Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 317 sampled Steam reviews (252 positive / 65 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Story & writing18% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Story & writing17% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
45%
22 reviews
5-15h
60%
25 reviews
15-40h
82%
38 reviews
40-100h
80%
46 reviews
100h+
85%
186 reviews
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (Metacritic) | – | 49 | 6 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 42 | 0 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 87% | 80 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 43 | 15 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 85% | 79 | 144 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 300 reviews sampled · 411 total reviews in window · weighted 233 up / 39.8 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (26)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 45
“Even if you spend the time to unlock your skills and build that warrior-archer-tank-damager behemoth you had in mind, what's the point if the activities you're engaging in are so threadbare and unappealing for the most part?”
read full review ↗ - 84
“Anyone who has experienced Final Fantasy XIV Online and has fought his way through the complex control will hardly want to leave Eorzea.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Somewhere out there, there is a player this game is perfect for. But he or she would still be advised to wait another six months before even thinking about Final Fantasy XIV, because Square Enix hasn't yet got its head around its own players.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“It lacks character; bare-bones quests and audiovisual repetition fail to instill a sense of fantasy wonder. It lacks cohesion; communication failures, economic oddities, and stringent limitations leave you constantly directionless. And it lacks joy; the abysmal interface and boring monsters make it a struggle to stay invested.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Unless you feel like paying for an extended beta, wait for patches or an expansion pack to fix FFXIV's myriad problems. [Issue#185, p.71]”
- 30
“A shallow, slow, grind-heavy MMO crippled by a horrible interface and nonsensical player limitations.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“Extended stretches of confused incredulity, punctuated now and then by bursts of intense anger. And yeah -- I just equated FFXIV with a filthy bathroom.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“MMORPG with great potential is sunken by fatal bugs and errors, first comes a catastrophic interface followed by the absence of player-to-player communication. [Issue#199]”
- 55
“While there's a lot to consider when building your ideal class, there's far too little interesting structured content to chew on, resulting in an experience that quickly grows tedious and tiresome.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“Positively, there is nothing to do in Final Fantasy XIV at the moment. It's not even close to a completed product. [Feb 2011, p.82]”
- 49
“Final Fantasy XIV offers the potential but for now, it's lacking in too many areas to recommend.”
read full review ↗ - 42
“Final Fantasy XIV is in no way, shape, or form ready for commercial release. We suppose there is potential down the line for the experience to improve with patches and tweaks, but that doesn't justify why the game is in such shambles at launch.”
read full review ↗
GameWatcher
Eurogamer
GameSpot
PC Gamer
IGN
GameTrailers…and 14 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Patch 7.55 NotesJul 28, 2026
- Patch 7.51 NotesJun 2, 2026
- Patch 7.5 is live!Apr 28, 2026
- Patch 7.45 NotesMar 3, 2026
- Patch 7.41 NotesJan 27, 2026
- Patch 7.4 is live!Dec 16, 2025
- Patch 7.38 NotesNov 11, 2025
- Patch 7.35 NotesOct 7, 2025
- Patch 7.31 NotesSep 2, 2025
- Patch 7.3 is live!Aug 5, 2025
- Patch 7.25 NotesMay 27, 2025
- Patch 7.21 NotesApr 22, 2025
- Patch 7.2 is live!Mar 25, 2025
- Patch 7.18 NotesFeb 26, 2025
- Patch 7.16 NotesJan 21, 2025
- Patch 7.15 NotesDec 17, 2024
- Patch 7.11 NotesNov 26, 2024
- Patch 7.1 is live!Nov 12, 2024
- Patch 7.1 Trailer Released!Nov 5, 2024
- Patch 7.05 NotesJul 30, 2024
- Patch 7.0 Notes (Preliminary)Jun 25, 2024
- Patch 6.58 NotesMar 19, 2024
- Patch 6.57 NotesFeb 13, 2024