A new beginning awaits upcoming Final Fantasy XIV players as the game will officially become available for Xbox in an Open Beta form later this month. This Open Beta will begin on Wednesday, 21 February 2024, at around 8:00 (GMT).

There are a few caveats for this Open Beta, the most prominent being that it will only be available for players with new accounts. This means players with existing accounts will not be eligible for participation during the Open Beta period.

However, existing players can link their accounts to the Xbox console and play as their characters across platforms. This means that players can connect to the game via PC and PlayStation.

Another tidbit worth considering is that the Open Beta will feature the content featured in the Free Trial version of Final Fantasy XIV. In other words, players can play through the game’s main story and the first two expansions for free with no playtime restrictions.

In addition, Square Enix stated that the Free Trial version of Final Fantasy XIV (and, by extension, the open beta test) will not require an Xbox Game Pass (Core or Ultimate) plan to play.

However, the full Xbox Series X|S version will require an Xbox Game Pass (Core or Ultimate) plan to play.

So, what’s required to join the Open Beta for Final Fantasy XIV? Xbox players might be happy to know that all they need to do is link the Microsoft and Square Enix accounts to their console. However, doing this is irreversible, as players cannot unlink the accounts once linked.

The full version of Final Fantasy XIV on Xbox will become available once the Open Beta phase ends. As for when the beta is expected to end, it will be announced later based on feedback provided by the testers.

Additionally, players can transfer their account and progress to the full version once it becomes available.