Since its lackluster launch, Final Fantasy XIV has been free to play. That will all change as Square Enix will start billing players for the privilege to play the continuously improving MMO. The Japanese publishing giant will being their billing period on January 6, 2012. So, for the time being, the game is still free to play, after the cost of actually buying the game at your retailer or online store.
The minimum a player will need to pay will be $9.99 per month for a 30 day subscription fee. This includes a $3.00 character fee. Why would an MMO charge a player for creating multiple character? Other MMOs don’t include a fee for extra characters. Maybe some do, but many don’t. There are other options for longer subscriptions. There will be a 90 day subscription available for $17.97 ($5.99 per month) or a 180 day subscription for $29.94 ($4.99 per month). This is leading up to the release of Version 2.0 early 2013.