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Final Fantasy 14is a subscription-based MMORPG with five major expansions. Originally launching in 2010, the game had a rough start, but was relaunched in 2013 as A Realm Reborn, drastically overhauling the base game and fixing most of its problems. Since then, Final Fantasy 14 has received countless updates and expansions, adding new areas, dungeons, classes, and story quests to the game.
At its core, Final Fantasy 14 is a story-based MMO, where progression is mainly tracked through story quests. Major features are unlocked as you progress through the game’s main story, with plenty of side content, like crafting, gathering, and housing, to do along the way. If you’re interested in Final Fantasy 14, but you’re unsure whether it’s worth it, perhaps due to the length of the story or the price of the subscription, we’ve got you covered. Below, we’ll take a look at if Final Fantasy 14 is worth playing.
Updated July 19, 2025: With the recent launch of Dawntrail, Final Fantasy 14’s fifth major expansion, the game has seen a surge in activity. Whether you’re a first-time player trying out the game for the first time or a returning player wanting to know what all the fuss is about with the new expansion, we’ve updated this article with everything you need to know.
Review
Final Fantasy 14 is a story-based MMORPG that can be played almost entirely solo, from level one to 100. Systems like Trusts and Duty Support essentially allow you to enter Dungeons with a group of NPCs, meaning you may complete the game’s story on your own. This makes the game much more accessible for players that are new to MMOs, introducing systems progressively as you go.
In Final Fantasy 14, you play as the Warrior of Light, playing as any of the several Jobs available.Your character is not locked to any one Job, meaning you can freely switch to any of the available classes at almost any time. If you find yourself wanting to try every available class in an MMO before settling on one to play as your main, Final Fantasy 14 lets you do that with ease.
Despite its slow beginning, Final Fantasy 14 delivers astory told over several years, quests, and expansions. Fellow Warrior of Light and Lead Guides Editor,Meg Pelliccio, spoke fondly about the game’s New Game+ feature, allowing players who have played through all the story quests to revisit them.
Final Fantasy 14 has given us over a decade of memories, and I have countless unforgettable moments with the game that continue to resonate with me. That’s the beauty of an MMORPG. You’re part of a shared experience that spans years.
Because of Final Fantasy 14’s emphasis on story and the ability to do everything on one character, it’s only a matter of time before you are invested in your Warrior of Light. Their story becomes your story, and reliving those first few quests years after the fact is a humbling and unforgettable experience.
Dawntrail Review
Final Fantasy 14’s most recent expansion, Dawntrail, marks the beginning of a new storyline for the game, as the players travel to a new continent. The game’s previous expansion, Endwalker, was the conclusion to the storyline that has been in the works since the start of the game, so Dawntrail offers a brand new story, setting, and characters to experience.
If you mainly play Final Fantasy 14 for the story, you may be satisfied with Endwalker’s finale and don’t feel the need to continue playing, especially if you aren’t so much into endgame content like Raids. Here, we’ll discuss whether Dawntrail is worth your time, starting with some of the key features of this expansion.
Items marked with an asterisk will be added in future updates.
Even putting the Main Scenario aside, Dawntrail promises to be one of the most feature-packed expansions we’ve seen, with updates to old systems and a wealth of new content to explore.
As expected of the first chapter of an entirely new story, Dawntrail has a relatively slow start. Coming off of the explosive finale of Endwalker, Dawntrail may look a little boring in comparison. However, the stakes are greatly raised in the second half of the expansion’s story, and the Dungeons and overall encounter design have reached an all-time peak.
InMeg Pelliccio’s review of Dawntrail, she commends the challenging new battle content.
The dungeons and trials offer exciting new challenges in mechanics, offering a much-needed refocus on freshening things up after ten years, with some duties drowning you in mechanics to the point of sheer panic,though in a goodway.
While the story may not be everyone’s cup of tea, there’s no denying that everything else has majorly improved, even since Endwalker. Fans of Final Fantasy 14’s more difficult content will definitely enjoy this expansion, and even players who may want to get into Extreme Trials or Savage Raids for the first time will find the scene more welcoming than ever.
Time Expenditure
As an MMO,Final Fantasy 14 has thousands of hours of content. If you just want to play through the story, only leveling up one Job, you’re looking ataround 600 hours, with the latest expansion, Dawntrail, takingbetween 47 to 64 hours to beat the main story, not including any of the side content. Of course, doing any of the game’s side activities, like playing mini-games in the Gold Saucer, tackling Deep Dungeons, working on Relic Weapons, or furnishing a house, will boost this number significantly.
