The Godless Realms Saga is scheduled to begin in January 2027 with Square Enix confirming the planned release of Evercold, the sixth expansion for Final Fantasy XIV Online. Announced by Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida during a keynote address at the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival 2026 in Anaheim, the expansion will take the Warrior of Light to a location known as the Fourth.
While many more details are to be shared in the coming months, one of the major announcements comes from the planned new Alliance Raid during Final Fantasy XIV: Evercold’s development cycle. After staying away from collaborations within the Dawntrail expansion, it has been confirmed that the next one will be aligned with the Evalgenion multimedia franchise – with the alliance raid to be titled EVANGELION: Ghosts of Desire. Developed in collaboration with khara, Inc., this crossover brings the Japanese anime franchise into the game.
Square Enix is also planning a significant overhaul of the game’s battle system through the introduction of Reborn and Evolved modes. Reborn Mode will retain the current combat and job mechanics, while Evolved Mode is intended to place a greater emphasis on job identity. The developer confirmed that the two new jobs being introduced in Evercold, a tank and a physical ranged DPS, will only be playable using Evolved mode.
The expansion will see the level cap increase from 100 to 110. Players can expect new cities, distinctive areas, dungeons, and trials, alongside a new raid series and an Ultimate raid. Beyond content additions, the game design will be updated with a new “Seasons” reward system, an Armoury update to facilitate playing multiple jobs, and expanded character customisation options. Updates to PvP and the Duty Support System are also planned.
Before the expansion arrives, Square Enix has outlined the schedule for the Patch 7.5x series:
- 28 April: Patch 7.5 includes new main scenario quests, a new trial, and Part 3 of Echoes of Vana’diel.
- 2 June: Patch 7.51 introduces the cosmic exploration star “Auxesia,” new custom deliveries for Tiisol Ja, and the Dancing Mad (Ultimate) raid.
- 28 July: Patch 7.55 features updates to the Hildibrand questline, the debut of Occult Crescent: North Horn, and new phantom weapon quests.
- 8 September: Patch 7.56 adds new main scenario quests and the introduction of the beastmaster job.
On 28 April, the Final Fantasy XIV Free Trial will expand to include the Shadowbringers expansion. This update allows players to access content up to Patch 5.58, encompassing four full titles’ worth of story without a limit on playtime.
The presentation concluded with an announcement from Square Enix President and CEO Takashi Kiryu regarding a Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game. The new platform version is expected to arrive in August 2026, beginning with an early access period to test server stability before the official service launch.
