Bahamut ado about nothing.

Image credit: Eurogamer / Square Enix / Nintendo

Have you heard of the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy 14? Well, today the oft-memed Final Fantasy online title has arrived on Switch 2, marking a very quick turnaround between the announcement of the port at the end of June and its actual release date.

Perhaps the best news is that the game arrives on Nintendo's hybrid console with a free trial, which includes quite a bit of content: the base game and three pretty sizeable expansions in Heavensward, Stormblood and Shadowbringers. You can download this now, and play today, at absolutely no cost. You will, however, have to set up both a Nintendo Switch Online account and a Square Enix account in order to access the game, though a subscription to Nintendo Switch Online is not required to play. You will be capped at level 80 in the free trial, and you don't get to use the full suite of multiplayer features, engage in PvP, or try out the Ultimate Raids. Still, as a way of seeing if this critically- and commercially-successful MMORPG is for you, it's a very good way in.

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And it gets better. "To help ensure a stable launch experience, subscription fees will be waived for approximately one month following release," noted Square Enix. "Following this period, the 30-day free play period included when registering a new platform will begin. Once this time has elapsed, a subscription fee will be required to continue playing. A separate subscription is required to play the Nintendo Switch 2 version, regardless of whether you are subscribed on another platform."

However, if you immediately purchase any of the Final Fantasy 14 Switch 2 editions available to pre-order, you will not be able to take advantage of the free trial.. It's very much a 'try before you buy' sort-of deal. If it helps make your decision, Square Enix has announced that both versions of the Complete Edition are 30 percent off until Thursday, 13th August, 2026. This means FF14 on Switch 2 is currently $41.99/£31.49 instead of the usual $59.99 / £44.99.

Additionally, if you have an active subscription on another platform (say, PS5 or PC), you will be able to play on Switch 2 for a discounted 50 percent off. You'll still be paying twice, but that may take some of the sting out of the issue.

There's one small but also large downside, though: the free trial weighs in at a massive 117.2GB - a file size larger than even FF7 Rebirth and Remake, both of which were 90GB. I hope you have some bonus storage in your Switch 2, because even if you're not carrying much else around on the console's internal 256GB, this is going to take up a lot of your digital real estate.

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