Is FFXIV Free to Play on Steam?

No, Final Fantasy XIV is not free to play on Steam. There is a generous free trial available, but to access all content in the game requires purchasing the game and paying a monthly subscription fee.

Breaking Down the FFXIV Free Trial on Steam

The free trial for FFXIV on Steam allows you to:

• Play through the entire base game (A Realm Reborn) storyline
• Access the full Heavensward expansion
• Level all jobs/classes to 60
• Take on hundreds of quests and dungeons
• Play for unlimited time

However, free trial players face the following restrictions:

• Cannot join Free Companies (player guilds)
• No access to in-game chat channels like yell or tell
• Cannot use the Market Board or trade with other players
• Limited to 300,000 gil (in-game currency)
• Can only create up to 8 characters per world

So in summary, the free trial gives you access to a ton of content, but locks you out of social systems and economic systems that make the game feel more like an MMORPG.

Purchasing Options for FFXIV Complete Edition

To unlock all jobs/classes, access endgame raids, join guilds, and remove social restrictions, you need to purchase the Complete Edition of the game.

Here are the purchase options available on Steam:

And after buying the game, there is a monthly subscription fee of $12.99/month.

So if you want to experience everything FFXIV has to offer, you‘ll need to pay the box cost plus a recurring subscription fee. No way around it.

Is FFXIV Worth the Subscription Fee?

As an avid FFXIV player and content creator myself, I definitely feel the game is worth the subscription cost. Here‘s why:

• Tons of new content and patches every 3-4 months
• Deep job/class system with great combat and rotation complexity
• Fascinating storylines that rival single-player FF games
• Extreme Trials and high-end raiding for hardcore players
• Housing system and endless glamour to customize your character
• Friendly community with lots to do together

The regular updates and huge amount of content makes the subscription valuable for both casual players and hardcore raiders. FFXIV has more stuff to do than most MMOs out there.

And compared to other popular MMOs like World of Warcraft, FFXIV‘s subscription is cheaper while offering more frequent content updates. So you definitely get great value.

Should You Buy FFXIV on Steam?

FFXIV‘s Steam version works flawlessly and essentially serves as a license key registered to your Square Enix account. It also goes on sale more frequently compared to the official site.

The only real downside is if you ever want to switch to the non-Steam PC version, you‘d have to completely re-purchase the game. But otherwise, I see no reason not to buy it on Steam.

Key Takeaways on FFXIV Free Trial & Paid Options

• Extremely generous free trial but still has social & economic restrictions
• Complete Edition unlocks all jobs/classes and content
• Subscription gives you access to frequent updates
• Great value for the monthly fee compared to other MMOs
• Steam version works great and goes on sale often

So in summary – FFXIV is not free to play, but offers an unlimited gameplay trial. And the subscription model ensures a steady stream of new content and support for the game.