{"rewrite":{"id":"r_8a962b74ecfe446c9a600565","clusterId":"c_e2ac3c24c9c14283be245498","slug":"final-fantasy-xiv-free-trial-expands-through-shadowbringers-ahead-of-2027","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Final Fantasy XIV Free Trial Expands Through Shadowbringers Ahead of 2027 Expansion","summary":"Square Enix expanded the Final Fantasy XIV free trial on April 28, letting new players play through four expansions including Shadowbringers at no cost. The move comes roughly eight months before the next expansion, The Silver Wanderer, which was announced at the North American Fan Festival and is set for a January 2027 release. The article frames this as the ideal time for newcomers to catch up.","whyItMatters":"The free trial now covers the critically acclaimed Shadowbringers expansion, giving new players a massive amount of content for free and a clear runway to reach endgame before the next paid expansion arrives.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe free trial of Final Fantasy XIV now includes Shadowbringers, the expansion widely considered one of the series' best, alongside A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, and Stormblood. The expansion was added on April 28. New players can experience the full story and combat of those expansions with some restrictions, identical to what paying subscribers play.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe timing lines up with the announcement of the next expansion, The Silver Wanderer, which was revealed at the North American Fan Festival and is scheduled for January 2027. With about eight months until that release, the article argues that starting now lets newcomers clear the existing story content and join active players at the same starting line when the new expansion launches. The game also received a graphics update alongside the Dawntrail expansion, improving textures and lighting.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"FFXIV's free trial now covers four expansions through Shadowbringers. The next expansion, The Silver Wanderer, arrives January 2027. New players have about eight months to catch up.","twitterPost":"FFXIV's free trial now includes Shadowbringers through four expansions. The next expansion, The Silver Wanderer, arrives January 2027. New players have about eight months to catch up.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Square Enix expanded the Final Fantasy XIV free trial to include Shadowbringers, giving new players access to four expansions at no cost. The move comes ahead of the January 2027 release of the next expansion, The Silver Wanderer, giving newcomers a clear window to catch up.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"GAME Watch (Impress)\",\"url\":\"https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/2108469.html\",\"title\":\"Now is the time to start with \\\"Shadowbringers\\\" free! A complete \\\"FFXIV\\\" starter guide\"}]","lintFlagsJson":"[]","lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4324,"outputTokens":573,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1779827060,"createdAt":"2026-05-18T17:01:54.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-05-18T17:16:06.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-18T17:16:06.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_e2ac3c24c9c14283be245498","canonicalTitle":"始めるなら「漆黒のヴィランズ」が無料開放された今！「FFXIV」完全スタートガイド","representativeArticleId":"a_d46fbcc32d303fc4db141a47","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"release\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-05-18T15:00:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-05-18T15:00:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-18T17:16:06.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"GAME Watch (Impress)","url":"https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/2108469.html","title":"始めるなら「漆黒のヴィランズ」が無料開放された今！「FFXIV」完全スタートガイド"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"release","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Square Enix expanded the Final Fantasy XIV free trial on April 28, adding the Shadowbringers expansion at no cost.","The free trial now covers four expansions: A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, Stormblood, and Shadowbringers.","The next paid expansion, The Silver Wanderer, was announced at the North American Fan Festival and is scheduled for January 2027 release.","The game received a graphics update alongside the Dawntrail expansion, improving textures and lighting."]}