Free Trial Access

[Jarilye]

If I understand some of the statements I've been seeing, it looks like FFXIV should have a free trial with limited content that goes up to level 70. For some reason, I seem to be unable to access that. When I downloaded the game, it stated I have 4 days of free play (which seems to be a different promotion). It continues to count down.

I made sure to download the Demo version, but that doesn't seem to make a difference with the launcher.

Anyone have any suggestions? I've searched the old posts, but not found much relating to this.

[Silamon]

If you own the game, you no longer have the trial. Only way to get the trial back on steam would be to make a new steam account.

[Last Place]

You logged into your main account for which you may have already bought the game or made early enough before the trial was even level 35 max.

To access the trial you need an account that has not bought the game, and you will lose access to the trial permanently once you buy the game or game time on that account.

[MaGicBush]

I had the same issue and never bought the game. I used the trial last year up to level 27, and decided to start playing again last week. It wouldn't let me play without subbing.

[Sunny]

4 days of free play means you weren't on the trial, you were on the starter edition and the free 30 days that comes with the purchase

there's currently a returning campaign where previous players can log in for 4 days

you can't access that on a trial account (and don't need to)

if you got the 4 days you subscribed at some point, even if it was just the 30 day sub for free with starter (that mimics the trial, but doesn't have restrictions beyond level/expansion cap).

Originally posted by MaGicBush:

I had the same issue and never bought the game. I used the trial last year up to level 27, and decided to start playing again last week. It wouldn't let me play without subbing.

if it let you play when you subbed but you didn't *purchase the game*, you purchased the game at some previous point.

you cannot subscribe without first purchasing at least the starter edition, you can't play with only sub.

starter =/= trial, but it does come with 30 days subscription and has the same level cap

trying one last way to say it:
game requires purchase of game *and* subscription to play non-trial

What you're stating with this is that they gave you the base game for free, and I promise you there has never been a time when SE gave this game to some random person for free. did you participate in a contest somewhere and win a key and forgot, maybe?

Mogstation should have transaction records for your account that you can review to see when the starter edition was added.

Again, if it let you play and you subbed but didn't purchase, the purchase was already made because the base game is not free.

I mean at the absolute extent of possible believably, you abandoned your trial, got hacked (but they didn't change your info), and the hacker bought you the game and then did nothing else. thank you, kind hacker.

[Kitty]

Originally posted by Jarilye:

If I understand some of the statements I've been seeing, it looks like FFXIV should have a free trial with limited content that goes up to level 70. For some reason, I seem to be unable to access that. When I downloaded the game, it stated I have 4 days of free play (which seems to be a different promotion). It continues to count down.

I made sure to download the Demo version, but that doesn't seem to make a difference with the launcher.

Anyone have any suggestions? I've searched the old posts, but not found much relating to this.

You own the Full version of the game, is why you can't access the "Demo" (Free Trial version) of the launcher.

If you want to play the Free Trial, you will need to make a new Square Enix account and download it from the website (Windows PC version), then you can play.
Or make a new Steam account and SE account, link them then you can try the Steam version.

Right now though, you can login to your current Steam version and play for free for up to 96 hours.

[MaGicBush]

Originally posted by Sunny:

4 days of free play means you weren't on the trial, you were on the starter edition and the free 30 days that comes with the purchase

there's currently a returning campaign where previous players can log in for 4 days

you can't access that on a trial account (and don't need to)

if you got the 4 days you subscribed at some point, even if it was just the 30 day sub for free with starter (that mimics the trial, but doesn't have restrictions beyond level/expansion cap).

Originally posted by MaGicBush:

I had the same issue and never bought the game. I used the trial last year up to level 27, and decided to start playing again last week. It wouldn't let me play without subbing.

if it let you play when you subbed but you didn't *purchase the game*, you purchased the game at some previous point.

you cannot subscribe without first purchasing at least the starter edition, you can't play with only sub.

starter =/= trial, but it does come with 30 days subscription and has the same level cap

trying one last way to say it:
game requires purchase of game *and* subscription to play non-trial

What you're stating with this is that they gave you the base game for free, and I promise you there has never been a time when SE gave this game to some random person for free. did you participate in a contest somewhere and win a key and forgot, maybe?

Mogstation should have transaction records for your account that you can review to see when the starter edition was added.

Again, if it let you play and you subbed but didn't purchase, the purchase was already made because the base game is not free.

I mean at the absolute extent of possible believably, you abandoned your trial, got hacked (but they didn't change your info), and the hacker bought you the game and then did nothing else. thank you, kind hacker.

