FINAL FANTASY XIV Online News

Final Fantasy XIV is now free to returning players for a limited time

Final Fantasy XIV is getting its biggest buzz in years - and following the response to Shadowbringers, that's saying something. Prominent MMO streamers are jumping in, disappointed WoW players are switching over, and the game is setting new player records on platforms like Steam. A big chunk of FFXIV is free for new players, but what if you're coming back from a long absence? Square Enix has something in mind there, too.

Final Fantasy XIV is having another free login campaign, allowing lapsed players to play without a subscription fee - though you still need to own the game. If you haven't played in at least 30 days, you'll receive 14 days of free game time next time you log in. The promo is set to last until August 23.

While Final Fantasy XIV is now free-to-play up through level 60 (something something 'award-winning Heavensward expansion'), that only applies to new accounts. Returners, sadly, still require a subscription, which makes these free login campaigns that much nicer to see.

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Play Free for up to 14 days in the Latest Free Login Campaign!

In the lead up to the release of Endwalker, and in the hope that would-be adventurers can experience all that FFXIV currently has to offer, we are pleased to announce the latest Free Login Campaign!

If you or any of your friends are currently taking a break from your adventures, you won’t want to miss out on our longest Free Login Campaign yet, which allows you to play free for up to 14 days!

Visit the special site to find out more!

Introducing the Blue Mage Challenge & 14-Hour Broadcast

In this upcoming challenge, our Japanese, North American, and European Community teams will be working together on a mission to learn all blue magic spells! Should the teams succeed, the Inferno Jacket in-game item will be added to the rewards of the next Moogle Treasure Trove!

* Event dates and details of the next Moogle Treasure Trove will be announced separately at a later date.

Don’t forget to tune in for the rest of our special 14-hour broadcast! We’ve planned several exciting segments, such as the sixty-fifth installment of the Letter from the Producer LIVE, a Live Q&A, Soken’s Play by Play, and more!

* View the full 14-hour Broadcast schedule on the Lodestone.

North American Community Stream: Duty Commenced

When
Thursday, July 8, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. (PDT) / 21:00 (GMT) / 22:00 (BST)

Where
Crystal Data Center on the Mateus World

Where to Watch Twitch

European Community Stream: The Unending Journey

When
Friday, July 9, 2021 at 6:00 a.m. (PDT) / 13:00 (GMT) / 14:00 (BST)

Where
Chaos Data Center on the Ragnarok World

Where to Watch Twitch

14 Hour Broadcast – How Do You Like Hydaelyn?

When
Friday, July 9, 2021 at 10:00 p.m. (PDT) / 5:00 (GMT) / 6:00 (BST)

* Starting time is subject to change depending on the proceedings of the 14-hour Broadcast.

Where
Elemental Data Center on the Carbuncle World.

Where to Watch Twitch YouTube Live Niconico Live

* Please note that the audio for the 14-hour broadcast will be available in Japanese only.

That daft Fast and Furious meme has come to videogames

You've probably seen the memes. Since Fast and Furious 9 hit cinemas, the internet has got a timely reminder of how much the word family - it's important! - is muttered in those flicks.

It's typically used to describe the bond of friendship between the film's cast of sentient biceps, but ooh wee is it said a lot. No one embodies that spirit more than the main character Dominic Toretto, who seems to draw power from the word to overcome impossible odds. It's all excellent fodder for some internet goofs, in case you weren't aware.

Naturally, the Fast and Furious family memes started off in the world of films on familiar grounds. You've got Toretto popping up in old favourites like The Lion King and The Avengers, and, naturally, in that recent Star Wars prequel meme - he's topical! Now, though, it's time for Toretto to bring his family values to videogames. In the name of research, we've had a mull through Reddit and found Toretto among heaps of popular games, from Final Fantasy 14 to Hades. Here are some of our favourites.

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Final Fantasy XIV has broken its all-time Steam concurrent player record

Over the weekend Final Fantasy XIV saw a massive influx of players, and as a result, has hit its biggest concurrent player count ever on Steam - over 47k people. The cause for this is seemingly popular WoW Twitch streamer Asmongold, who joined FFXIV and immediately found themselves mobbed by players.

The new peak concurrent player count on Steam stands at 47,542 players, according to SteamDB, which Final Fantasy XIV hit around 8 pm UTC yesterday. This doesn't even include people playing via the game's own launcher or on consoles, as of course, FFXIV has crossplay support. The Steam player counts have been steadily rising as the MMO continues to increase in popularity, with the previous peak being 41,200 concurrent players on June 24.

Nevertheless, the reason for the spike in players this weekend can probably be attributed to popular World of Warcraft streamer Asmongold, who played Final Fantasy XIV on their stream for the first time. Over 200,000 people watched them play FFXIV - and numerous players leapt in to join Asmongold's play.

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