Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy XIV will officially end support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. The decision comes as Microsoft stops providing security updates and mainstream support for the operating system on the same date.

The game publisher explained that continuing support for Windows 10 becomes too difficult once Microsoft ends its security updates. While players will likely still be able to run Final Fantasy XIV on Windows 10 systems after the cutoff date, Square Enix will no longer provide technical support for any problems that come up.

“You will likely be able to play Final Fantasy XIV on Windows 10 systems even after the end of support,” Square Enix said in their official announcement. However, they made it clear that troubleshooting help will no longer be available as a general rule. The company might still help with some Windows 10 issues on a case-by-case basis, but this informal support isn’t guaranteed.

To keep getting full support for the popular MMORPG, players will need to upgrade to Windows 11. Square Enix is also updating the minimum system requirements for the Windows version of the game, which will take effect on October 15, 2025.

For players who aren’t ready to upgrade their operating system, Microsoft offers a one-year extended security update subscription for $30. There’s also a free option that keeps Windows 10 secure until October 2026, though it requires backing up PC data to the cloud through Windows Backup.

Players who want to avoid Windows altogether have other choices. Final Fantasy XIV runs on PlayStation 5, Xbox, and macOS, with full crossplay support between all platforms. This means Windows 10 users can switch to any of these versions and continue playing with their friends without losing progress.