FFXIV Evercold delayed to February 23, 2027; Zephyr job revealed

Final Fantasy XIV players will wait a few weeks longer for the next expansion. At the Fan Festival 2026 in Tokyo on Saturday, Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy XIV: Evercold will launch on Tuesday, 23 February 2027. It had previously been slated for January 2027.

Release date, early access and pre-orders

• Launch: 23 February 2027.
• Early access: tentatively from Friday, 19 February 2027 at 9:00 GMT for players who pre-order.
• Pre-orders: open on Wednesday, 4 November 2026 at 9:00 GMT, together with the limited Collector's Box.

Pre-ordering also unlocks two in-game items straight away: Halone's Earring, which gives 30% more experience from defeating enemies up to level 100, and a Wind-Up Köttr minion. Square Enix says the bonuses are registered automatically on Mog Station, PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store and Nintendo eShop.

The physical Collector's Box includes an art box with an Evercold illustration by Yoshitaka Amano, a reaper figure, a keychain, a plush and a tapestry, but no copy of the game. The Digital Collector's Edition adds a Valhallar Odin mount, an emote and a weapon for the new tank job.

Zephyr: the second new job

Producer and director Naoki Yoshida used the keynote to reveal Zephyr, a physical ranged DPS that fights with crossbow shots and support from an avian familiar called Nephele. It joins Bastion, the tank job announced earlier, as Evercold's second new job. The expansion takes players to the icebound realm of "the Fourth".

Everything else from the keynote

• A new raid difficulty called Fierce, between Normal and Savage.
• A raid series crossover with the Final Fantasy VII Remake series, with new art by Tetsuya Nomura.
• A new trailer for the Evangelion: Ghosts of Desire alliance raid, plus harder eight-player fights built from its bosses.
• An Evolved Combat Mode, a new Seasons reward system, improved character creation and housing, PvP and chocobo companion updates from Patch 8.1.

Square Enix also said Final Fantasy XIV has passed 35 million registered accounts. The free trial now covers everything up to the end of Shadowbringers (patch 5.58) with no time limit.

Evercold is coming to PC (Windows and Mac), PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2. Playing on PC with a pad? Our PC game controller buying guide covers the options, and for raid nights with voice chat see how to choose a gaming headset.