Square Enix used the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival 2026 keynote to drop three separate news beats in one go: a sixth expansion called Evercold landing in January 2027, the long-promised Switch 2 port arriving in August, and an alliance raid crossover with Neon Genesis Evangelion built in partnership with anime studio khara, Inc. It is a lot to unpack from one keynote.
Evercold, the Sixth Expansion
Director Naoki Yoshida announced Evercold as FFXIV's sixth expansion, releasing January 2027 across PC, Mac, Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch 2 simultaneously, according to Nintendo Life. The level cap moves from 100 to 110, and two new jobs join the roster: a tank and a physical ranged DPS, both confirmed by GamesRadar as FFXIV originals rather than legacy Final Fantasy jobs. New cities, dungeons, trials, a fresh raid series, and a new Ultimate are planned, alongside PvP updates and a seasons overhaul.
The headline change is structural. Yoshida confirmed two play modes launching with Evercold:
Reborn Mode will be based on the current combat system and job mechanics, while Evolved Mode offers greater emphasis on job identity.
That is a polite way of saying job design has been homogenised over the years and Yoshida is letting players opt into a more differentiated version. Whether Evolved Mode actually delivers, or just splits the playerbase across two balance philosophies, is the thing to watch.
Switch 2 Port: August, with a Catch
FFXIV finally hits a Nintendo platform after 13 years. Yoshi-P demoed the port live at Fan Fest, with Kotaku reporting the brief Limsa Lominsa loop ran 'pretty solid'. Early access opens in July 2026 (free, one month), and the full launch follows in August. Cross-progression works across all platforms, and a Nintendo Switch Online subscription is not required.
The catch: the Switch 2 version requires a separate subscription and a separate licence from other platforms. New subscribers pay full price, while players already subbed elsewhere get a 50 percent discount on the Switch 2 sub. Kotaku attributes the structure to 'many months of discussion with Nintendo', which is press-release language for a fight neither side was going to win cleanly.
The Evangelion Alliance Raid
The next alliance raid series is a full Neon Genesis Evangelion crossover, produced in partnership with khara, Inc., the studio behind the franchise. PC Gamer notes the official trailer launched with comments disabled, which is either Square Enix bracing for the discourse or just sensible defaults given how passionately Evangelion fans take their property. The raid series arrives alongside Evercold in January 2027.
Our Take
Three big beats in one keynote is either confidence or a sign Fan Fest needed to do heavy lifting. The Switch 2 port is the headline for casual returners and lapsed subscribers. Evercold will be judged on whether Evolved Mode actually changes how jobs feel to play, or just bifurcates the balance team. The Evangelion raid lives or dies on whether khara's involvement goes deeper than licensing the IP. We will know more once early access opens in July.
