being somewhat more powerful than the Reborn mode, but all of the current and upcoming content will be tuned to be beatable in any mode.
Nintendo Switch 2 version launches in August 2026
Final Fantasy XIV is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 in August 2026. The port will have a free early access period of around one month before launch.
The Switch 2 version comes with one major catch: it requires a separate Final Fantasy XIV subscription from the other platforms. Players will not need a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, and existing subscribers on other platforms will receive a 50 percent discount on the Switch 2 subscription.
The separate subscription is going to be an obvious pain point to those players who want to take their FFXIV with them. Cross-progression is useful, and portable FFXIV has an obvious appeal, but asking existing players to pay again not only for the game on Switch 2, but for access as well, will limit how many people use it as a secondary platform.
The free trial is expanding to Shadowbringers
The Final Fantasy XIV free trial is expanding again. As part of the 7.5x update series, the free trial will include Shadowbringers and its patch content through Patch 5.5.
That means new players will be able to play through A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, Stormblood, and Shadowbringers before needing to buy the full game. For anyone still outside the MMO, this is a huge amount of story and content at no upfront cost.
As a result of this, the famous copypasta will also change:
Have you heard of the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV? With an expanded free trial which you can play through the entirety of A Realm Reborn and the award-winning Heavensward, Stormblood, and Shadowbringers expansions up to level 80 for free with no restrictions on playtime.
With one more upcoming expansion, new subscribers will be able to play the entirety of the Hydaelyn saga for free.
One caveat to remember is that the Free Trial is only accessible while you haven’t bought the game and paid for a subscription. It has its limitations, but those could be tolerated for just how much content you’re getting for free.
Same-region matchmaking is coming in Patch 7.5x
The matchmaking system is also getting a major expansion, as during the Patch 7.5x series, player matching and Party Finder will no longer be restricted to a single data center. Instead, they will cover all worlds within a player’s region.
This is one of the most practical changes announced during the keynote, and it should make Party Finder less fragmented, especially for high-end duties, older content, and matchmaking during off-peak hours. Testing will begin in Japan before the feature expands to other regions.
Adventure Activity UI and weekly progression
Evercold will introduce a new Adventure Activity UI. The system is designed to move Final Fantasy XIV away from daily reward pressure and toward a more weekly progression structure.
The UI will show missions, rewards, gear progression, level experience, and other activity information in one place. Players will earn Activity Points through different duties and use them to unlock rewards this way instead of daily roulette grind for tomestones. Square Enix will reveal more details about this system at the Tokyo Fan Festival later this year.
Seasons are replacing the old patch structure
Evercold will also introduce seasons, which reframe the existing post-launch patch structure. Each season effectively combines what used to be an even patch and the following odd patch. For example, Evercold’s 8.0 launch and its first major follow-up patch will form the expansion’s first season.
This is mostly a cosmetic change, but it gives Square Enix more leeway to organize rewards, item level increases, and player goals over the expansion cycle.
Armoury updates will make alt jobs easier to play
The Armoury system is getting a major update in Evercold. Players will still level jobs separately, but the new system will let them reflect the item level of their highest gear onto other jobs.
That means players should be able to switch jobs more easily without grinding gear from scratch every time. For a game where one character can play every job, the current gearing structure has always been more restrictive than it needed to be. This change finally brings the gear system closer to the job system’s actual promise.
The developers haven’t decided how the Materia system will play into this, if at all.
This change is likely to completely upend the item economy, as the only remaining use for lower level gear will be just the visuals.
Character customization expansion
Evercold will add more character customization options. Yoshida revealed a color picker for eye, hair, and skin tones, improved eye and lip customization, face paint layering, and the ability to toggle parts of individual gear pieces.
The expansion will also introduce Character Action Skins, which let players unlock alternate animations for their characters. Square Enix will share more details about Action Skins at the Berlin Fan Festival.
Eight-player raids are getting a third difficulty
Evercold will add a new difficulty level for eight-player raids. The new difficulty will sit between Normal and Savage, giving players an intermediate step before high-end raiding. More details are planned for the Berlin Fan Festival.
This fills a long-standing gap in Final Fantasy XIV. Normal raids are designed for story completion, while Savage expects far more coordination and mechanical consistency. A middle difficulty could give more players a reason to improve without throwing them directly into Savage progression.
The 24-player alliance raid structure is also being adjusted, with new progression routes planned. Square Enix will reveal more about those changes at the Tokyo Fan Festival.
Neon Genesis Evangelion crossover
Evercold’s alliance raid is a crossover with Neon Genesis Evangelion, one of the most influential anime franchises of the last 30 years. The raid is called EVANGELION – Ghosts of Desire and is being made as part of Evangelion’s 30th anniversary.
Creative Studio III is developing the battle content, while animation studio Khara is supervising the project. This could end up being Yoko Taro’s second FFXIV collaboration, as he wrote the Nier: Automata-themed Alliance Raids in the past, and now he’s the one making the new NGE anime.
PS4 support is approaching its end
Square Enix also addressed the future of the PS4 version. The development team expects the current situation to hold until around Patch 8.3, but Final Fantasy XIV is getting too large for the older consoles, and PS4 support will eventually end.
So PS4 players have around two years to upgrade to PS5.
Berlin and Tokyo Fan Festivals will reveal more
Square Enix is spreading Evercold’s full reveal across all three Fan Festival events: the Berlin Fan Festival takes place on July 25 and 26, while the Tokyo Fan Festival follows on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.
Berlin will reveal the first new job and more information about systems such as Character Action Skins and the new raid difficulty, while Tokyo will cover more progression details, including item level changes and alliance raid progression.
Anaheim gave us one of the longest Final Fantasy XIV keynotes to date, and it looks like Naoki Yoshida and the entire development crew are committed to making sure the Dawntrail situation never happens again.
