Final Fantasy XIV will be 12 years old on August 27, 2025, and is currently in its fifth expansion. While it may not be the oldest, it is one of the oldest still active MMORPGs worldwide. But is it still worth starting with the game in 2025? MeinMMO editor Sophia Weiss has the answer.
The story of Final Fantasy XIV began back in 2010 with the 1.0 version that was shut down in 2012. However, the success story started in 2013 with the relaunch as Final Fantasy XIV A Realm Reborn.
With the first expansion Heavensward in 2015, the MMORPG gained increasing popularity, reaching its peak with Shadowbringers and Endwalker from 2019 to 2022. During the current expansion though, Dawntrail, the game suffers from a decrease in players.
Currently, Final Fantasy XIV is one of the few MMORPGs that can be played not only on PC and PlayStation but also on Xbox and MAC. Additionally, a mobile version is now live in China.
So is it worth starting Final Fantasy XIV 12 years after the relaunch, after the port to multiple platforms, and the mobile launch? It really depends.
In this week, you can expect exciting articles every day about the topic MMORPG. Included: a time travel through the history of online role-playing games, as well as nostalgic recollections, streaming nights, interviews, columns, and analyses.
Here’s the program for MeinMMO’s big MMORPG theme week 2025
What can you expect in Final Fantasy XIV in 2025?
Final Fantasy XIV is a so-called theme park MMO, where you can play a whole range of different content as you unlock them. Besides classic MMO content like raids, dungeons, or bigger boss fights, there are also treasure maps, an in-game casino, jumping puzzles, housing, and crafting and gathering classes.
What content you can expect in the game’s endgame can be read in our endgame guide. It should be noted that all content in the MMORPG that is not removed from the game is still relevant and actively being played today.
In the game, you control your character, known as the Warrior of Light. This character can be customized, and you can choose from eight races, each with male and female versions and two subraces each.
At the start, you choose one of nine classes. Starting at level 30, these become known as jobs, transforming into RPG classes like White Mage, Paladin, or Dragoon from the Final Fantasy universe. With each new expansion, further jobs have been added, unlockable at levels 60, 70, 80, and 90.
At level 90, all currently available jobs, provided you own the respective expansion, can be played with the same character. You switch between them simply by changing the main weapon. Combat is via tab-targeting with abilities on customizable hotbars.
New players in Final Fantasy XIV have to level their chosen class, but especially they must play through the main story. This story spans the entire MMORPG, and completing it is a prerequisite for most of the game’s content. You can also pay to skip the story up to the start of the current expansion.
Currently, the MMORPG can be played almost entirely as a single-player game. For many group contents, the game provides NPCs that take on the roles of other players.
Final Fantasy XIV 2025: Is it worth starting and if so, for whom?
Yes, because it is free up to level 70 – just check it out, here you can find the trial version on Steam.
… still there? Ok, jokes aside – here’s the detailed explanation: Yes, it is still worth starting Final Fantasy XIV in 2025. However, it depends heavily on why you want to play the game.
If you enjoy good stories that keep you engaged for a long time and get better over time, you are in the right place. The first hours in A Realm Reborn are tough, despite the already shortened questlines, as they are important for the foundation of the story. At the latest from Heavensward, it really picks up and maintains the momentum until the highlights in Shadowbringers and Endwalker.
Pure story players, however, need to prepare for the MMORPG parts. These extend the very good story and can be somewhat testing of patience at times.
If you enjoy traditional MMORPG content like raids and dungeons, you will likely never get enough of Final Fantasy XIV. Thanks to the level sync system and the roulettes, all content from the first dungeon to the current endgame is not only playable, but also continues to be relatively quickly populated with players.
Additionally, the built-in group finder quickly connects you with players for more obscure or rarely visited content. So, there are 12 years of challenging content, which can still be made more complex if desired.
But: Leveling up and immediately jumping into content is not possible in Final Fantasy XIV. All combat content must be unlocked through the main story and some side quests. If you want to skip the main story, you can do so for a fee. However, the latest content still hides behind several hours of quests in Dawntrail.
It is also important to note that while the early content is still being played, it doesn’t quite hold up against current content: The developers have been working on the game for 12 years now, and you can tell that dungeons, raids, boss fights, and other side content are becoming more challenging and dynamic the further you progress in the game.
In summary: If you appreciate games with a very good story or enjoy challenging MMORPG combat content, or even both, you should definitely check out Final Fantasy XIV, but you need to have perseverance.
What our author says
Final Fantasy XIV has been with me since October 2016, so this year marks nine years. I appreciate the battles in the game for their colorful mix of challenging mechanics – sometimes, when executed perfectly, they even remind me of choreographed group dances. I love the story of the game and enjoy the mini-games, crafting, and gathering.
But I also know how hard it is to start with this particular game or to return after a long time. You are initially overwhelmed by a multitude of mechanics and systems before you really know what you are even playing.
The battles start slowly, as you first have to unlock abilities. At level 100, the Dragoon (in my view) plays excellently. But that doesn’t help someone who is bored pressing the same three buttons at level 35.
Moreover, while I say that I love the story, I can’t specifically say that for the beginning. A Realm Reborn slowly transforms your character from a delivery boy into an epic world savior. But if you can hold on until then, the final plot twist of the base game and the first expansion will captivate you completely.
Final Fantasy XIV suffers like many JRPGs from this meme: Main story chapter 2 – find a cat; Main story chapter 84: Kill God
And: I would probably have quit during A Realm Reborn and would never have seen the things I love about the game today if it hadn’t been for a half-naked, dancing catboy who caught my attention – the community ultimately kept me. That could still happen today.
And it was worth it. At least until today. But I want to be honest: After 9 loyal years, I’m struggling with the plot of Dawntrail. I’m feeling a bit like I did back when I started A Realm Reborn.
Other players, however, criticize the new game content, including the new major MMO content. Even the director and producer agree with this now.
But that is precisely the sign for me to keep going: Final Fantasy XIV is continuously improved, adapted, and is built on the still glowing embers of its direct predecessor. If Naoki Yoshida and his team are determined to improve, the chances of success are very good.
Today I am more than willing, after so long, to play a little longer. In other words, to have the perseverance for the game.
I can highly recommend Final Fantasy XIV to anyone who finds even one of the above-mentioned points interesting. Sticking with it is worth it, even if it may not always feel that way.
And if you’re still not sure if the game is worth it: You don’t even have to spend money on your first outing if you don’t want to. The free trial includes all content up to the second DLC Stormblood and level 70. This gives you a really extensive preview of what awaits you in the truly amazing expansions Shadowbringers and Endwalker.
So trying it out really costs you nothing but some time.
During our currently ongoing Grind Festival, the MeinMMO theme week for MMORPGs, you can get to know several other games. If Final Fantasy XIV hasn’t convinced you (yet), you might still find the right game for you. Everything about our program, all articles, and what’s coming up can be found here: Welcome to the Grind Festival! The program for MeinMMO’s big MMORPG theme week 2025
