Ginormous MMO sensation Final Fantasy 14 will be fully playable on the PlayStation 5 using backwards compatibility, and its performance will be improved on Sony’s next-gen console. Speaking during a livestream where Square Enix outlined the immediate roadmap for the release – including an update due out in December – the firm confirmed that you’ll be able to enjoy the PlayStation 4 game on the next-gen console. You can find out more about PS5 backwards compatibility through the link.
More importantly, you’ll be able to use PS4 Pro settings and get a vastly improved overall experience. Currently there are two settings available for the game: Standard and High. The latter runs at a higher resolution but comes at the expense of an extremely inconsistent frame rate, which the additional horsepower of the PS5 should be able to clean up. As a result, you should be able to play at 1440p with a smooth 60 frames-per-second on the new hardware.
The publisher also says that loading times will be dramatically improved on PS5, which shouldn’t come as a huge surprise to anyone who’s been paying attention these past few months. There are no plans for a native PS4 to PS5 upgrade at this time, but it sounds like anyone planning to purchase Sony's next-gen console will get a vastly improved Final Fantasy 14 experience through backwards compatibility, and that should be good enough for now.
[source twitch.tv, via twitter.com]
Comments 25
Fantastic news!!! This is my absolute favorite MMO.
Wait...load times will be improved? How is that even possible?!
NOTE: Joke
Very nice, I’m playing on PC and just finished the ARR MSQ!
I'm really hoping for some details on a boost feature such as the Pro has. Playing PS4 games with faster loading is a given, but if games are not patched, what can we expect regarding performance? I think at best we can have PS4 Pro profile with less downscale on resolution (when it's dynamic) or better fps when unlocked... But no jump from 30 to 60 fps as it were magic.
I want to give it a go especially since you can play to level 40 or 60 but SE won't let me because I played the demo when the original game came out and my psn is linked to it. Tried getting SE to unlink my psn to create a new account and they refuse.
Absolutely ridiculous.
I don’t really plan on playing monthly. Is playing the solo content for free/demo actually fun?
I remember upgrading to the PS4 version, it felt like it ran at 120fps after playing it on the PS3. May have to get into this fantastic MMO again. Still haven't played the Stormblood and Shadowbringers expansions.
@solocapers Had the same problem. Fortunatelly, they unlinked my account, but it took almost 2 weeks and they wanted ridiculous proofs of my very existence (e.g. photo of my ID card).
Announce the same for FFXV!!!
@jiricek9 ahh that’s a bit ridiculous. I think I’ll not push any more then in that case.
Shame as it seems like a really good game now.
Is there a price you can pay to just have all the content and access to the game or do you have to buy it and still pay a sub? I've always wanted to play it and a lot of people have said it's really good now it's finally finished, but I'm not interested in paying a monthly fee for a game.
When is Sony publishing the list of games not compatible with PS5?
@Old-Red
You still need to pay a sub but its well worth it. There was a free trial upto a certain level not sure if thats still running or not
How does this game fare for solo content? I'm not into MMOs but I like ESO - it plays great solo (and doesn't have a sub) - I actually bough XIV with some of the expansions a year or two ago but never actually subbed or started into it on PS4. I'd heard at the time you really can't play it solo, and I don't really have an interest in forming groups to play with, and an MMO with randos doesn't sound that great....but I have this game just sitting there, and I've heard there's a great story in it.
@NEStalgia I played through it solo and it's great. Teaming up with randoms for dungeons is easy and the community is kind and friendly. You'll even make some good friends on there.
@ApostateMage Thanks, that's good to know - though I generally skip voice chat with randoms...so hopefully it's also playable without voice?
I have been wondering if it was too late to get into this game. Is the community still active? Will Square Enix continue to support it, etc.? Have heard great things about it but I hardly play MMO's but like many, I love the Final Fantasy franchise.
With this news, I am happy to say a copy of this will now be sold. My only question is, which one do I get? There seems to be quite a few releases. Time to do some investigating.
