Final Fantasy XIV has five released expansions, from Heavensward in June 2015 to Dawntrail in July 2024, built on top of A Realm Reborn, the relaunched base game from August 2013. The sixth, Evercold, comes out on February 23, 2027, and raises the level cap from 100 to 110.
Below is every part of the game in release order, with the date it came out, the level cap it brought, where it is set, and the jobs and races it added. After the list, we cover where the troubled 2010 original fits, what order to play in, and which editions you need to buy today. Recent dates, caps and features come from Square Enix’s official expansion sites and the Lodestone, checked on November 5, 2026.
1. A Realm Reborn (2013)
Released: August 27, 2013, on PC and PlayStation 3, and April 14, 2014, on PlayStation 4. Level cap: 50. Setting: Eorzea, five years after the Calamity, across the city-states of Limsa Lominsa, Gridania and Ul’dah.
A Realm Reborn is not an expansion but the base game, rebuilt from the ground up after the 2010 original. It launched with nine jobs (Paladin, Warrior, Monk, Dragoon, Bard, White Mage, Black Mage, Summoner and Scholar), each unlocked by leveling a base class first, and Patch 2.4 added Ninja in October 2014. Its story pits the Warrior of Light against the Garlean Empire, the primals that the beast tribes summon, and the shadowy Ascians, and its patches added the Binding Coil of Bahamut raids and the Crystal Tower alliance raids.
What you need today: A Realm Reborn is part of the free trial and the Starter Edition.
2. Heavensward (2015)
Released: June 23, 2015. Level cap: 60. Setting: the holy city of Ishgard and the lands around it, from the Coerthas highlands to Dravania and the floating islands of the Sea of Clouds, during the thousand-year Dragonsong War.
The first expansion added three jobs, Dark Knight, Astrologian and Machinist, along with the Au Ra as a new playable race. It brought flying mounts, which you unlock zone by zone, and the Alexander raid series. Heavensward also left the PlayStation 3 behind, launching on PC, Mac and PlayStation 4.
What you need today: Heavensward is part of the free trial and the Starter Edition.
3. Stormblood (2017)
Released: June 20, 2017. Level cap: 70. Setting: the occupied nation of Ala Mhigo and the Far Eastern lands of Othard, including Doma and the port city of Kugane.
Square Enix’s Stormblood site lists the headline additions: two new jobs, Red Mage and Samurai, swimming and diving, the level cap rise from 60 to 70, the Omega raid series, the Return to Ivalice alliance raid and the Shirogane housing district. Patch 4.5 later added Blue Mage, the game’s first limited job, which learns enemy abilities and cannot join regular duty queues.
What you need today: Stormblood is part of the free trial and the Starter Edition.
4. Shadowbringers (2019)
Released: July 2, 2019. Level cap: 80. Setting: the First, a world drowning in light, in the land of Norvrandt, with the Crystarium as your home base.
Shadowbringers is where, in Square Enix’s words, “hero becomes villain as the Warrior of Light embraces the dark.” It added Gunbreaker and Dancer, plus two races: the Viera, at first for women only, and the Hrothgar, at first for men only. The Trust system let you run story dungeons with computer-controlled allies, and its raids included the Eden series and the YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse alliance raid. Shadowbringers is the last expansion included in the free trial.
What you need today: Shadowbringers is part of the free trial (up to level 80) and the Starter Edition.
5. Endwalker (2021)
Released: December 7, 2021, two weeks later than its first date of November 23. Level cap: 90. Setting: from Old Sharlayan and Thavnair to the frozen Garlean capital and the moon, and beyond.
Endwalker closed the Hydaelyn and Zodiark story arc that began in A Realm Reborn. Its official site lists two new jobs, Sage and Reaper, the male Viera as a new playable race, and the cap rise from 80 to 90. Over its run it brought the Pandæmonium raids, the Myths of the Realm alliance raids and Island Sanctuary.
What you need today: Endwalker is included with the Complete Edition and with Evercold.
6. Dawntrail (2024)
Released: July 2, 2024, with early access from June 28. Level cap: 100. Setting: Tural, a new continent in the west, where the nation of Tuliyollal is choosing its next ruler, and the legend of a golden city waits.
