What you pay for a Final Fantasy XIV subscription

Final Fantasy XIV requires a monthly subscription to play beyond the free trial. Square Enix, the publisher, offers three subscription tiers: Starter, Standard, and Complete. Each tier costs a different amount per month and grants access to different amounts of game content.

The Starter tier covers the base game and the first expansion, Heavensward. The Standard tier adds two more expansions: Stormblood and Shadowbringers. The Complete tier includes all expansions released to date, including Endwalker and Dawntrail. You can also buy a one-time purchase of the complete edition instead of subscribing month-to-month, though this still requires an active subscription to play.

Subscription costs vary by region and payment method. You can pay monthly, or commit to three months or twelve months upfront at a lower per-month rate. The exact prices depend on your platform (PC, PlayStation, or Mac) and your region, so you will need to check the Final Fantasy XIV Mog Station — the account management site — to see what you would pay.

Key Takeaways

  • Final Fantasy XIV has three subscription tiers that differ by which expansions you can access, not by gameplay features or server priority.
  • You can pay month-to-month or commit to three or twelve months upfront, with longer commitments costing less per month.
  • The free trial lets you play the base game and Heavensward up to level 60 with some restrictions, so you can test the game before paying.
  • Your subscription covers one character slot on the Starter tier and more slots on higher tiers, but you can create multiple characters on the same account.
  • You manage your subscription through the Mog Station, where you can upgrade, downgrade, or pause your account between billing cycles.

How the three tiers differ

The Starter tier gives you access to the base game and Heavensward, which takes most players 100 to 150 hours to complete. You get one character slot, meaning you can create one character per server. The Starter tier is the entry point and costs the least per month.

The Standard tier adds Stormblood and Shadowbringers, expanding the story and endgame content significantly. You get four character slots instead of one. If you want to play multiple characters or try different classes, this tier removes the bottleneck of having only one slot.

The Complete tier includes Endwalker and Dawntrail, the two most recent expansions. You get eight character slots. Complete also includes 30 days of game time with the initial purchase, whereas Starter and Standard do not. If you buy the complete edition as a one-time purchase rather than a subscription, you still need an active subscription to log in after those 30 days end.

All three tiers play on the same servers and can group together. There is no "premium" server or exclusive content locked behind a higher tier. The difference is purely which story content and how many character slots you can use.

The free trial and when you need to subscribe

Final Fantasy XIV offers a free trial that lets you play the base game and Heavensward without paying. The trial has no time limit, but it has restrictions: you cannot earn more than 300,000 gil (in-game currency) at once, you cannot join a Free Company (guild), you cannot use the market board to buy or sell items, and you cannot create a Free Company. You can still do dungeons, raids, and most story content.

The trial is capped at level 60, which is the level cap for Heavensward. If you want to continue the story into Stormblood or reach higher levels, you must subscribe. Many players use the trial to decide whether they like the game before committing to a subscription.

Once you buy any tier of the subscription, your trial account converts to a full account and you lose trial restrictions. You cannot go back to the trial after subscribing.

How to manage your subscription on the Mog Station

You handle all subscription changes through the Mog Station, Square Enix's account management website. You log in with your Square Enix account credentials, not your in-game character name. From there, you can view your current subscription tier, your next billing date, and your payment method.

To change your subscription, you go to the "Subscription" section and select a new tier. If you upgrade mid-cycle, you pay the difference and your new tier starts when ready. If you downgrade, the change takes effect when your current billing period ends. You can also pause your subscription for up to 90 days without losing your character or items; you straightforward cannot log in during the pause.

If you want to stop paying altogether, you can cancel your subscription on the Mog Station. Your character and items stay on the server for up to 90 days. If you resubscribe within that window, everything is still there. After 90 days, the account may be deleted, though Square Enix has not published exact deletion timelines.

Payment methods and regional pricing

The Mog Station accepts credit cards, debit cards, and in some regions, other payment methods like PayPal or regional digital wallets. You enter your payment information once and it is stored securely. You can update or remove a payment method at any time.

Subscription prices are set by region: North America, Europe, Japan, and other regions each have their own pricing in their local currency. Prices also differ slightly between PC and PlayStation versions, though Mac uses the same pricing as PC. You cannot change your region once your account is created, so make sure you select the correct one during setup.

If you buy game time cards from a retailer instead of paying directly, you redeem the code on the Mog Station and it adds time to your account. This method does not require a credit card and can be useful if you prefer not to store payment information online.

What happens if your payment fails

If your subscription payment fails, Square Enix usually sends an email notification and gives you a grace period to update your payment method. During this period, you can still log in. If the payment is not resolved within the grace period, your subscription lapses and you cannot log in until you resubscribe.

Your character and items remain on the server during the lapsed period. You do not lose anything by missing a payment, as long as you resubscribe within 90 days. If you know you will not be able to pay for a while, pausing your subscription on the Mog Station is safer than letting it lapse, because a pause is intentional and you control when it ends.

Character slots and multiple characters

The Starter tier includes one character slot per server. If you want to play a second character on the same server, you need to upgrade to Standard (four slots) or Complete (eight slots). You can also create characters on different servers without needing extra slots — each server has its own slot limit.

If you downgrade from Standard or Complete back to Starter, you keep your existing characters but cannot create new ones until you upgrade again. Characters on servers where you exceed your slot limit after downgrading are not deleted; they straightforward cannot be used until you upgrade or delete one of them.

You can buy additional character slots separately on the Mog Station if you want more than your tier provides. Each extra slot costs a one-time fee and is permanent, even if you downgrade your subscription later.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I play Final Fantasy XIV without a subscription?

Yes, through the free trial. You can play the base game and Heavensward indefinitely without paying, but you cannot access expansions beyond Heavensward or create a Free Company. Once you buy a subscription, the trial ends and you cannot return to it on that account.

What happens to my character if I stop paying?

Your character stays on the server for up to 90 days. You can resubscribe anytime within that window and everything is still there. After 90 days, Square Enix may delete the character, though the exact timeline is not publicly detailed.

Can I change my subscription tier mid-month?

Yes. If you upgrade, the new tier starts when ready and you pay the difference for the remainder of your current billing cycle. If you downgrade, the change takes effect when your next billing period begins.

Do I need the Complete tier to raid or do endgame content?

No. Raiding and endgame dungeons are available on all three tiers. The tier only determines which story expansions you can access and how many character slots you have. Gameplay features and server access are the same across all tiers.

What if I want to pause my subscription temporarily?

You can pause your account for up to 90 days on the Mog Station without cancelling. Your character and items are frozen in place, and you cannot log in during the pause. When you resume, everything is exactly as you left it.