Square Enix has announced the next big update to Final Fantasy XIV, called Evercold, which will be released in January 2027. Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida revealed the news at the FFXIV Fan Festival in Anaheim on April 24th, marking the start of a new chapter for the game. While Square Enix shared a lot of details about the new features and content, they’re still working on things, so some aspects might be added or changed over time, rather than being available immediately at launch. Here’s a summary of what’s been confirmed so far.
Final Fantasy XIV Evercold — A New Story Arc Begins
As a huge FFXIV fan, I’m so excited about the next big story arc! It’s called Evercold, and it follows the incredible Hydaelyn and Zodiark saga that ended with Endwalker. We’re heading to the Fourth, which is basically a broken, icy version of our world, Hydaelyn. Now, even though it’s called Evercold, the creators have said it’s not all about winter – there’s a lot more to it! They showed off some amazing concept art during the announcement – really cool Aetheryte designs, huge cities, castles with dragons on them, and even a town everyone’s already calling “kitty town” because of the cute creatures! You can check out the teaser trailer on YouTube, and the official site for the expansion, which is version 8.0, is now live!
Square Enix announced that the April 28th update, Patch 7.5, will move the game’s main story forward, setting up the events of Evercold. This update, and the series of updates that follow (7.5x), will connect the current story to the major events planned for version 8.0.
The Biggest Change in FFXIV History — Reborn and Evolved Combat Modes
Beyond just adding more content, a major update to the battle system is coming with Evercold. It introduces two ways to fight: Reborn Mode and Evolved Mode. Reborn Mode keeps the current combat system and job roles as they are – it’s been the core of the game since ‘A Realm Reborn’ launched. Evolved Mode features completely redesigned combat sequences, focusing on making each job feel more unique and requiring fewer button presses. Yoshida emphasized that Evolved Mode isn’t about making the game easier, just different. Both modes will have advantages, but any new jobs added in Evercold will only be playable in Evolved Mode. Players will be able to use existing jobs in either mode, with a few exceptions.
The development panel at Fan Festival 2026 in Anaheim will showcase how these two new modes function with actual gameplay footage.
Two New Jobs Confirmed — Tank and Physical Ranged DPS
Final Fantasy XIV’s next expansion, Evercold, will add two new playable jobs: a tank and a physical ranged damage dealer. During a recent presentation, the game’s director, Yoshida, hinted at the new jobs with a shirt featuring Praefectus Rhitahtyn, but quickly stopped fans from guessing what they might be. Details about the job names and abilities will be revealed at the Fan Festival in Berlin later this year. Both of these new jobs will be designed to be played exclusively in Evolved Mode.
Content Confirmed for Final Fantasy XIV Evercold
Square Enix has revealed a lot of new content coming with the next expansion, and in the months following its release. The expansion will raise the level cap from 100 to 110 and introduce new cities, areas, dungeons, challenging battles called Trials, and updates to player-versus-player combat. Players can also look forward to new characters, massive creatures, and enemy types. There will be both a new series of regular raids and an incredibly difficult Ultimate raid, though the exact timing of these hasn’t been announced. Popular open-world activities like treasure hunts and FATEs will return, but with improvements. The team is also developing a new option that will let players tackle dungeons with a partner instead of going solo, but a release date for that feature is still to come.
The team will announce a new series of raids at the Fan Festival in Berlin. Yoshida also shared that they’re working to release updates more frequently, responding to feedback about the timing of patches during the Dawntrail expansion and heading into the Evercold era.
Three Major System Overhauls Arriving With Evercold
The upcoming Evercold update will introduce three major changes to the game, in addition to new content. First, the current Tomestone reward system will be completely replaced with a new system called Seasons, changing how players earn rewards and improve their characters. Second, the Armoury Update will make it easier to play different jobs. Item level will now apply across all your jobs, letting you switch between roles more freely, although focusing on a main job will still be beneficial. Importantly, Materia won’t be affected by this item level sharing system.
We’re introducing significantly expanded character customization options – the biggest visual update the game has ever received. Players will have a much wider range of colors to choose from for eyes, hair, and skin, plus better options for eye shadow and lipstick. You’ll also be able to layer face paint and hide specific parts of gear, like visors on helmets. We’re adding ‘action skins’ to visually change how certain job abilities look, and we’ll share more details about those at the Fan Festival in Berlin. These customization updates will be released gradually throughout the 8.x series of patches, rather than all at once.
Square Enix has announced that regional matchmaking, which will connect players within the same geographic area, will be available starting with the Patch 7.5 update on April 28th. This feature is launching even before the Evercold expansion.
Evangelion Crossover Alliance Raid — Ghosts of Desire
A surprising announcement from the keynote was a new three-part raid series, EVANGELION — Ghosts of Desire, which will cross over with the popular anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. Square Enix is creating the raid in partnership with khara, Inc., the studio behind the recent Evangelion films. While they haven’t shared any details about the story or how it will play yet, more information is coming at a future Fan Festival or developer update. This is one of the biggest and most exciting collaborations Final Fantasy XIV has ever done.
Nintendo Switch 2 Version Confirmed for August 2026
As a huge Final Fantasy XIV fan, I was absolutely thrilled to hear some amazing news! Square Enix just announced that FFXIV is coming to the Nintendo Switch 2 in August 2026! They’re even letting us get a head start with about a month of early access to help make sure everything runs smoothly. Now, it looks like the Switch 2 version will have its own separate subscription, which is a little disappointing, but they’re giving a 50% discount to anyone who already subscribes on PC, PlayStation, or Xbox. The best part? You won’t even need a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to play – just the FFXIV subscription itself! I can’t wait to play on the go!
Free Trial Expands to Include Shadowbringers
Starting April 28th, the free trial for Final Fantasy XIV is getting a big update with the release of Patch 7.5! New players can now experience all the game has to offer up to Patch 5.58 – that includes the complete stories of A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, Stormblood, and the Shadowbringers expansion – completely free of charge and with no time restrictions. Square Enix says this is like getting four full Final Fantasy games for free!
Patch Roadmap to Final Fantasy XIV Evercold
Square Enix announced the release dates for several upcoming updates. Patch 7.5 will be available on April 28th, adding new story missions, a challenging new Trial, and the third part of the Echoes of Vana’diel series. Patch 7.51 follows on June 2nd, introducing the Cosmic Exploration Star Auxesia, Custom Deliveries featuring Tiisol Ja, and the highly anticipated Dancing Mad Ultimate raid. On July 28th, Patch 7.55 will continue the Hildibrand Adventures, debut the Occult Crescent: North Horn area, and add new quests for Phantom Weapons. Patch 7.56 arrives September 8th, continuing the main story and introducing the new Beastmaster job. Finally, the next major expansion, Final Fantasy XIV: Evercold, is scheduled to launch in January 2027.
Final Fantasy XIV 8.0 Evercold Highlights
Final Fantasy XIV
January 2027 Confirmed
April 24, 2026 — FFXIV Fan Festival 2026, Anaheim
Square Enix
PS5 · PS4 · Xbox Series X/S · PC · macOS
August 2026 Base game
Separate subscription · 50% discount for existing subscribers · No Nintendo Switch Online required
The Godless Realms Saga New era
100 → 110
Tank · Physical Ranged DPS (names TBA)
Reborn Mode · Evolved Mode
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2026-04-25 01:59