FFXIV Evercold Release Date Slips to February 23, 2027 – Zephyr Crossbow Job Revealed at Fan Fest Tokyo

Final Fantasy XIV's sixth expansion finally has a date, and it's a little later than promised. At the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival 2026 keynote in Tokyo on October 30, Square Enix confirmed that Evercold launches on February 23, 2027, with early access for pre-order customers starting February 19. That's roughly four weeks after the January 2027 window announced back at Fan Fest Anaheim in April.

The bad news came with plenty of good news: the second new job, Zephyr, was revealed, along with a pile of details on raids, new zones and the overhauled combat system that defines this expansion.

Key dates and platforms

What	When
Pre-orders open	Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Early access (pre-orders)	Friday, February 19, 2027
Full launch	Tuesday, February 23, 2027

Evercold is coming to PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC (Windows, Mac and Steam). Pricing wasn't part of the keynote news, so expect it to land when pre-orders go live next week.

Tokyo was the third and final Fan Festival of this expansion cycle, following Anaheim in April and Berlin. That means the next time players get a big Evercold info dump is likely to be the usual pre-launch Live Letters and the media tour.

Zephyr: a crossbow job with a bird companion

Zephyr is Evercold's second new job and fills the physical ranged DPS slot. It fights with a crossbow and is accompanied by an avian familiar named Nephele, giving it a pet-handler flavor that sets it apart from Bard, Machinist and Dancer.

A few important details:

• Starting level: Zephyr begins at level 90, and its job quest starts in Gridania.
• Evolved Mode only: Zephyr can't be played in Reborn Mode (more on that below).
• Story tie-in: the job is tied to Visna, one of Evercold's characters.

Zephyr joins Bastion, the dual-greatshield tank revealed at Fan Fest Berlin. That gives Evercold one new tank and one new ranged DPS.

Evolved Mode vs Reborn Mode

The headline system change in Evercold is a new battle system called Evolved Mode. Players who prefer FFXIV's current rotations can stick with Reborn Mode, which keeps the existing combat largely intact. The split matters because both new jobs are being built around Evolved Mode, so anyone wanting to play Zephyr will have to engage with the new system.

Other system news confirmed by multiple outlets:

• Level cap rises from 100 to 110.
• Customizable action animations, letting players change how certain skills look.
• Chocobo companion changes.

New zones and the Fourth

Evercold takes the Warrior of Light into the frozen wastes of the Fourth, one of the shards of the original world. The keynote showed off more of the region, including new realmships. Alongside the previously shown Naglfar and Hringhorni, Tokyo introduced Sessrymnir and Skiðblaðnir, and named a new town, Hjartadunur.

Raids: Evangelion, Final Fantasy VII Remake and a new difficulty

Evercold's endgame lineup is shaping up to be one of FFXIV's busiest:

• EVANGELION – Ghosts of Desire: the long-teased Neon Genesis Evangelion crossover is an alliance raid, and it got a fresh trailer in Tokyo.
• Beyond the Lifestream: a raid series that crosses over with Final Fantasy VII Remake.
• Fierce difficulty: a new tier that sits between Normal and Savage, built around eight-player encounters. It's aimed at players who find Normal too easy and Savage too demanding.

Editions

Square Enix also showed off Evercold's premium versions. The Digital Collector's Edition includes the Valhallar Odin mount, the Entreat Crystal emote and a Bastion weapon. A physical Collector's Box includes a Warrior of Light Reaper figure, a metal keychain, a Köttr mini plush and a tapestry of the Fourth. Exactly what comes bundled with which platform's version varies, so check the official store page before ordering when pre-orders open on November 4.

Why the delay matters

A four-week slip isn't dramatic for an MMO expansion, and FFXIV has been here before – Endwalker was pushed back two weeks in 2021. The extra time should help with for the biggest mechanical shift the game has seen in years: running two combat systems side by side and building new jobs around one of them is a big balancing challenge.

For players, the practical upshot is simple. Mark November 4 if you want early access, and plan for February 19 if you pre-order. Until then, the current 7.x content has a few more months to run before the Warrior of Light heads north into the cold.