As someone who has played since 1.0, I was excited to get hands on with Final Fantasy XIV on the Switch 2, courtesy of Square Enix. I’ve also played every console version of the game, with the exception of the Xbox iterations. In fact, most of A Realm Reborn was played on PS3, followed by PC, so I’ve got some experience with the console versions.
This isn’t going to be a breakdown of the story, or the in-game content, but more focused on how it felt and played. I will say that Final Fantasy XIV played and looked about how I expected it to on the Switch 2. Not as pretty as the PC version, but still visually impressive.
Final Fantasy XIV Switch 2 review (Switch 2): 9/10
Pros
- Faithfully and beautifully captures all of the gameplay and action from the PC port.
- Performs smoothly in both handheld and docked modes.
- The Switch 2’s network port makes it a much more manageable game, though it does perform decently on good wifi.
- All of the MMO’s content feels good to play on the Switch 2 controller.
Cons
- There is an extra sub fee (50% off if you sub on other platforms), though this is waived for approximately the first month after launch for stability reasons.
- The loading times can be longer than usual (though a fix is on the way).
Final Fantasy XIV Switch 2 review: A bit of a learning curve if you didn’t play on controller before, but otherwise a brilliant port
Final Fantasy XIV on the Switch 2 brings all the drama, excitement, and optional content from all the other versions, and puts it in the palm of your hand. All of Dawntrail’s current content is playable as soon as you’ve got it installed, provided you have a character that is that far, of course. If you’re a new player, you’ll naturally start at the very beginning.
The only real hard part about it, other than some of the content, is getting used to a controller again. It’s been a very long time since I actively played on a controller. Even before the PS5 version, I’ve mostly been focused on keyboard+mouse these days. Thankfully, you can hook a keyboard up to your Switch 2, and one of the joycons doubles as a mouse. It feels like maybe there’s a tiny bit of delay on that, but nothing game-breaking.
There are little things to remember, like setting up your controller crossbars, and how to zoom in and out on the camera (L1+Down or Up on the Right Stick). I had completely forgotten how to do that while I was running dungeons, which made it a lot harder to avoid AOEs, I can tell you that. Apologies to the groups I ran with if I blundered!
One thing I’m not thrilled about is that there’s an extra subscription fee for playing on the Switch 2. I assume this is a Nintendo thing, but I can’t confirm it. At least you get a 50% discount on it if you already have a subscription elsewhere. If this is the only place you play, then I don’t imagine it’s a big deal at all.
Final Fantasy XIV Switch 2 review: Does it run well on the Switch?
I played in both handheld and docked modes, and both felt great. This isn’t a game that’s going to hit 60 FPS every single second of your time though, so please be aware of that. That said, it’s also not going to run at 12 fps. I was getting 35-45 FPS in busy towns like Limsa Lominsa, and closer to 60 FPS while in the world and taking part in various Duties, Dungeons, and Trials.
If you’re expecting PS5 Pro and PC levels of performance, you’re going to be sadly disappointed. That said, it does run well! I don’t want that to be any kind of negative indicator. This version performs way better than I anticipated it to. The Nintendo Switch 2 has surprised me at every turn though, whether it was Cyberpunk or Devil May Cry.
At launch, there is one problem worth noting, and that’s the longer loading times, something that we saw on the Xbox Series X|S edition. According to a post from Square Enix, they’re aware of the problem and are testing an update that should fix it. They knew there would no doubt be some stability issues, which is likely why the first month is free (outside of purchasing the actual game, unless you use the Free Trial as a new account).
I will note that I did have some issues with loading times in Final Fantasy XIV on the Switch 2, but they weren’t nearly as bad as some of the other players I ran with. At best, 5 seconds or so of loading, maybe 10 at the highest. I saw some players reporting 20+ seconds, and I just didn’t experience any of that.
I made sure to move my game onto the main storage of my console, and that seemed to mitigate some, but not all of the issue. This was the only problem running the game, and it sounds like we should have a fix soon.
Final Fantasy XIV Switch 2 review: Gameplay mechanics
1) Good: Controller support is solid and responds quickly
While I’m still in the process of setting up all of my cross bars for the various jobs I’m doing content on with the Switch 2 version of Final Fantasy XIV, it does respond well. Once I remembered some of the various functions on the controller, I had a brilliant time. You can also hook up a keyboard via USB, if you want to chat with people, unless you prefer the digital keyboard. I don’t think that’s a good way to communicate, especially not in dungeons.
2) Good: The game continues to run smoothly while in Handheld mode
While Final Fantasy XIV’s font in handheld might be a little hard to read, you can increase the UI size in the settings, to make it big enough. I spent quite a bit of time navigating the world and running dungeons in handheld, and it was just like playing in docked mode. There were zero issues with slowdown, lag, or being able to play the game properly.
Final Fantasy XIV Switch 2 review: Visual and Sound quality
I will say that the graphics aren’t as sharp as they are on my PC, but again, that’s not what I was expecting with Final Fantasy XIV on the Switch 2. It looks great, though, closer to the PS4 Pro version of the game. It takes a second or two for all the players to pop into view if you’re spawning into a major town like Limsa Lominsa, but that’s the worst part.
In handheld, the graphics do look a tiny bit fuzzy, similar to what I experienced with hair in Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth, but it was far from a dealbreaker. There wasn’t anything that was hard to see or parse. While the graphics weren’t 100% PC quality, the audio sounded incredible. All the music tracks sound amazing on this version of the game, whether in my headphones, or through the Switch 2’s speakers.
Final Fantasy XIV Switch 2 review: Final Thoughts
Overall, I was very impressed with how smooth Final Fantasy XIV played on the Switch 2. While there were some very minor loading times for me personally, I am aware that it’s been pretty rough on other players. While I do prefer playing on PC, and will probably continue to play there primarily, having this for when I’m traveling, or simply not at my desk is a really nice addition to my collection.
Just playing in handheld mode on the couch has been great, though it naturally is better in docked mode. If you’re new to FFXIV, this is not at all a bad way to get started, though I would advise some kind of keyboard, even a cheap one, to communicate with your parties/allies with.
(Note: This was before I zoomed out my camera, and got used to my buttons, so I died far more than I normally would in this kind of content.)
It will make life so much easier than using the digital keyboard. With Evercold on the horizon, there’s never been a better time to jump into Eorzea and start exploring.
I feel confident in my rating of Final Fantasy XIV on the Switch 2, despite the loading time issue, because that will be fixed soon, it sounds like. While I do know other people had major problems, I truly didn’t, other one or two slightly longer loading times. Even with that drawback, the game has been a pleasure to experience on the handheld device.
Edited by Jason Parker