Introduction

Square Enix made waves at the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival in Anaheim by announcing Evercold as the next expansion, slated for release in January 2027. The two-hour keynote revealed a plethora of exciting features and enhancements, including an Evangelion Crossover Alliance Raid, a Nintendo Switch 2 port, Shadowbringers joining the Free Trial, and more.

Godless Realms Saga

Evercold marks the beginning of the Godless Realms Saga story arc, offering a sneak peek into the adventures awaiting the Warrior of Light.

Evangelion Crossover and Battle System Overhaul

Evercold introduces a unique alliance raid that crosses over with the popular Evangelion anime, developed in collaboration with Khara Inc. Additionally, the expansion brings a battle system revamp with two distinct modes – Reborn and Evolved. While Reborn stays true to the current combat system and jobs, Evolved emphasizes job identity. New jobs will only be playable in Evolved mode, ushering in a new style of gameplay.

Exciting Features of Evercold

• Two new jobs: tank and physical ranged DPS
• Level cap increase from 100 to 110
• New cities and distinctive areas
• New gigantic constructs and monstrous threats
• New allies, dungeons, trials, raid series, and Ultimate raid
• PvP updates and ongoing content additions

Upcoming Content and Updates

Leading up to Evercold and Patch 8.0, players can expect content releases throughout 2026, including Patch updates like 7.5x with new quests, trials, and more.

Expanded Free Trial and Future Platforms

On April 28, the Free Trial version of Final Fantasy XIV will expand to include the Shadowbringers expansion, offering hours of gameplay up to Patch 5.58. Additionally, Square Enix confirmed the game’s upcoming release on the Switch 2 platform in August.