Nintendo Switch 2 owners can now trial Final Fantasy 14 free
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
Square Enix has launched Final Fantasy 14 on Nintendo Switch 2, and new players can now download and play a substantial free trial covering the base game plus the Heavensward, Stormblood and Shadowbringers expansions at no cost. The rapid turnaround from the port's announcement in late June to launch, combined with generous trial content, offers an easy way to sample the acclaimed MMORPG before committing to a purchase. Players need both a Nintendo Switch Online account and a Square Enix account, though a paid Switch Online subscription isn't required, and the trial caps characters at level 80 while excluding full multiplayer features, PvP and Ultimate Raids; buying a Switch 2 edition immediately forfeits access to the trial.
Square Enix is also waiving subscription fees for roughly a month after launch, after which the standard 30-day free period for new platform registrations begins before charges apply, and a separate subscription is required even for players already paying on another platform. Both versions of the Complete Edition are discounted 30 per cent until Thursday 13th August 2026, bringing the Switch 2 price to $41.99/£31.49 from the usual $59.99/£44.99, while those with an active subscription elsewhere get 50 per cent off. The main drawback is the trial's size: at 117.2GB, it is larger than either FF7 Remake or Rebirth, making significant demands on the console's 256GB internal storage.
- FF14 free trial now live on Nintendo Switch 2
- Includes base game plus three expansions, capped at level 80
- Complete Edition discounted 30% until 13 August 2026
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Final Fantasy 14 is a long-running online role-playing game made by the Japanese publisher Square Enix, in which players create a character and explore a shared virtual world alongside thousands of others, taking on quests and battles either alone or in groups. It first launched in 2010, was relaunched in a much-improved form in 2013, and has since grown into one of the most successful games of its kind, known for its story-driven expansions and a subscription model that charges players a monthly fee to keep playing.
Nintendo Switch 2 is Nintendo's newest games console, released in 2026 as a successor to the original Switch, offering more powerful hardware while remaining a hybrid device that can be used both docked to a television and handheld. Bringing a demanding, long-established game like Final Fantasy 14 to a Nintendo console is notable because the series has traditionally been played on PlayStation, Xbox and PC, and because online role-playing games of this scale and complexity are less commonly seen on Nintendo hardware.
Games in this genre often use free trials to let newcomers experience a large portion of the content before deciding whether to pay for the full game and ongoing subscription, since the format asks for a bigger commitment of time and money than a typical single-player title. This background is relevant because it explains why a trial offer, storage requirements and subscription pricing are significant details for anyone considering picking up the game on the new console.
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Originally published by Eurogamer as “You can try the newly-launched Switch 2 port of Final Fantasy 14 for free, right now, if you have a spare 117GB”.