Lead: The FFXIV Evercold release date has moved to February 23, 2027, with early access opening February 19, Square Enix announced at Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival 2026 in Tokyo.
What happened
Evercold, the sixth expansion for Square Enix’s long-running MMORPG, was first revealed at the North American Fan Festival in Anaheim in April with a January 2027 window. At the Japanese Fan Festival this weekend, director and producer Naoki Yoshida confirmed the new schedule: early access begins February 19, 2027, and the full launch follows on February 23, 2027. IGN reports the team described the change as a delay of roughly four weeks.
The keynote opened with the expansion’s full opening cinematic, which doubles as its final teaser. Square Enix also revealed the second new job, Zephyr, a ranged DPS class. IGN describes it as a crossbow user that fights alongside a bird companion. Zephyr joins Bastion, the expansion’s new tank job. New trailers showed two areas, Sessrymnir, Realmship of Earth, and Skiðblaðnir, Realmship of Wind, along with new dungeons.
Pre-orders open November 4, 2026. According to IGN, early purchase bonuses include a Wind-up Kottr minion and Halone’s Earring, an accessory that boosts experience for jobs under level 100. The collector’s edition adds a Valhallar Odin mount and other in-game items, and the physical collector’s bundle includes an art book, a Kottr plush and a figure.
Why the FFXIV Evercold release date matters
A four-week slip is small by MMO standards, and fans have seen worse. Evercold now lands about two and a half years after Dawntrail’s July 2024 launch. What makes this one bigger than a routine date change is what rides on it. Evercold opens a new saga, dubbed “Godless Realms,” that sends players into the Fourth, one of the 13 reflections of the game’s original world. It also ships alongside version 8.0, which IGN says brings fundamental gameplay changes, and Yoshida has already flagged a more weekly-based activity system in place of daily routines, per ANN.
The expansion also carries two crossover projects that reach well beyond the MMO crowd. A Neon Genesis Evangelion raid series titled “Ghosts of Desire” got a fresh teaser, with Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 director Mahiro Maeda involved as a guest creator, according to Anime News Network. A separate eight-player raid series with Final Fantasy VII Remake, “Beyond the Lifestream: Fated Collision,” introduces a new “Fierce” difficulty. For anime fans, the Evangelion tie-in is the hook worth watching, since Maeda’s involvement suggests more than a costume drop.
Square Enix also shared a new milestone at the event: Final Fantasy XIV has passed 35 million registered accounts worldwide, per ANN. That is a big audience to keep waiting an extra month, which is likely why the date came with this much new content to show.
What we know vs what is rumored
- Confirmed: early access on February 19, 2027, and full release on February 23, 2027.
- Confirmed: pre-orders start November 4, 2026; Zephyr (ranged DPS) and Bastion (tank) are the new jobs.
- Confirmed: Evangelion “Ghosts of Desire” and Final Fantasy VII Remake “Beyond the Lifestream: Fated Collision” raid series are part of the expansion.
- Unconfirmed: launch timing for the two crossover raid series after release; Square Enix did not give patch dates for them in the coverage we checked.
What happens next
The next milestone is November 4, when pre-orders open. If Square Enix follows its usual pattern, more job and system details will roll out in the run-up to early access on February 19. Players who want the pre-order bonuses should buy before launch, and anyone chasing the Evangelion raid should keep an eye on post-launch patch schedules, which Square Enix usually lays out after an expansion ships.
Sources: Anime News Network — Final Fantasy XIV Game Reveals February 19 Early Access Date for ‘Evercold’ Expansion, New Job Zephyr; IGN — Final Fantasy XIV Evercold Delayed, New Release Date Announced at FFXIV Fan Fest; Gematsu — Final Fantasy XIV: Evercold expansion delayed to February 23, 2027