Final Fantasy XIV: Evercold Lands February 23, and It Brings an Evangelion Raid With It
Square Enix used the opening keynote at Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival 2026 in Tokyo to date Evercold, the game's sixth expansion, Patch 8.0. It launches Tuesday, February 23, 2027, a move from the previously planned January 2027 window. Early access for preorders begins Friday, February 19, 2027.
Preorders open Wednesday, November 4, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET. The keynote introduced Zephyr, the second of two new jobs in the expansion: a physical ranged DPS that fights with a crossbow alongside an avian familiar named Nephele. Square Enix also announced the game has passed 35 million registered accounts.
The crossover news crosses shelves. A new trailer showed EVANGELION: Ghosts of Desire, an alliance raid crossover with Neon Genesis Evangelion, and the new raid series Beyond the Lifestream crosses over with the Final Fantasy VII Remake series, with new artwork by Tetsuya Nomura. A new Fierce difficulty will sit between Normal and Savage.
The physical release is a Collector's Box, and one detail matters: it does not include a copy of Evercold, in-game items, or preorder bonuses. What it holds is shelf goods: a Special Art Box with an Evercold illustration by Yoshitaka Amano, a Reaper figure of the Warrior of Light, an Ethos metal keychain, a Köttr mini plush, and the Tapestry of the Fourth. The limited Collector's Bundle, sold only through the Square Enix Store, pairs the Box with a code for the Digital Collector's Edition on Windows or Mac. Players on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and Steam buy the Box on its own and the digital edition separately. Square Enix has not announced pricing yet.
The collectible here is the Box, not a disc: Amano art, a figure, and a tapestry, sold without the game itself. It is limited, store exclusive, and orderable starting tomorrow, so the decision window is this week, not February. The Evangelion raid also pulls a second Library shelf into this expansion, which makes Evercold a two-IP release for collectors who follow either series.
On the shelf: the Final Fantasy shelf in the Library, and the Evangelion shelf in the Library. The dates are on the Calendar.
Source: Square Enix announcement at Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival 2026 in Tokyo; details reported by Gematsu, October 31, 2026, and Square Enix press release published by Anime News Network, November 1, 2026.