If the beta is any indication, FFXIV on PS5 is going to be a big upgrade

Crystal clear

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is going to be a tri-platform game again.

Well, it kind of already is now! The PS5 beta just launched and everyone who owns the full version of the PS4 edition has access If you own a PS5, get in on this and grab the upgrade now from the PlayStation Store.

For clarification, this is not a timed, closed, or limited-hours-played beta. It’s an open access trial that’s basically just stress testing and checking for bugs. In my experience, they could basically roll this out today and be fine.

Here are the main benefits:

• 4K visuals (with varying resolution options, down to 1080p)
• 60 FPS on 1440p and 1080p settings, with a target of 40 FPS for 4K
• A cleaner UI with more distinct icons (seeing the detail on a console is wild!)
• Faster load times (in my experience, it’s only a few seconds, down from upward of 30 seconds in some cases)
• Subtle haptic feedback (this isn’t that much of a big deal to me, but it’s nice that they tried)
• Enhanced audio (using the Sony headphones, I didn’t notice a super-sized increase in quality, but it is impressive)

There are a few limitations. For the haptic feedback aspect, they didn’t really use the adaptive triggers, as the team didn’t feel like there were many ways they could capitalize on it. And that’s fine! Also, login and loading hangups are not entirely based on the speed of your console’s SSD; as there are server-side implications to consider. Still, I haven’t experienced egregious load times yet on PS5.

The publisher is smartly taking baby steps with this rollout, explaining that they do plan on implementing higher-grade textures for the PS5 version, but basically don’t want to break anything. The team explains that there are other factors to consider, like compatibility with the legacy PS4 version.

In short, the smoothness of this rollout is because they aren’t quite done yet when it comes to visual enhancements: but the bulk of the work (read: making it work at all) is done. Square Enix says that they plan on using “precautions” but if “no critical issues” are happening, they’ll “transition straight into official service.” So consider this the soft launch!