You’ve likely heard the meme. It’s the one about the "critically acclaimed MMORPG" with an "expanded free trial." It’s basically everywhere in the gaming world. But honestly, most people still treat it like a standard demo.
They’re wrong.
Calling it a "demo" is like calling a cross-country road trip a "quick drive to the store." We’re talking about hundreds of hours of content. Literal years of development. And yet, there’s a massive trap that new players fall into every single week. They spend money too early.
The "Point of No Return" Everyone Misses
Here is the biggest thing you need to understand before you even hit the download button: once you buy the game, you can never go back.
It sounds dramatic because it is. Square Enix has a very specific, somewhat rigid rule. If you purchase the Starter Edition or the Complete Edition and register that code to your account, your "Free Trial" status is deleted forever. You are now a subscriber. Even if you only played for five minutes. Even if you haven’t finished the first expansion.
You’ll be on the hook for that $12.99 or $14.99 monthly fee just to log in.
I’ve seen so many people see the game on sale for $20, think "oh, I'll grab that now while it's cheap," and then realize they just turned a free 300-hour experience into a paid one. Don’t do that. Stick to the trial until the game literally forces you to stop.
What's Actually in the Box?
As of 2026, the Final Fantasy 14 free trial is absurdly large. You aren't just getting the base game, A Realm Reborn. You're getting the first two massive expansions: Heavensward and Stormblood.
This means you can play all the way to level 70.
Think about that for a second. You get three full RPG campaigns. You get access to the Red Mage and Samurai jobs. You get the entirety of the Ala Mhigo and Doma storylines. You can even do the 24-man raids and the 8-man "Omega" raid series, which contains some of the best fights in the entire genre.
The level cap for the full game (with the Dawntrail expansion) is 100. So you are essentially getting 70% of the vertical progression for zero dollars.
The Real Restrictions (And How to Handle Them)
Square Enix isn't just giving this away out of the goodness of their hearts; they want you to eventually sub. To keep the economy from exploding due to bots, the trial has "shackles."
- The Gil Cap: You can only hold 300,000 Gil. This sounds like a lot when you start, but by level 50, you'll hit it. Most trial players "dump" their money into expensive vendor items or crafting materials so they don't waste the gold they earn from quests.
- No Market Board: You can't buy or sell things to other players. You are a "self-sufficient" adventurer. If you need a specific ore for crafting, you go mine it. You don't just buy it off the auction house.
- The "Tell" Problem: You cannot send private messages (Tells) to people. You also can't use the "Shout" or "Yell" chat functions. You can talk in "Say" (local) and "Party" chat.
- No Free Companies: You cannot join a guild. This is the one that hurts the most for social players.
Why You Should (Or Shouldn’t) Start Today
The game is a slow burn.
The early levels of A Realm Reborn can feel like a slog. It’s a lot of "go here, talk to this person, come back." If you’re looking for high-octane action in the first ten minutes, you won't find it here. But the payoff in Heavensward is widely considered one of the best stories in Final Fantasy history. Period.
If you like "Fashion Report" and "Gold Saucer" mini-games, those are all open to you. You can spend 50 hours just playing Triple Triad cards or racing Chocobos without ever touching the main story.
How to actually sign up
- Go to the official Free Trial site. Do not go to the main store page.
- Create a NEW Square Enix account. If you played a beta back in 2013, that account might be "tainted" and ineligible for the trial.
- Download the specific "Free Trial" client. On Steam, it’s listed as a "Demo." On PS5 and Xbox, it’s in the store as a separate trial download.
The Ultimate "Free Trial" Pro-Tip
Most people think they can only play one "Job" (class) on their character.
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Nope.
In Final Fantasy 14, one character can be everything. You can be a Level 70 Paladin, a Level 70 White Mage, and a Level 70 Blacksmith all on the same cat-boy. If you finish the story and still haven't spent a dime, start leveling another job. You can easily spend 1,000 hours on the trial just by "maxing out" every available job to level 70 before you ever pay for a subscription.
Actionable Next Steps
If you're ready to jump in, here is your path forward:
- Check your platform: If you start on Steam, you are locked to Steam forever. If you start on the Windows standalone client, you are locked to that. Choose wisely.
- Pick a "Preferred World": Look for servers with a gold star icon. These give you a "Road to 90" (or 80) XP buff that makes leveling lightning fast.
- Focus on the MSQ: The "Main Scenario Quest" (the meteor icon) unlocks everything. If you don't do the MSQ, you don't get a mount, you don't get dungeons, and you don't progress.
- Don't buy the game yet: Even if it's 50% off. Unless you've finished Stormblood and are desperate to see what happens in Shadowbringers, just keep your wallet closed. There is no rush. Eorzea isn't going anywhere.