Square Enix today announced that the Final Fantasy XIV Online: Starter Edition, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game set in the Final Fantasy universe, is free to download on Playstation 4 from now until 26 May, after which you can keep it forever.
If you have a Playstation 4 and an account already, all you need to do is head to the Playstation store, either here or on your console, and navigate to the game’s page. You’ll notice the Starter Edition is free, but this isn’t a crippled or lite version. It comes with the full A Realm Reborn quest line and dozens of hours of scripted gameplay, as well as the infinite entertainment that comes with human interaction in a massively multiplayer game. To that end, you’ll get 30 days of game time with your free purchase of FFXIV, after which you’ll need to pay for a monthly subscription.
According to a blog post from Square Enix:
The FINAL FANTASY XIV Online Starter Edition is perfect for newcomers to begin their adventure. It includes the entire story of A Realm Reborn, including all of the updates that game received. That’s dozens of hours-worth of main scenario quests, side quests, dungeons, raids, and extra content.
You can also play as any class or job from the original release all the way up to level 50, so you can experiment with the different options to your hearts content with no restrictions to worry about.
Long story short, the Starter Edition’s a risk-free way to dip your toe into the vibrant realm of Eorzea and see if the many adventures within are for you. And considering that it’s currently free (unless you’re reading this after May 26, 2020), and includes 30 days of free game time too, there’s no reason not to try it out.
I’m currently gearing up for a long weekend with the Final Fantasy VII Remake to fight off my isolation blues (more on that at a later date), but a healthy dose of multiplayer gaming might be just what I need to truly shake off the funk.
If Final Fantasy isn’t your thing or you don’t own a PlayStation, don’t forget that Civilization VI is currently free on the Epic Games Store from now until 28 May, and GOG is giving away The Witcher along with copies of Gwent until further notice.
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