Yoshida’s Final Fantasy XIV: Evercold Delay Throws It Into the Busiest Month of Early 2027, Launching the Same Day as Fable

Square Enix has delayed Final Fantasy XIV: Evercold from its original January 2027 release window to February 23, 2027, and that new date puts the MMORPG's sixth expansion right in the middle of what's shaping up to be one of the most crowded months for game releases in recent memory.

Just look at the stiff competition: February 2027 opens with Metro 2039 on February 4, then Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis arrives on February 12, God of War Laufey and Romancing SaGa 3: Destinies United drop on February 16, and Persona 4 Revival launches on February 18. Evercold's pre-order early access begins the very next day, on February 19, and its full launch on February 23 coincides with Playground Games' long-awaited Fable reboot. Atelier Karia: The Night Kingdom & the Guide of Memories and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity – Definitive Edition follow on February 25, and just a few days into March, there are also Wo Long 2: Wings of Ember (March 4) and Gundam Rogue Orbit (March 5). It's a veritable bloodbath for gamers.

To be fair, Final Fantasy XIV's audience is about as dedicated as they come, with the MMORPG now passing 35 million registered accounts. But even its most loyal players may struggle to find the time for everything else arriving that month.

Why the Delay?

Producer and director Naoki Yoshida announced the delay during the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival 2026 in Tokyo. According to Yoshida, the team was committed to the January window and was even just barely on track to meet it, but quality concerns led him to give the expansion three extra weeks of development. He even bowed in apology on stage for missing the original target.

It is a short delay by most standards, to be sure, but a notable one for a live service game. Evercold will be the first new expansion since Dawntrail in July 2024, and it will also be the first released for the Switch 2 version, which launched on August 4.

Zephyr and the Rest of the Keynote

The keynote also revealed Zephyr, the second of Evercold's two new jobs. In the words of Square Enix's press release:

A physical ranged DPS, the Zephyr joins the fray using a combination of crossbow shots and support from an avian familiar known as Nephele.

Beyond the new job, Yoshida outlined a meaty list of changes and additions. Evercold adds new areas in the Icebound Realm of the Fourth, a new difficulty called Fierce that sits between Normal and Savage, and a new Seasons reward system that significantly changes how item rewards are obtained. There is also an Evolved Combat Mode, described as a new way to play that highlights each job’s unique identity, along with improved character creation and Character Action Skins.

On the raid side, Square Enix showed new artwork by Tetsuya Nomura for Beyond the Lifestream, the upcoming crossover raid series with the Final Fantasy VII Remake series, and a new trailer for EVANGELION: Ghosts of Desire, an alliance raid crossover that will also get high-difficulty eight-player battles featuring its bosses. Patch 8.1 will then bring expanded housing, PvP updates, and a revamped companion chocobo system. Players who want to try the new character creation options early can do so in a benchmark planned for December.

Pre-Orders and Collector’s Edition

Pre-orders open on November 4 at 9:00 AM GMT and include early access starting February 19, a Wind-Up Köttr minion, and Halone's Earring, which grants a 30% EXP bonus from defeating enemies. Since the in-game items are delivered immediately upon pre-order, players can use the earring to level their jobs to 100 well ahead of Evercold's launch.

The Digital Collector's Edition adds the Valhallar Odin mount, the Entreat Crystal emote, and the Crystal Skyltborg: Bastion weapon. There's also a physical Collector's Box, featuring an art box with an Evercold illustration by Yoshitaka Amano, a reaper Warrior of Light figure, a metal keychain, a Köttr mini plush, and a tapestry. As with the GTA VI collection we covered recently, though, the box doesn't include a copy of the game, in-game items, or pre-order bonuses. The Collector's Box costs $255 on its own, while the Collector's Bundle, which pairs it with the Digital Collector's Edition for Windows or Mac, costs $319.99, over $100 more than its Dawntrail equivalent.

Final Fantasy XIV: Evercold launches on February 23, 2027, for PC, Mac, Steam, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series S|X, and Nintendo Switch 2. For newcomers, the Free Trial now includes everything through Shadowbringers and patch 5.58, without a playtime limit.

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