Well I see nothing under my account history that shows I paid anything. I did buy the starter edition at one point in 2020, but I never used the key at the mogstation until recently and it did add 30 days free on top of my sub. I wanted to get to level 60 before I used the key. The first time it shows I paid anything was when I paid the sub May 9th 2024. I have no idea what happened, but it seems like maybe I ran into a glitch or something. Not a big deal, but yeah just saying.

[Sunny]

Originally posted by MaGicBush:

Well I see nothing under my account history that shows I paid anything. I did buy the starter edition at one point in 2020, but I never used the key at the mogstation until recently and it did add 30 days free on top of my sub. I wanted to get to level 60 before I used the key. The first time it shows I paid anything was when I paid the sub May 9th 2024. I have no idea what happened, but it seems like maybe I ran into a glitch or something. Not a big deal, but yeah just saying.

You got a glitch that gave you the game for free? And it allowed you to STILL add your game key after the fact? How interesting.

Originally posted by MaGicBush:

I used the trial last year

Originally posted by MaGicBush:

I did buy the starter edition at one point in 2020

Originally posted by MaGicBush:

The first time it shows I paid anything was when I paid the sub May 9th 2024.

???????

the math isn't mathing

It sounds like you were on the OG trial, but that wasn't last year. Are you perhaps misremembering the dates? Was it an old old old trial, that you just tried to log *into* last year? But never played it successfully last year?

The *only* way any of this makes sense is if you were actually using the original trial from pre-2017, and you were inactive for 90 days prior to the new rollout (the only way they didn't get upgraded from one trial to the other).

Alternately, you've got some two account shenanigans going on and haven't realized it yet. The reason I think this is because you've stated you've purchased and activated a starter edition, but say that mogstation is only showing the May 9 transaction. So where did that transaction go?

[MaGicBush]

I paid the sub recently. Then a few days ago I added the started edition key I bought a few years ago. Other than that I have no idea what has happened, but I should of been able to just pick up where I left off last time I played on the free trial as I understand it?

[Silamon]

Originally posted by MaGicBush:

I paid the sub recently. Then a few days ago I added the started edition key I bought a few years ago. Other than that I have no idea what has happened, but I should of been able to just pick up where I left off last time I played on the free trial as I understand it?

"The starter edition key I bought a few years ago" is why you lost access to the trial. Owning it on steam removes trial access even if you have not activated the key, because you own the game.

[MaGicBush]

Originally posted by Silamon:

Originally posted by MaGicBush:

I paid the sub recently. Then a few days ago I added the started edition key I bought a few years ago. Other than that I have no idea what has happened, but I should of been able to just pick up where I left off last time I played on the free trial as I understand it?

"The starter edition key I bought a few years ago" is why you lost access to the trial. Owning it on steam removes trial access even if you have not activated the key, because you own the game.

That's not accurate at all. I played free up to level 27 with steam a few years ago.

[Sunny]

Originally posted by Silamon:

Originally posted by MaGicBush:

I paid the sub recently. Then a few days ago I added the started edition key I bought a few years ago. Other than that I have no idea what has happened, but I should of been able to just pick up where I left off last time I played on the free trial as I understand it?

"The starter edition key I bought a few years ago" is why you lost access to the trial. Owning it on steam removes trial access even if you have not activated the key, because you own the game.

No, this isn't true. Nothing happens until you add the key.

Originally posted by MaGicBush:

I should of been able to just pick up where I left off last time I played on the free trial as I understand it?

Yes, you should have. The only thing I can think is that you were using the old trial, not the new one. The one from pre-2017. The new one doesn't expire; the old one did.

[Silamon]

Originally posted by Sunny:

Originally posted by Silamon:

"The starter edition key I bought a few years ago" is why you lost access to the trial. Owning it on steam removes trial access even if you have not activated the key, because you own the game.

No, this isn't true. Nothing happens until you add the key.

Originally posted by MaGicBush:

I should of been able to just pick up where I left off last time I played on the free trial as I understand it?

Yes, you should have. The only thing I can think is that you were using the old trial, not the new one. The one from pre-2017. The new one doesn't expire; the old one did.

Does it not lock you out if you own it on steam? Fair enough I suppose then.

Also thanks for the points, I should be wrong more often I guess.

[Sunny]

Originally posted by Silamon:

Does it not lock you out if you own it on steam? Fair enough I suppose then.

Not until you put the key into Mogstation.