‘Final Fantasy 14’ comes to Xbox this month, via open beta

Square Enix has announced a launch date for the Xbox Final Fantasy 14 open beta test.

First announced last summer, Final Fantasy 14 is due to come to Xbox Series X/S consoles later this year. First though, an open beta test.

Set to launch February 21 at around 8pm GMT, the beta will only be available to new players. Anyone who already had access to a free trial or a licence for Final Fantasy 14 registered to their Square Enix account will be unable to participate.

“Take this opportunity to invite your Xbox-owning friends who have never experienced the ever-expanding world of Final Fantasy 14 and adventure together,” said Square Enix via The Lodestone. 

During the beta, players will be able to play through the game up to level 70 with no time restrictions in place. Progress will be transferred over to the full game when it launches. Details on how to access the beta can be found here.

Square Enix is yet to announce a full release date for Final Fantasy 14 on the Xbox Series X/S but has confirmed it will come ”immediately” after the conclusion of the beta.

We’re proud to present the full trailer for FINAL FANTASY XIV: #Dawntrail! 🌊 ⛵

Watch the trailer in high resolution on YouTube!
📽️ https://t.co/BDw4gPQpPL pic.twitter.com/0fxq9RLnhg

— FINAL FANTASY XIV (@FF_XIV_EN) January 7, 2024

The studio has also confirmed that Xbox players will need an Xbox Game Pass plan to play the full version of Final Fantasy 14, but beta testers can access it without.

Earlier this year, director Naoki ‘Yoshi-P’ Yoshida confirmed that Square Enix won’t be announcing a release date for Final Fantasy 14’s Dawntrail expansion until they’re sure it won’t change. It comes after previous expansion Endwalker was delayed by two weeks in 2021.

He did confirm it would definitely be released this summer though, and feature two new classes alongside an expanded map.

In other news, it’s been revealed that Konami has been approaching studios about possibly porting classic Silent Hill titles to current gen consoles.

Hexadrive, the developers of the recently released Silent Hill: The Short Message, were originally asked about ports before pitching a remake that evolved into the original title. “Our game is just one part of what’s on the way for the future of the franchise, teased level designer Rika Miyatani.