Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn

Although this product has been released, it remains under active development - information may change frequently and could be outdated or irrelevant.

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn

Developers
	Square Enix Creative Business Unit III
macOS (OS X)	TransGaming Inc.
Publishers
	Square Enix
Release dates
Windows	August 27, 2013
macOS (OS X) (Cider)	June 23, 2015
macOS (OS X)	November 29, 2019
Taxonomy
Monetization	One-time game purchase, Expansion pack, Subscription
Microtransactions	Cosmetic, Unlock, Boost, Free-to-grind, Infinite spend
Modes	Multiplayer
Pacing	Persistent, Real-time
Perspectives	Third-person
Controls	Direct control
Genres	MMORPG
Art styles	Anime
Themes	Fantasy
Series	Final Fantasy

Warnings

This game requires a constant internet connection for all game modes.

Final Fantasy XIV Online, initially titled Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn at launch, is a multiplayer MMORPG game developed by Square Enix Creative Business Unit III and published by Square Enix. It is part of the Final Fantasy series.

The game is both a remake and a sequel to the original game of the same name, chronologically takes place five years after the end of the original game. The PC version of the 2013 game is capable of cross-platform play with the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S version.. The game initially had cross-platform play with the PlayStation 3 version, but was removed following that version' shutdown on June 16, 2017 with the start of the Stormblood early access.

It was released on Windows on August 27, 2013. An MacOS version, ported by TransGaming Inc., was released on June 23, 2015.

New content updates are released every 4 months, though most additional content may require the latest expansion to play.

General information

FINAL FANTASY XIV: The Lodestone

Patch Notes archive

Technical Support forum

Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		Global server Install the client and use Mog Station for CD key and account management. The retail OS X version only comes bundled with Heavensward.
Developer website		Global server
Developer website		Korean server
Developer website		Chinese server
Amazon.com		Global server
Green Man Gaming		Global server
Humble Store		Global server
Steam		Global server As of Mar 2022, requires the Steam client and a linked Steam account to launch. Expansions will have to be purchased on Steam to activate properly on a Steam-enabled FFXIV account.

The North American version requires a North American Square Enix Account.

The European version requires a European & other Regions Square Enix Account.

The Japanese version requires a Japanese Square Enix Account.

With the exceptions of the countries that are served by the regional versions, the Global version on Steam is not available in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippine, Thailand and Vietnam.

All versions require a constant internet connection for all game modes.

Free Trial

The Final Fantasy XIV Free Trial is available to new players as a free, restricted version of FFXIV with no time limit.

Free trial members are limited to 1 character per world (server), up to a maximum of 8 characters total.

Characters can only carry up to 300,000 gil each, and are restricted from using the Market Board, retainers, and some social features.

Characters created in the free trial can play the base game and both the Heavensward and Stormblood expansion, including all classes and content added as part of that expansion.

Benchmark

A standalone benchmark is available for Windows.

Includes a feature-complete character creator. Characters can be saved and freely imported into the full game.

Monetization

Type	Notes
Subscription	A monthly subscription is required to play beyond the limitations of the Free Trial.

DLC and expansion packs

Name	Notes
Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward	Grants access to the Heavensward expansion. Included with the Starter Edition.
Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood	Grants access to the Stormblood expansion. Included with the Starter Edition.
Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers	Grants access to the Shadowbringers expansion.
Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker	Grants access to the Endwalker and Shadowbringers expansions.
Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail	Grants access to the Dawntrail expansion and all previous expansions. Releasing July 2nd, 2024.

Microtransactions

Type	Notes
Boost	Players can purchase class boosts up to level 80. In order to access the latest content, players must complete all story content previously released. Players can additionally purchase a book that instantly completes these quests up to the starting point for the latest expansion.
Cosmetic	Players can purchase a number of items that are exclusive to microtransactions. This includes outfits, mounts, minions, emotes, chocobo bardings, orchestrion rolls, and premium variations of Eternal Bond ceremonies. Rare dyes and seasonal items from previous events are also available. Dyes can be obtained infinitely or, purchased from other players with in-game currency. Seasonal Items are obtained for free during the event associated with them and then can be purchased with microtransactions later on, usually after a year has passed.
Infinite spend	The Online Store is frequently updated with new content. The majority of microtransactions can be purchased repeatedly without any practical limit.
Unlock	Unlocks include redoing Character Creation (Fantasia), Server Transfer, Character Name Change, and access for up to 8 additional retainers. New players receive a single Fantasia through in-game storyline progression.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\FINAL FANTASY XIV - A Realm Reborn\
macOS (OS X)	$HOME/Documents/My Games/FINAL FANTASY XIV - A Realm Reborn/
Steam Play (Linux)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/39210/pfx/

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
Steam Cloud

Client and character settings can be backed up to Square Enix servers on the character selection screen. Character progression is saved to servers automatically.

