Final Fantasy 14’s Free Ride on Switch 2 Is Coming to an End

Published Sep 2, 2026, 3:16 PM EDT A subscription will be required to play Square Enix's hit MMO starting next week Y'shtola is featured prominently in the Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers trailer.Image: Square Enix Sign in to your Polygon.com account All good things must come to an end. After holding a month-long grace period following Final Fantasy 14's launch on Nintendo Switch 2, Square Enix is reinstating the subscription requirement for Final Fantasy 14 on the console. Square Enix announced the end of the free subscription period in a post on the Lodestone blog. As previously revealed, while players usually only need one Final Fantasy 14 subscription to play the MMO, playing the game on Switch 2 will require a second subscription. To mitigate costs, the game on Switch 2 will not require a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, and if you already have a Final Fantasy 14 subscription on other platforms, you'll get 50% off the Switch 2 subscription price. The end of Final Fantasy 14's free trial period will go into effect on Monday, Sept. 7 at 11:59 p.m. local time. How do you get a Final Fantasy 14 subscription on Switch 2? To make the process even more frustrating, Nintendo Switch 2 subscriptions can't be purchased as usual. Instead, players must purchase FFXIV Coins on the Nintendo eShop that can then be used on the Final Fantasy 14 Mog Station to manage subscription fees. FFXIV Coins can also be used to purchase optional items from the Final Fantasy 14 Online Store. Automatic subscription renewals can be set up on Switch 2 but they will only work if you have enough FFXIV Coins on your account. Players can get 30 days of free play time by purchasing and registering either the Starter or Complete Edition of Final Fantasy 14. Once that free time runs out, you'll still need to purchase a subscription. There is, however, one way to keep playing for free on Switch 2. If you have never purchased any version of Final Fantasy 14, you can continue to play on the game's free trial without the need to have a subscription. Despite all the hurdles on Switch 2, Final Fantasy 14 runs surprisingly smoothly on the console. For some, it may even be the best place to play the critically acclaimed MMO.