FFXIV Evercold slips to February 23, 2027 after Fan Fest delay

Hot off the wire from Japan: Final Fantasy XIV Evercold is late. The expansion now launches February 23, 2027, with early access beginning February 19. ¹

The January 2027 window dates to the April reveal at North American Fan Fest. ¹ The new date was announced at the Japan Fan Fest alongside the full trailer and opening cinematic for Evercold. The delay comes to roughly four weeks. ¹

The keynote opened with that cinematic, followed by director and producer Naoki Yoshida laying out new features, where the ongoing story is headed, and fundamental gameplay changes as the game moves to version 8.0 with Evercold. ¹

Pre-orders open November 4, 2026, and come with several bonus items. ¹

The keynote also showed a second new Job: Zephyr, a ranged DPS that wields a crossbow and commands an avian companion for support. ¹

The expansion is packing plenty. Beyond a new world and main story, there is a Neon Genesis Evangelion crossover raid series, a Final Fantasy VII crossover raid series, and a new Tank Job, Bastion. ¹ Two crossover raid series in one expansion is a bold swing. Players will want to see how they play before deciding what they think.

One outlet’s report carries this story, so the details above rest on a single source.

Our read: Four weeks is a short slip, and for a game this size, a modest price for polish. But I’m a skeptic of any date until the publisher commits in writing, and this one is now on the record: February 23. The packed feature list, two new Jobs and a pair of big crossover raids, helps explain why the team might want the extra time. That part is my interpretation, not a stated reason. The sources give none.

The calendar page turned. The case stays open until launch day.

Footnotes

1. IGN, “Final Fantasy XIV Evercold Delayed, New Release Date Announced at FFXIV Fan Fest”. Retrieved October 31, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