Final Fantasy XIV Online PS5 open beta kicks off later this month: How to play
Just a day after Bethesda announced new details about the next-gen version of The Elder Scrolls Online, Square Enix is doing the same for its own MMORPG. Final Fantasy XIV Online is getting a PlayStation 5 beta, and not only is that beta going live later this month, but it'll also allow PS4 players to bring their characters forward and use them in the test.
Square Enix announced today that Final Fantasy XIV Online's PS5 beta will be going live on April 13th, 2021 – a little under two weeks from today. The PS5 version will offer "lightning-fast loading times, greatly increased frame rates, true 4K resolution, 3D audio, and haptic feedback," according to Square Enix. While the company didn't give us any details about what kind of frame rates to expect, we're guessing that the game will top out at 60 frames per second.
The process of hopping into the beta is a little bit different depending on whether or not you currently own Final Fantasy XIV Online on PS4 and, if you do, how you own the game. Those with a physical copy of the PS4 game simply need to sign into the PlayStation Network on their PS5 with the same account they play FFXIV Online with, then head to the FFXIV page on the PlayStation Store. From there, select the "..." menu and select "Final Fantasy XIV PS5 Upgrade Edition (Beta Version}" to begin downloading the beta. Once it's downloaded, all you need to do is launch the PS5 version of FFXIV from the game screen and you're good to go – no disc needed.
If you own the game digitally on PS4, the process changes a little bit. You'll once again need to sign into the PlayStation Network on PS5 using the same account from the PS4 version, but this time you're heading to your Game Library – once there, select FFXIV and then select "PS5 Upgrade Edition (Beta Version) on the right side of the screen. You'll be taken to the PlayStation Store, where you'll once again head into the the "..." menu to begin downloading the beta. When it's done, just choose to launch the PS5 beta from the FFXIV game screen.
Those who are newcomers to FFXIV Online can still participate in the PS5 beta by going to the PlayStation Store and downloading the beta from the "..." menu. New users will have all of the content available through the free trial, while current users will need to have game time active in order to play. Square Enix says that official service for the PlayStation 5 version will "begin immediately upon the conclusion of the test," whenever that may be, so we'll keep an eye out for more details on that front.