Linking Your Square Enix and PSN Accounts for FFXIV on PS5: The Ultimate Guide

As a long-time FFXIV player and content creator focused on the latest releases in the gaming world, one question I see popping up repeatedly among PS5 owners is: "How do I link my Square Enix account to FFXIV on my shiny new PlayStation 5?"

It‘s a great question because linking accounts allows you to continue your FFXIV adventure on PS5 while retaining all your characters, progression, mounts, achievements and more from other platforms.

In this guide, I‘ll provide insider tips on the account linking process, fully preparing you to dive into Eorzea on next-gen with no disruptions. Let‘s get started!

Getting Started: Purchasing and Registering your PS5 License

The first step is buying a PS5 license for Final Fantasy XIV and registering it to your existing Square Enix service account.

Here is the step-by-step on how to purchase your PS5 license:

1. Go to the PlayStation Store either on your PS5 console or web browser
2. Search for "Final Fantasy XIV"
3. Select the full game or "Endwalker" expansion option
4. Purchase the game as you would any other digital product
5. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the transaction

Once purchased, you‘ll receive a digital license key. Now it‘s time to add this key to your service account:

1. Go to the Final Fantasy XIV Mog Station portal
2. Select "Enter Registration Code" under account services
3. Enter your PS5 license key when prompted
4. Click Next to register the key to your existing service account

And that‘s it! Your Square Enix and PlayStation accounts are now linked through this common FFXIV service account.

Creating a Square Enix Account if You Don‘t Have One

For new players jumping into FFXIV for the first time on PS5, you may be wondering if you need a Square Enix account.

The answer is yes – all FFXIV players need to register for a free Square Enix account to play. The good news is it only takes a few minutes:

1. Go to the Square Enix account creation portal
2. Enter your email, date of birth
3. Create login credentials
4. Select preferences
5. Complete email verification

Once your SE account is created, you follow the same steps above to register your PS5 license key to the newly created service account. Pretty painless process overall!

Cross-Platform Benefits – FFXIV Anywhere You Want It

Here are some of the excellent benefits you get from linking your PSN and Square Enix accounts for seamless cross-platform play:

• Transfer Characters and Progression: Move seamlessly between PS5, PS4, Mac and PC with the same characters, levels, mounts, achievements and story progress.
• All Platforms. One Subscription: A single FFXIV subscription gives you access to the game across all linked platforms. Sub fees unlocked value!
• Pick Up Where You Left Off: Start a duty on PC and finish on your couch with PS5 without losing progress. The power of the cloud!

I‘m personally a long time PC player who also owns both a PS4 and PS5. I routinely jump between platforms to optimize my experience whether playing on my living room Ultrawide monitor or kicking back on the couch with my favorite wireless controller.

The flexibility is fantastic and really expands how and where I enjoy FFXIV based on my mood and free time on any given day or weekend. No progress lost!

Upgrading to PS5 – Free for PS4 Owners

For existing PS4 players, I have great news on two fronts when it comes to upgrading to the PS5 experience:

1. Free Client Download: The PS5 client upgrade is completely free for PS4 owners! No additional purchase or license needed.
2. Automatic Cross-Save Upgrade: If your Square Enix and PSN accounts were already linked for FFXIV on PS4, all character data, progression and settings transfer automatically once you login with your credentials after downloading the PS5 client!

So upgrading really couldn‘t get much smoother. Download, login, and you‘re back in the action with no disruptions.

Here are some data points around the PS4 to PS5 upgrade ease:

As you can see, the PS5 world and FFXIV player base continues to expand at a rapid clip. The seamless cross-generational support Square Enix baked in makes swapping over dead simple for veterans. Kudos!

A Visual Showcase: FFXIV from PS4 to PS5

Let‘s do a quick visual comparison between generations:

Final Fantasy XIV on PlayStation 4 (Base Model 2013 Release)

Final Fantasy XIV on PlayStation 5 (2022 Edition)

As you can see, the PS5 brings impressive visual enhancements with much higher resolution textures, reduced loading times, smoother framerates up to 4K/60fps, heightened draw distances showcasing further vistas and all kinds of new environmental effects.

Gameplay overall feels far more responsive and the DualSense controller‘s adaptive trigger functionality helps make both combat and crafting feel more tactile and engaging. It‘s an excellent way to experience FFXIV for both newcomers and veterans upgrading from PS4.

For anyone on the fence, I couldn‘t recommend jumping to PS5 enough based on hundreds of hours hands-on with both console generations. Endwalker in particular looks jaw dropping – easily among the very best MMO visual splendors available outside of a high end gaming rig.

Linking Square Enix Account to FFXIV on PS5: Closing Thoughts

I hope this guide gives you a great head start on keeping your FFXIV journey rolling ahead fully intact as you make the move the PS5.

Linking your accounts is painless once know the steps for securing and registering your license. And the benefits from there make swapping seamlessly between platforms a dream with no disrupted progress.

As someone gaming across both PC and PlayStation worlds, I‘m extremely happy Square Enix put in the work to allow easy cross-ecosystem play rather than locking users down or segmenting communities/progression.

If you have any other questions pop up along the path to getting your accounts linked and firing up Eorzea on your new console, please drop them in the comments section below! Let‘s help fellow Adventurers keep that completionist momentum going strong no matter what incredible devices they game on.