Video

Graphics feature	State	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution
Multi-monitor			AMD Eyefinity doesn't work with DX11.
Ultra-widescreen			Quest cutscenes feature black bars when playing in non-16:9 resolutions. Mid-battle cinematics support all aspect ratios. For a fix, install Dalamud by using the XIVLauncher and get the plugin "Ultrawide Cutscenes". Beware that third-party modifications go directly against the game's Terms of Service, and can be a bannable offense if discussed publicly.
4K Ultra HD			Optional higher resolution UI assets for 1440p and 4K resolutions.
Field of view (FOV)		FOV is determined by aspect ratio. 16:9 is 78° horizontal. Use FFXIV Zoom Hack to change it. Beware that third-party modifications go directly against the game's Terms of Service, and can be a bannable offense if discussed publicly.
Windowed		Supports both preset and custom resolutions.
Borderless fullscreen windowed
Anisotropic filtering (AF)		4x, 8x, or 16x. Bilinear and Trilinear filtering modes are also available.
Anti-aliasing (AA)		FXAA. TSCMAA (with optional subpixel jitter) scheduled to be added in June 2024 with the release of Patch 7.0.
High-fidelity upscaling		FSR 1.0, DLSS 3.5 Scheduled to be added in June 2024 with the release of Patch 7.0.
Vertical sync (Vsync)		Automatically enabled when using the built-in framerate limiter.
60 FPS and 120+ FPS		Character physics effects are greatly reduced at framerates above 60 FPS.
High dynamic range display (HDR)		See the glossary page for potential alternatives.
Ray tracing (RT)
Color blind mode		Protanopia, deuteranopia, tritanopia. Filter strength can be adjusted using the "Range" slider.

Input

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity		System Configuration > Mouse Settings > Mouse Camera Sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion		Both X and Y axes can be inverted independently. Options for both 3rd and 1st Person camera modes are available.
Controller
Controller support
Full controller support		Must input Username and Password with Keyboard. Chat and other features may also require keyboard input.
Controller remapping		Limited remapping to areas of controller. Eg, all front buttons can be set to do a select few things things, but cannot be applied to bumpers buttons / sticks vice versa.
Controller sensitivity		Character Configuration > Control Settings > Camera Speed (Analog Stick)
Controller Y-axis inversion		Both X and Y axes can be inverted independently. Options for both 3rd and 1st Person camera modes are available.

Controller types

XInput-compatible controllers
Xbox button prompts
Impulse Trigger vibration

PlayStation controllers		DualShock 3, DualShock 4, DualSense Native support for DualShock 4 and DualSense were added in Patch 6.0.
PlayStation button prompts		DualShock 3, DualShock 4 and DualSense button prompts.
Light bar support
Adaptive trigger support		Wired only.
DualSense haptic feedback support		Wired only.
Connection modes	Wired, Wireless (DualShock 4 USB Wireless Adapter)

Tracked motion controllers

Generic/other controllers

Additional information
Controller hotplugging
Haptic feedback
Digital movement supported
Simultaneous controller+KB/M

Audio

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		Music, Sound Effects, Dialogue, System Sounds, Ambient Sounds, and Performance. Volumes for the player, party members, and all other player characters can also be adjusted independently, as well as listening position (camera-based or character-based)
Surround sound		Up to 5.1 supported.
Subtitles		Featured in all cutscenes and dialogue events. Cannot be disabled.
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost		Can be tweaked to allow specific sound sources to remain unmuted even when focus is lost.

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English				Global server only
Simplified Chinese				Chinese server only
French				Global server only
German				Global server only
Japanese				Global server only for the Japanese text
Korean				Korean server only
Russian				Fan translation over Global server, WIP

Network

Multiplayer types

Type	Native	Notes
LAN play
Online play		Requires an internet connection at all times while playing. Supports cross-play with PS4 and PS5 versions.

