Today, Square Enix announced the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival events in 2026, alongside a tease of “major future plans” for the game.
First of all, the fan festivals will start as usual in the United States with the first dates in Anaheim, California, at the Anaheim Convention Center between April 24 and April 26, 2026.
Next, the celebrations will move on to Europe at the Messe Berlin, Hub27 in Germany, between July 25 and July 26, 2026.
Lastly, Japan will have its own fan festival at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba, near Tokyo, between October 31 and November 1, 2026.
And yes, this is not really “Tokyo.” Chiba is even a different prefecture, but it’s still often considered within Tokyo’s greater metropolitan area, and it’s also the location for Tokyo Game Show, alongside many more gaming and anime events.
Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida mentioned (from a rather unusual location in Shibuya, from what I can see) that ticket information will be shared at a later date, but also added that the Fan Fests will “kick off major future plans which will be rolled out at a whirlwind pace.”
Traditionally, the Fan Festivals are the occasions during which Square Enix reveals the next expansion, splitting the information between the three events. It’s rather likely that we’ll enjoy the same kind of information this time around, with a likely release in 2027.
Of course, Square Enix might be looking to accelerate things, hence that “whirlwind pace,” but this is just my personal speculation.
You can enjoy the full video message below.
Final Fantasy XIV is currently available for PC, PS5, PS4, and Xbox Series X|S. It was recently updated to version 7.3, and you can check out the update’s trailer and plenty of details and gameplay footage of the new content.
Incidentally, Final Fantasy XIV is one of the pillars of Square Enix’s game lineup, with its recurring revenue making the MMO segment the most profitable among the publisher’s businesses.
