Final Fantasy XIV: Evercold pre-orders are open, with early access four days before the 23 February launch

Square Enix has opened pre-orders for Evercold, the next Final Fantasy XIV expansion, and the dates now line up with the delay it announced at the end of October. The full launch is on Tuesday 23 February 2027. Anyone who pre-orders can start playing early, from Friday 19 February at 9:00 GMT, which gives them the four days before release to get ahead in the new story.

The publisher's Steam post also says a pre-order unlocks two in-game items straight away: a new minion (a small cosmetic companion) and an accessory that raises the experience points you earn. That accessory is the useful one if you still have a few jobs to level before the expansion lands.

On Steam UK, Evercold costs £34.99 for the Standard Edition and £49.99 for the Collector's Edition. Like every Final Fantasy XIV expansion, it needs the base game and an active subscription to play. New players can buy the Complete Edition, which bundles the earlier expansions, for £39.99 on Steam UK.

Evercold was first due in January. Square Enix moved it to February on 31 October, so this is the date we now show on the Final Fantasy XIV game page. The game's Steam audience has held up ahead of the expansion: its September peak was a little higher than August's.