Final Fantasy 14 Xbox Series X/S open beta start date has been confirmed

Square Enix has announced the start date for the Final Fantasy 14 open beta on Xbox Series X/S

According to the publisher, the open beta will begin on Wednesday, February 21 at 3am ET / 8am GMT.

Anyone with an existing Final Fantasy 14 account on another platform will be unable to join the open beta, as it’s solely designed for newcomers for now.

“The open beta test will only be available to new players who will be playing Final Fantasy 14 for the first time,” Square Enix says. “Take this opportunity to invite your Xbox-owning friends who have never experienced the ever-expanding world of Final Fantasy 14 and adventure together.”

Players who already have a Final Fantasy 14 licence registered to their Square Enix account will still be able to play the game when it’s fully launched on Xbox, but will have to sit out the open beta.

“We ask any players, who wish to play Final Fantasy 14 on Xbox with an existing Square Enix account and its associated characters, to please wait until the full Xbox launch after the open beta test concludes,” Square Enix says.

The publisher plans to fully launch the Xbox Series X/S version immediately after the open beta ends, but the date of this “will be determined after thorough reviews”. Beta players will be able to transfer their data to the final version.

It was officially announced back in June 2023 that Final Fantasy 14 was coming to Series X/S, when Xbox boss Phil Spencer made a surprise appearance at the Final Fantasy 14 Fan Festival in Las Vegas.

According to Xbox, the Series X version of the game will support 4K graphics, while both the Series X and Series S versions will benefit from fast loading times.

The Expanded Free Trial, which is available on PC and PlayStation consoles, will also be applicable on Xbox too.

This means players will be able to play through the entirety of the base game A Realm Reborn, as well as its first two expansions Heavensward and Stormblood, up to level 70 with no restrictions on playtime.

Once players reach level 70, they’ll then have to pay a monthly fee to continue playing the game.