The social aspect of an MMO can also drastically increase the amount of time you spend playing. Simply logging in to hang out with your guild (called Free Companies) or partake in one of the dozens of community events hosted every day can contribute to tons of hours of playtime.
Ultimately, the time you spend playing Final Fantasy 14 is all up to you. Some players choose to only play during new content releases, while others log in every day for daily dungeons, raids, quests, and a myriad of other activities.
Cost
Final Fantasy 14 is a subscription-based MMO, meaning you’ll have topay a monthly fee to be able to log in and play, which we will look at in-depth below. In addition, the base game must be purchased for $19.99 USD, whichincludes 30 days of playtimeand unlocks features unavailable during the free trial.
Speaking of the free trial,Final Fantasy 14 can be played entirely for free up to level 70, including the base game and first two expansions, Heavensward and Stormblood. you’re able to stay in the free trial as long as you want, with some players opting to complete every scrap of content available before transitioning into the full game. If you’re on the fence about starting Final Fantasy 14, the free trial is the perfect introduction, as you can play for as long as you want before committing to the full experience.
The free trial has certain restrictions that you may want to keep in mind. For instance, free trial players can not join a Free Company, use the Shout or Tell chat options, interact with the in-game Market Board, and have a cap on the amount of money they can hold (300,000).
The full experience includes the base game (A Realm Reborn), and all five expansions (Heavensward, Stormblood, Shadowbringers, Endwalker, and Dawntrail). However,only the latest expansion (Dawntrail) needs to be purchased, as this will include the two previous expansions (Shadowbringers and Endwalker). This will cost $39.99. Alternatively, you can purchase the Complete Edition, which bundles the base game and all expansions together for $59.99.
Keep in mind that Final Fantasy 14’s development is far from finished, so expect anew expansion roughly every two years. Purchasing the new expansion, when it comes out, will most likely cost $39.99, and include all previous expansions as well.
Now, let’s talk about the subscription. There aretwo subscription options available, called Entry and Standard. The Entry subscription costs $12.99 per month, and enables you to create eight characters per server, and eight characters per Data Center. The Data Centers are the regions where the game’s servers are located. Essentially, you can make up to eight characters with an Entry subscription.
The Standard subscription, on the other hand, has a base cost of $14.99 for 30 days, $13.99 for 90 days, and $12.99 for 180 days. With this subscription, you can create eight characters per server, and 40 characters in total per Data Center.
Unless you plan on playing several different characters across multiple Data Centers,we recommend purchasing the Entry subscription. Due to the game’s Job-switching system,most players don’t need more than a single characterto experience everything in the game.
Outside base-game and subscription costs, you can purchase avariety of optional items. These include cosmetics, like outfits and mounts, as well as story and level skips, allowing you to jump into the latest expansion’s content as soon as possible.
What Players Are Saying
The Only Game I’ll Never Stop Playing - Jacob Whaling
Final Fantasy 14 is 100 percent worth it. If you are even a casual fan of MMOs, this game hits all the marks. There’s always new stuff to do, people to talk to, raids to clear, and so much more. On the other hand, if you’re a massive Final Fantasy fan, and are apprehensive about playing an MMO, FF14 will not disappoint. Despite its length, Final Fantasy 14 has one of the greatest video game stories ever told, with a payoff so satisfying that it makes the, admittedly slow, beginning quests worth it. There are several systems in place to ease new players into the game, making the game accessible for any type of player to experience.
Seriously Worth It - Ryan Bamsey
I was skeptical about FF14 before trying it - an MMORPG isn’t usually my thing. I adore Final Fantasy as a series, though, so I gave it a go - I’ve now spent days, if not entire weeks of my life in the world of Eorzea, made good friends there, and experienced a fantastic storyline worthy of the Final Fantasy name. Every new update and expansion make the game better, and there’s more than enough content to keep anyone engaged and happy. With how much of the story is free to try, you really have nothing to lose.
A Slow Burn For A Satisfying End - Jerel Levy
There’s a reason FF14 is lauded as one of the best stories in the Final Fantasy series. What sets FF14 apart from other MMORPGs is the community, the challenge, and the references to other games in the series. However, it does come with its faults. Getting through the game as a newcomer can be a slog, especially starting from the beginning. You’ll find the usual MMO trappings and time sinks here as you would any other. Story and level skips are available, and the game is becoming a more single-player-oriented MMO for those who want to play alone, thanks to implementations such as NPC party members to help you run dungeons. If you can get at least two expansions in – which may be asking for a lot, you’ll see why it’s so loved. The story progression alone will be worth your time. The challenge is sticking around long enough to get there.
