Final Fantasy 14 on Switch 2: Free to Try, But Your Storage Will Weep

I woke up this morning, grabbed my Switch 2, and thought, hey, let me see what's new. There it was, sitting in the eShop: Final Fantasy 14, free to try, right now. My thumb hovered over the download button. Then I saw the number underneath the title: 117GB. 117. Gigabytes. For a free trial. I closed the eShop and stared at my wall for a minute.

Let me be clear about my position: FF14 on Switch 2 is a genuinely big deal. The announcement dropped at the end of June, and here we are in early July with a full release. That's practically instant for an MMO of this scale. The free trial alone includes the base game and the first two expansions — that's several hundred hours of content, absolutely free. If you've never played Final Fantasy 14, this is the best possible way to discover what the hype is about. But you're going to need a bigger SD card, because that 117GB is most of the console's internal storage, gone, just like that.

There's something quietly ironic about this. Nintendo consoles have always been a few generations behind when it comes to online infrastructure. The Wii U had that sad attempt at an MMO with Dragon Quest X, and the Switch got cloud versions of Kingdom Hearts and Control. The Switch 2 is the first Nintendo system that actually feels like it can host a living, breathing online world. And Square Enix clearly knows it. I've written before about how FF14 on Switch 2 was the crossing point — the moment a Nintendo home console finally got a proper, full-fat MMO, not a compromised port. Seeing it actually release just weeks later is almost surreal.

But here's the thing about that 117GB: it's not just a storage number. It's a commitment. The last time I had to free up that much space for a single install was when I played Destiny 2 during its peak, and that was on an external hard drive. On a portable console, 117GB means you have to make choices. Like, do I want this MMO or every other game I own? The answer, honestly, might be yes, if you're all-in. But it's a hard sell for a trial, even a generous one.

I keep thinking about the lineage here. Final Fantasy 11 was the first real console MMO, on the PS2 and Xbox 360, back when you had to install it across multiple discs and wait through loading screens that felt like intermissions. The idea of that same franchise running on a handheld Nintendo console would have been a fantasy in 2003. The Switch 2 is doing what the Vita started and the Switch never quite finished: becoming the platform where you can take your MMO with you, to bed, on the train, to a friend's house where you proceed to not talk to them for five hours. That's the future that 117GB is buying you.

The trial itself is worth it if you have the space. You can level to 70, play through A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, and Stormblood, and join the vibrant community that's somehow still the nicest corner of the internet. You'll hit a point where you'll wonder if the huge download was worth it. It is, if you like JRPGs, or story-driven games, or just the idea of a world that exists independently of you. And when you're ready for more, the subscription is optional until you buy the full game — but you'll know by then.

So my advice, for what it's worth: check your storage. Clear a little space. Maybe drop the new Zelda. Give it a shot. Because Final Fantasy 14 on Switch 2 is the kind of moment that reminds you why you bought this silly little console in the first place. The question isn't whether the trial is worth it. It's what you're willing to give up to make room for it.