@NEStalgia You can just type in the party chat log, it's what I always did. Although it is a pain using the pad for typing text.
@ApostateMage Now that's old school! Seems like it's a bit of a hassle to play with randoms then. I still want to give it a try at some point but I think that's the stuff that kept me from giving it a go earlier.
60 FPS is cool. The PS4 could pull off 60 FPS...in your private room. That was the only area that supported it.
@NEStalgia There is no voice chat option in FFXIV. You don’t even have/need to interact with the people you play with. Think of them as a better AI party that actually knows how to play their roles. It’s all automatically matched and it’s the exact opposite of a hassle imo (the game has excellent progression for you to slowly but surely master your role if you’ve never played an MMO). There are 260+ hrs of story content that you can do solo and only extreme endgame content requires premade parties and even here you can skip voice chat (like using Discord or some social app). You will, however, eventually feel the need to interact because it’s so much fun, to ask questions or just to say hello. Extremely friendly community, you’ll have access to the Novice Channel where you can ask just about anything, and everyone is willing to answer even the most basic questions or help out in any way. I would highly recommend plugging a keyboard to the PS4/PS5 @ApostateMage for chat. It can be a cheap keyboard with a long extension. It works amazing and I prefer this to playing on my PC. I even prefer game pad (DS4) when I play on PC, it’s an excellent implementation that you can tailor to the minute detail. The graphics are amazing on the PS4 pro, great quality reflections and lighting. Also, the content is a love letter to all Final Fantasy games, and this is truly and understatement.
@Eadgar You basically get the free trial that let’s you play up until Heavensward (1st expansion, up to lvl. 60). Then you can pay $30 for Shadowbringers (3rd expansion) which also includes Stormblood (2nd expansion). You can also get a collectors edition, but it’s basically $20 for a mount. The community is thriving for sure and the game will surely be supported steadily for at least the next 5 years. Everyone says Shadowbringer’s content is mind blowing (I’m only in Stormblood so far). There are, in fact, A TON of new subs coming in with the new extended free trial, where the early game content (all of the free trial) is almost an instant match given all the people playing.
@jimmydx That actually sounds pretty cool. Very old school. I've grown lazy in gaming and don't feel like typing much either, though I love that it has that old gaming charm! I don't know, I might dive in. I bought the complete edition years ago and never touched it due to being unsure of the group play aspects. I'm not much of an MMO player, though I've played some Elder Scrolls Online which is, frankly, a better single player story driven game than Fallout 76, and requires zero interaction with the other players, they just zip around around you and you happen to storm dungeons simultaneously. I suppose a new console launch isn't the best time to dive into a big MMO! ESO's getting a next gen update but they haven't announced when. Though at least this one will hit stable framerates on a PS5. I'll probably be bouncing around between games to play with new hardware, but this one has intrigued me for some time. It does seem more FF than most of the numbered FF games these days. I loved WoFF for it feeling more FF than the rest.
It feels like the point of PS5 is to play PS4 games the way they told us they'd play. The PS6 will be for playing the future PS5 games the way they tell us they'll play on a PS5 while we instead play PS4 games that finally play right.
The free trial - I never activated my 30 day complete edition sub. Is there some way to enter the free trial without dipping into your included 30 days at start?
@jimmydx Thanks for the information. I went to the Square Enix store and bought the so-called complete edition. It was advertised as perfect for people starting the game since it includes all expansions (at least the ones released up until today I presume).
Now I will upgrade by internet connection a bit, and start playing it on my PS4 Pro before eventually transitioning to the PS5 when I get it in the future.
The PS4 Pro version is already very performant, the 4K version runs at 40+ fps most of the time (the settings are equivalent to PC max) and the 1080p sits at 60fps most of the time for quite areas and 45+fps for busy towns. The PS5 will make it a locked 60 fps basically. Until we get a proper PS5 version that can push for extra fidelity and I am certain they could release a 120 fps version if they wanted.
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