Dawntrail added the Viper and Pictomancer jobs, female Hrothgar, and a graphics update across the whole game. Square Enix describes its level cap as “expanded to triple digits for the first time.” Its patches brought the Arcadion raids and the Echoes of Vana’diel alliance raids, and Patch 7.56 in September 2026 added the Beastmaster, a second limited job. In the same expansion cycle the game reached two more consoles: Xbox Series X|S in 2024 and Nintendo Switch 2 on August 4, 2026.
What you need today: Dawntrail is the current expansion. It is included with the Complete Edition and with Evercold.
7. Evercold (2027)
Release: February 23, 2027, with early access from February 19 for pre-orders. Level cap: 110. Setting: the Fourth, a reflection of the world that has fallen to ice, where people live aboard giant airships called realmships: Naglfar, Hringhorni, Sessrymnir and Skiðblaðnir.
Evercold opens what Square Enix calls the Godless Realms Saga. Its official site lists two new jobs, the bastion tank and the zephyr ranged DPS, both playable only in the new Evolved Mode, plus new cities called Fargarth and Hjartadunur. It also adds Seasons, a rework of how you earn rewards and raise item level, a Fierce raid difficulty between Normal and Savage, the alliance raid series EVANGELION – Ghosts of Desire, and a raid series called Beyond the Lifestream, whose official art features Final Fantasy VII’s Cloud Strife.
Square Enix opened pre-orders on November 4, 2026. The Standard Edition costs $44.99 and includes Endwalker and Dawntrail; our guides cover the pre-order bonus, the Collector’s Edition and when early access starts.
Where the 2010 Original Fits
The first Final Fantasy XIV launched on PC on September 30, 2010, and it was not a success. Square Enix put Naoki Yoshida in charge as producer and director that December, kept the original running while a new version was built, and shut its servers down on November 11, 2012. The game’s own story turned that shutdown into the Calamity, when the dragon Bahamut broke free and devastated Eorzea, and A Realm Reborn picks up five years later.
You cannot play the 2010 version today, and it does not count as an expansion. If anyone says Final Fantasy XIV “started in 2013,” they mean A Realm Reborn.
What Order to Play Them In
Release order is story order. The main scenario runs in one line from A Realm Reborn through every expansion and its patches, and each expansion’s story continues in the patches that follow it (2.1 to 2.55 after A Realm Reborn, for example) before the next expansion begins. You cannot start in Dawntrail with a new character without the story before it, unless you buy one of the optional story skip items that Square Enix sells on its Mog Station.
Which Expansions You Need to Buy
| Product | US price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free | A Realm Reborn through Shadowbringers, up to level 80, with restrictions |
| Starter Edition | $19.99 | A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, Stormblood and Shadowbringers |
| Complete Edition | $59.99 | Starter Edition plus Endwalker and Dawntrail |
| Evercold Standard Edition | $44.99 | Endwalker, Dawntrail and Evercold (needs the Starter or Complete Edition) |
Because Evercold includes Endwalker and Dawntrail, a new player who wants everything through 2027 can buy the Starter Edition and Evercold for $64.98, rather than the Complete Edition plus Evercold. Our guide to which Evercold edition to buy runs through the options. Every edition needs an active subscription to play, apart from the free trial.
For how XIV fits among the rest of the series, see our list of every Final Fantasy game in order. If you play both of the big MMOs, our WoW expansions in order does the same job for World of Warcraft, and our best MMORPGs of 2026 ranks them all. Every Final Fantasy guide we have lives on our Final Fantasy hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Final Fantasy XIV expansions are there? Five released expansions: Heavensward, Stormblood, Shadowbringers, Endwalker and Dawntrail. Evercold, out February 23, 2027, will be the sixth. A Realm Reborn is the base game, not an expansion.
What is the newest FFXIV expansion? Dawntrail, released July 2, 2024, is the current expansion. Evercold follows on February 23, 2027.
What is the max level in Final Fantasy XIV right now? Level 100 in Dawntrail. Evercold raises it to 110.
Which FFXIV expansions are free? The free trial includes A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, Stormblood and Shadowbringers up to level 80, with no time limit but with restrictions on features such as trading and the market board.
What order should you play the FFXIV expansions in? Release order: A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, Stormblood, Shadowbringers, Endwalker, Dawntrail, then Evercold. The main story runs straight through all of them.
Does Evercold include the older expansions? It includes Endwalker and Dawntrail. You still need the Starter or Complete Edition for A Realm Reborn through Shadowbringers.