We might be in for a long wait, huh.
Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn turned 12 years old this week—pause while I crumble into dust. Alongside a sweet ol’ video message from director and producer Naoki Yoshida came the news I and many others have been waiting for: dates and locations for this expansion’s Fan Festivals.
There are two reasons these dates are important. The first is, of course, getting to go and celebrate the game, potentially meet up with your guildmates, all that fuzzy and heartwarming stuff. But they’re also excellent yardsticks for figuring out when we can probably expect the next expansion to arrive. Square Enix is nothing if not predictable. There are always three Fan Fests. There are always five major patches. There are always two new jobs. You get the idea.
Except now people are using these dates to plug the numbers and are coming to some dire realisations—this is probably the longest non-pandemic expansion we’re getting, and we might end up going an entire year with only two major patches to show for it.
For reference, here are the dates and locations for each Fan Fest:
North America: Anaheim, California – April 24 to April 25, 2026
Europe: Berlin, Germany – July 25 to July 26, 2026
Japan: Tokyo, Japan – October 31 to November 1, 2026
Side note—I am very pleased for my American Warriors of Light that they no longer have to deal with Las Vegas in the summertime.