Connection types

Type	Native	Notes
Matchmaking		Players can match up with other players from their data center for dungeon and raid content using the Duty Finder system.
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated		Multiple data centers to choose from depending on player region. There are no sub-regional splits per region (e.g. All North American data centers are NA West, located in California).
Self-hosting
Direct IP

Players can freely visit other world "servers" using the World Visit System, and visit other data centers within their region using the Data Center Travel system. However, travel between different regions (e.g. North America to Oceania) is currently restricted.

Ports

Protocol	Port(s) and/or port range(s)
TCP	80, 443, 54992-54994, 55006-55007, 55021-55040
UDP	55296-55551

Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.

VR support

3D modes	State	Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision		See Final Fantasy XIV - A Realm Reborn + Heavensward + Stormblood.

Issues unresolved

Error 90000

This is a generic error code for disconnection from the game server. This issue may have something to do with your local network configuration, or ISP packet shaping/throttling.

Fatal DirectX Error (11000002)

This is a generic error appearing when some sort of graphics or graphics driver issue causes the game to grow unstable and crash.

These errors are typically caused by high GPU load or graphics card overclocks; the game is very sensitive to unstable GPU and memory clocks and will frequently crash in scenarios where other games would not.

Issues fixed

Poor performance on macOS systems

Switch to and install the unofficial XIV on Mac launcher.
Utilizes more efficient translation (custom Wine, DXVK+MoltenVK) to increase performance by up to 2X over the official client. Features support for popular third-party tools, such as GShade, Dalamud, Anamnesis, and more. Provides unofficial support for Apple Silicon chips, with increased performance. 128GB M1 Ultra configurations are supported as of version 4.4.1.

Stuck at loading screen before character selection

Stuck at loading screen before character selection
Go to %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\FINAL FANTASY XIV - A Realm Reborn\ Edit FFXIV.cfg Change CutsceneMovieOpening from 0 to 1 Save the file and restart the game.

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	11	While previously supported, Direct3D 9 support was removed in March 2024 following the release of Patch 6.58.
Metal support		Support for the Metal API is achieved via a combination of DXVK + MoltenVK running atop CodeWeavers' CrossOver. As such, performance is generally worse compared to native Direct3D on Windows.

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows			Support for the 32-bit client was removed in March 2024, following the release of Patch 6.58.
macOS (OS X)			A 64-bit update to the game client was released in late November 2019.

Middleware

	Middleware	Notes
Physics	Havok
Cutscenes	Bink Video

System requirements

Windows

macOS (OS X)

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	Windows 10/11 (64-bit)
Processor (CPU)	Intel Core i7-7700 (3.4 GHz) AMD Ryzen 5 2600X (3.6 GHz)	Intel Core i7-9700 (3.0 GHz) AMD Ryzen 5 3600X (3.8 GHz)
System memory (RAM)	8 GB	16 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	140 GB HDD	140 GB SSD
Video card (GPU)	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 AMD Radeon RX 480 4 GB of VRAM DirectX 11 compatible	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT 6 GB of VRAM DirectX 11 compatible

Reflects the upcoming changes to system requirements in the upcoming Dawntrail expansion (Releasing July 2, 2024). See the current system requirements here.

Due to the removal of support for TLS 1.0/1.1 encryption in Patch 6.15, Windows 7 is no longer officially supported and cannot connect to the game servers under standard conditions.

macOS (OS X)
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	macOS 12.4/13.0/14.1
Processor (CPU)	Apple M1	Apple M2 Pro
System memory (RAM)	8 GB	16 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	140 GB SSD
Video card (GPU)	Apple M1 integrated graphics (8-core)	Apple M2 Pro integrated graphics (16-core)

Minimum supported models: iMac (M1, 2021), Mac mini (M1, 2020), MacBook Pro/Air (M1, 2020)
Recommended supported models: Mac mini (2023), MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2023)

Apple Silicon chips are supported when the Rosetta translation layer is installed.

Reflects the upcoming changes to system requirements in the upcoming Dawntrail expansion (Releasing July 2, 2024). See the current system requirements here.