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Final Fantasy XIV MMORPG Unveils New 'Evercold' Expansion for January 2027 (Updated With Evangelion Crossover and Switch 2 Release)

Square Enix announced on Friday at the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival 2026 in Anaheim event the next expansion for Square Enix's Final Fantasy XIV MMORPG, which is titled "Evercold" and will launch in January 2027. Update: The company also announced that the next Alliance Raid series for "Evercold" will be a collaboration with the Neon Genesis Evangelion series titled "Ghosts of Desire." The free trial will also be updated to include the "Shadowbringers" expansion. Finally, the staff announced that the game will come to Nintendo Switch 2 in August. There will be free early access on Switch 2 for about a month before the official launch. The Switch 2 version will have its own monthly subscription fee, separate from the subscription fee for versions on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. There will be a discount for existing subscribers.

The company streamed a trailer for the new 8.0 expansion:

The game's director and producer Naoki Yoshida (also known as Yoshi-P) revealed in the event's keynote speech that "Evercold" will begin the series' new "Godless Realms" saga. Players will enter the Fourth, one of 13 reflections of the original Source world. He also teased various creatures including a "Wanderer," Arcane Giants, and a new race of cat creatures. The new expansion will also bring changes, including an updated Adventurer Activity user interface and a more weekly-based system as opposed to daily.

The first part of the game's 7.5 patch for its "Dawntrail" expansion will launch on Tuesday.

The game's staff will reveal more information on the expansion at the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival 2026 in Berlin, Germany on July 25-26. There is also a Fan Festival event at Makuhari Messe in Tokyo on October 31-November 1.

Square Enix released Final Fantasy XIV Online for personal computers in September 2010. After criticism from fans, the company revealed an updated version of the game titled Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn that added a new world and story. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn launched on Windows PC and PlayStation 3 in August 2013, on PlayStation 4 in April 2014, on PlayStation 5 in May 2020, and on Xbox Series X|S in March 2024. Square Enix has since released five expansions: "Heavensward" in June 2015, "Stormblood" in June 2017, "Shadowbringers" in July 2019, "Endwalker" in December 2021, and "Dawntrail" in July 2024. The game has recorded just under 35 million registered accounts worldwide as of April 24.

The game is getting a mobile version for iOS and Android devices. Lightspeed Studios is developing the game, with the game officially licensed from and supervised by Square Enix. The game will have "multiple playtests" in China, and will also launch in China first, with a worldwide release planned after the China launch.

Square Enix announced in February 2022 that it will continue support for the MMORPG for the next 10 years.

Update: Added information and trailer for Evangelion collaboration.Source: Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest 2026 livestream

Update 2: Added updated free trial information.

Update 3: Switch 2 version announcement added.

Source: Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest 2026 livestream