Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail release countdown – Exact start time and date

The Dawntrail expansion has nearly arrived in Final Fantasy XIV, where you will get the chance to explore Yok Tural and Xak Tural. There are multiple adventures and exciting opportunities to learn about, and we have a better idea of when the expansion will launch.

The exact launch time varies based on your region and whether you have early access. For those who pre-ordered Dawntrail, early access is built into this bundle, giving you the upcoming weekend to enjoy Final Fantasy XIV‘s new area and classes. Other players only have to wait a few extra days, but it might be enough time to wait for the servers to cool down so everyone can jump into the game and play.

Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail release date

The official release date for Final Fantasy XIV’s Dawntrail expansion is July 2. But if you have early access to the expansion, it goes live on June 28. The early access allows you to spend the next four days playing Final Fantasy XIV before anyone else can jump into the game. Although you might have early access, expect the servers to be difficult as the Endwalker expansion suffered several server issues weeks after it went live, making it tough for all players to launch the game months after it went live.

Dawntrail early access is scheduled to go live at 4am CT on June 28, according to the official website, which is only a few hours away, and will end July 5 at 11:59pm PT (1:59am CT on July 6). The region your Square Enix account is in will determine your time zone, so those in North America will be on PT, and European accounts will be on BST.

Both the early access and the official release have arrived to FFXIV. If you’ve purchased Dawntrail, the expansion is now available for you to play in the online game, and you can enjoy plenty of new locations, dungeons, and content to explore.

Leading up to the release of Dawntrail, the Final Fantasy XIV will be offline for an extended period. If you’re gearing up to prepare your character before the expansion launches properly, make sure you give yourself several days to clean up any lingering tasks you might have in your Main Scenario Quest list or any of the side content you work to chip away at before you get saddled with even more. You should also check out the major changes for each Job, coming to everyone regardless of whether you get the expansion or not.

You can still secure your copy of Dawntrail before the release and secure early access. Anyone who would prefer to grab it afterward can still play Final Fantasy XIV before the expansion officially launches. But you won’t be able to explore new areas or content.