Final Fantasy 14 subscription fees might get higher for NA players ahead of Dawntrail release

To the dismay of many North American Final Fantasy 14 players, the game's subscription cost might increase starting next month. This price hike will also affect the Mog Station offerings, including cosmetics, Fantasias, and story skip items. This change coincides with the ongoing challenges that many players are facing in processing online transactions. So, players are currently more concerned with their inability to process any payments rather than the potential price hike.

While the payment processing issue will eventually be resolved, the price hike is a result of the introduction of digital sales tax on Square Enix's digital offerings.

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New Square Enix sales tax in NA likely to affect Final Fantasy 14 monthly sub

The developer announced the upcoming payment changes on Lodestone. (Image via Square Enix)

According to a Lodestone post by Square Enix, new regulations will be applied to Final Fantasy 14 online transactions starting Tuesday, June 25, 2024:

"Beginning June 25, 2024, all customer transactions on the FINAL FANTASY XIV Online Store and Mog Station, including game subscriptions, will be subject to any state or local sales tax, where applicable."

Sales tax will be applied to purchases made in North America based on state regulations. This change won't affect all players, as certain states don't tax digital goods, while others don't have sales tax at all. So, the developer recommends players verify whether the address registered to their Square Enix accounts is correct to avoid incorrect charges.

This change will apply to recurring payments made via credit card or Crysta and any purchase made following its introduction.

The price hike will only affect NA players, as other regions like the EU already include sales tax in the cost of subscriptions and Mog Store items. Even within NA, sales tax is common in other games and products, so it's unsurprising that Square Enix is finally introducing it there.

Since these changes will take effect just three days before the early access release of Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail, now might be the best time to preorder this new expansion before the price hike.