Final Fantasy 14 "can't afford another failed expansion," fans say, as unofficial census reports significant player drop ahead of the MMO's big 8.0 reveal

Final Fantasy 14 hasn't exactly been in the best shape since Dawntrail – you know, with its "Mostly Negative" reviews nearly two years post-launch and all – and active player counts show as much, with numbers reportedly dropping.

We can find these numbers in the unofficial census that Lucky Bancho, a fan who gathers all sorts of data from The Lodestone regularly, has put together on his online blog.

Just two months ago, he noted a nice increase of 110,000 players, which brought the number of active folks from 820,000 to 930,000. It seemed like good news, potentially marking a turning point from the poor reputation Dawntrail still holds and the dwindling community.

Now, though, Lucky Bancho reports that the number of active characters has "significantly" decreased by approximately 160,000 from that previous count of 930,000 to around 770,000.

It's important to note that there are some caveats to this figure, of course, as it's very much an unofficial census, and one that Lucky Bancho gathers via public Lodestone information like achievements, newly registered minions and mounts, as well as alterations in characters' HP.

Q1 2026 FFXIV Census from r/ffxivdiscussion

In other words, it's not entirely accurate – I mean, you could play for months without gaining new achievements or minions, theoretically, of course – but it's certainly the best we've got, and the 160,000 drop is pretty big no matter how you frame it… especially when considering past figures from Lucky Bancho, like the ones from February.

I'm not the only one who finds it all concerning, either, as fellow worried fans are now discussing the census on Reddit and beyond.

"Looking at the graph, FF14 can't afford another failed expansion," one player points out, saying Dawntrail "already lost 2/3's of its playerbase peak Endwalker." Another person states, "Now all depends on the 8.0 trailer and announcement. Even if they do decent 8.0, it can undersell… All in the hands of players' perception of the game."

I mean, they're not wrong. The next expansion could mark a massive change for the MMO – good or bad.

Over on Facebook, the community is sharing similar thoughts. "The new expansion is being announced THIS week," comments one fan. "Player count is going to come back up for 8.0." Another chimes in, "I mean, end of expansion (and not popular with everyone). In one week, there will be more people because of the patch for a few weeks. Already a lot of new people or returning just for the 7.5."

They conclude, "We will see what comes for the 8.0; I hope early next year or maybe at the end of this year."

Discussions on Steam see concerns over the Final Fantasy 14 playerbase as well, with one confused player asking, "Is this game dead?" A response reads, "I'm sure the 'OMG CONTENT' people will flock black with a vengeance" come 7.5 and 8.0.

The 8.0 reveal is near, too, set to drop this week during Square Enix's big Fan Fest event – so we don't have long to wait until we learn what's coming after Dawntrail, whether that be a return to the Void or otherwise… and for now, there's patch 7.5 to anticipate, too.

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