My favorite 24-year-old MMO finally got the generous free trial it deserved all along

Published Sep 30, 2026, 6:06 PM EDT Simon is a Computer Science BSc graduate who has been writing about technology since 2014, and using Windows machines since 3.1. After working for an indie game studio and acting as the family's go-to technician for all computer issues, he found his passion for writing and decided to use his skill set to write about all things tech. Since beginning his writing career, he has written for many different publications such as WorldStart, Listverse, and MakeTechEasier. However, after finding his home at MakeUseOf in February 2019, he would eventually move on to its sister site, XDA, to bring the latest and greatest in Windows, Linux, and DIY electronics. Sign in to your XDA account Summary FFXI's free trial is now permanent — play forever under the trial limits. Level cap raised from 50 to 75, letting trial players progress further. Trial has limits: base game only, 100k gil cap, no trading/auction, and no party creation, but you can join subscribers' parties. I'll be honest with you: while everyone else is getting ready to dive into Final Fantasy XIV's upcoming expansion Evercold, I'm still stuck on the latter half of Endwalker. Part of the reason is that Final Fantasy XI has been taking up all my MMO time. What can I say? It still holds up even today. Unfortunately, its free trial was pretty archaic; you could only reach level 50 of 99, and after two weeks, you were booted off the game until you bought it. Now, Square Enix has revealed a new free trial system for FFXI, and this one is a lot better. Final Fantasy XI's free trial now lasts forever The level cap has also been lifted As spotted by GamesRadar, Square Enix revealed all the details on the PlayOnline website. The biggest improvement is that the free trial no longer has a time limit; as long as you're okay with playing under the trial restrictions, you could play forever without spending a cent. To complement this, Square Enix has also raised the level cap from 50 to 75. It may not sound like much, but FFXI pioneered the "one character can use every class" system that FFXIV thrives on; in fact, I'd argue that FFXI did it better by allowing players to pick a primary and subjob with no restrictions. You can go Warrior/White Mage if you want. There's no viable reason to do it, but it's possible. There are some restrictions, though. You can only use base-game content, you can't hold more than 100,000 gil, you can't use the auction house, and you can't trade. You can't create a party for others to join, but you can join a party that a paying player has made. And, worst of all, you still have to use the PlayOnline client to download and play the game. Trust me, it was made during the days of dial-up internet, and it shows. Otherwise, you can go ahead and give the trial a go for free right now. And yes, if you played the game during the old free trial and didn't upgrade, you can hop back on with your old account under the new model without paying anything.