Square Enix has announced plans to bring Final Fantasy XIV to Nintendo Switch 2 this August – but there is a catch.
FFXIV director and producer Naoki Yoshida (a.k.a. Yoshi-P) and Square Enix president and CEO Takashi Kiryu revealed plans to bring the massively popular MMORPG to the Nintendo platform as part of Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest 2026 today. It’s news that marked an end to a long wait, but it also came with the reveal that players on the hybrid gaming platform will need to rethink their subscription plans.
The presentation continued following the announcement with a graphic confirming that subscriptions for FFXIV on Switch 2 will operate differently than other platforms. While players previously only needed to purchase the game itself and the monthly subscription fee to play on any platform, the Switch 2 version will require players to purchase an additional, separate subscription.
“After discussions with Nintendo, it was decided that the Switch 2 version of Final Fantasy XIV would require a separate subscription,” Yoshi-P said via translator. “Again, this was decided after many months of discussions with Nintendo, and I understand that this is different to how we’ve done things before.”
Thankfully, Yoshi-P said that there were able to make some concessions. A Nintendo Switch Online membership, for example, will not be required to play FFXIV on Switch 2. Additionally, those with active subscriptions on other platforms will receive a 50% discount for a subscription on Switch 2.
Final Fantasy XIV currently has no specific release date for the Switch 2 version outside of the promise to see its launch arrive in August. It will be playable via early access to try for free for one month before its release. The Nintendo portion of the presentation then came to an end with a live demo of the game running on Switch 2.
“A week ago, I had this great idea to play the Switch 2 on stage here, and Nintendo kind of freaked out a little,” Yoshi-P added. “They were like, ‘What?!’ But they cooperated and helped us so much to make this happen, so thank you, Nintendo, very much to help us make this happen on-stage today.”
The base game Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn originally launched in 2013 and, after only a few teases in the years since, it is finally coming to a Nintendo platform. Also revealed at the 2026 Fan Fest keynote, the upcoming expansion, Evercold, is coming in January 2027. and got an announcement trailer which you can see above. A crossover with Neon Genesis Evangelion is also in the works, which will be a 24-player raid series coming after Evercold.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
