Do You Need Playstation Plus to Play FFXIV

Hello, Gamers that I may or may not be jealous of. Although I rag pretty hard on FFXIV console players, mostly because of the limitations the Playstation 4 puts on the game, realistically there’s nothing I would like more than to get my hands on a Playstation one day.

Unfortunately, I didn’t grow up with Consoles and had to wait until I was visiting a family member before I could play video games; and when I became an adult I ended up going the PC route since it offered a wider variety of games and I would always need one for work.

My childhood aside, there’s no doubt that there’s something freeing about playing video games on a console and while I can’t put my finger on it and have to assume it’s simply from your body recognizing this device always means you can relax, I will often switch between Controllers and Mouse and Keyboard when playing most games to try to get that feeling.

Though I’m not as proficient at playing on a Controller due to lack of practice I cannot deny how much better certain mechanics in FFXIV are on controller, such as targetting. Truthfully I could see myself being a player who gets multiple copies of the game, just to be able to sit on my couch and do certain tasks because that luxury sounds splendid.

As you may already know, especially if you follow the blog regularly, I’m a person who tries to make tasks feel much more fluid and efficient. Hell, I recently even repurposed my Stream Deck to be able to fish while working, so I wouldn’t be surprised if down the line I ended up grabbing a Playstation or even an Xbox just so I have more options.

Now, I’m sure you already know, there tend to be hangups when it comes to grabbing Console games for PC or PC games for Console. While it would be nice to be able to purchase a single copy of a game or never have to pay for a monthly subscription to be able to buy certain games, the reality is that the latter is becoming a lot more prevalent. While in theory, I’m a fan of many subscription-based services, Spotify being one of my favourite ways services both to use and release music on, I can’t help but want to yell each time I see that I’m gated from purchasing certain games because I don’t own a subscription.

Quite frankly, the Nintendo Switch is currently my least favourite platform since you have to pay for a subscription to be able to play with friends online. While yes you do get access to a variety of older games with this subscription, the chances of me wanting to play these games are very small since I’ve already completed so many and with the growing amount of emulators it’s simply more comfortable to play them on my computer instead (as the majority are 2D platformers).

There have also been several games that I’ve wanted to play, but they end up requiring Xbox Gamepass and while at first I was fine with this, since there were several games exclusive to Game Pass I wanted to play, I couldn’t ever manage to find the time to play them. I recognize these are “Me Problems” and by no means am I saying that gaming subscription services suck or are never worth it and quite frankly I feel the opposite. Gaming subscriptions are amazing when you can get through several games a month, but when players are forced to pay for a service to purchase a game outright it frustrates me quite a bit.

So, let’s chat about PlayStation Plus and whether you will require this subscription-based service in tandem with FFXIV’s built-in subscription.

Note: If you have any questions about FFXIV that you want me to cover feel free to leave them in a comment below, you can also ask me while I am streaming on Twitch, YouTube or in our community discord.

WHAT IS PLAYSTATION PLUS?

Before I start I just want to cover what PlayStation Plus is. While most long-term PlayStation users will already be aware, PlayStation Plus is somewhat like Nintendo Switch Online where not only will it provide you access to select content for “free,” it is generally the only way to play certain games online with friends.

Luckily for both services, some games will not require either subscription to play online. I do have to say, sometimes the games that bypass the online subscription (at least for Nintendo Switch Online) don’t make sense and I would feel highly discouraged from purchasing certain games if they did require an online subscription.

It got to the point where this year my husband and I agreed to cancel our subscription since we found ourselves much too infrequently to keep paying for it. Though in my first year of having the Nintendo Switch, I was streaming games like Mario Kart 8 regularly on Twitch our community began selecting games that everyone could participate in no matter what device they had and without the need to purchase or have a particular system. This ultimately led to me rarely playing the Nintendo Switch, only really touching it when I was streaming single-player games and we ended up paying for a dead subscription for 2 extra years since we always forgot to cancel it.

So, will you end up in the same boat if you’re planning on playing FFXIV on the PlayStation?

DO YOU NEED PLAYSTATION PLUS TO PLAY FFXIV ONLINE?

I can’t say that I’m surprised, but I’m really happy to let you know that you don’t need a subscription to PlayStation Plus to be able to play FFXIV Online.

There are a few steps to be able to access the game though as players will be required to have a Square Enix account to even begin playing the game.

Players will first need to create a Square Enix Account and pay for a subscription if they are not planning on taking advantage of the Free Trial. Players must note that once a PlayStation account is linked to their Square Enix account there is no way to unlink them.

I am uncertain if Square Enix will help you unlink the account if you have lost access to the PlayStation account, though I can state I have had varied experiences with their customer support. They are typically helpful, but it might take a few days or weeks to get things sorted out due to the amount of transfers they may put you through.

Players can either link their PlayStation account directly through Square Enix or can link it when they launch the game on their PlayStation by selecting the “Those Who Have a Square Enix Account” button.

If players select the “I do not possess a Square Enix account” they will be instructed to head to their computers or utilize the PlayStation Browser.

To my knowledge, you will not need to keep logging in as you would on a PC as your accounts are linked, though if this is incorrect please let me know.

CAN YOU STILL PLAY THE FREE TRIAL OF FFXIV ONLINE ON THE PLAYSTATION?

Many of my community members who are new to FFXIV have hooked themselves up to the Free Trial since they only wanted to play the game to play with me and though none of them are currently playing on a PlayStation, the happy reality is that they can.

Players will need to head to the PlayStation store and search for FINAL FANTASY XIV Online free trial, utilizing the Try Free Demo button to initiate it.

As I’ve covered everything about the Free Trial you need to know in the article linked above, I won’t repeat too much, but it’s tremendously important that I tell you that you cannot pay for anything related to FFXIV or this will nullify your Free Trial. For more information on your limitations please refer to the post above.

Note: You do not need a PlayStation Plus account to access the Free Trial, however, you will need to make a Square Enix account still.