CONFIRMED: Square Enix will grant one day of game time to eligible Final Fantasy XIV subscribers, as compensation for the unexpected suspension of new logins between October 21 and 22, 2026. The official notice, published on the Lodestone on October 23, says the measure responds to a critical vulnerability in the PHP programming language.
During the suspension, which lasted about a day, new logins were unavailable in every world of the game while the company applied security enhancements to its patch servers. Players who were already in the game could keep playing, but nobody could start a new session. New logins resumed on October 22, and the server backup feature for save data returned on October 23, according to coverage of the incident.
Who qualifies
Who qualifies? Under the official notice, the global version's service accounts must meet two conditions: have the full version of Final Fantasy XIV registered, and have had an active subscription on October 21 or October 22, 2026. For accounts with recurring payments, the subscription end date will be extended by one day, and paid optional services, such as additional retainer subscriptions, will also be extended by one day. For accounts without recurring payments, one day of game time will be added.
When the extra day arrives
Distribution starts sequentially on October 28, 2026, at 7:00 a.m. (GMT), and is expected to take two to three days to complete because of the large number of eligible accounts. Square Enix notes that, outside the global version, the availability of compensation and the number of days may vary with the impact on logins and the laws of each region.
Warning for homeowners
A practical warning for homeowners in the game: coverage of the incident points out that the automatic housing demolition timer, paused during the emergency, is scheduled to resume on October 26 at 1:00 a.m. (PDT). It is worth checking a home's status before that date, rather than assuming the timer only restarted when logins were restored.
Image credit: official Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail artwork, released by Square Enix.
Sources
- FINAL FANTASY XIV, The Lodestone — Compensation for Game Time Due to the Unexpected Suspension of New Logins (Oct. 23, 2026, official Square Enix notice)
- NotebookCheck — Final Fantasy XIV offers free subscription time after critical PHP vulnerability prompts worldwide login suspension (Oct. 23, 2026)
- MMOHuts — Final Fantasy XIV Players Get One Day of Game Time After Login Suspension (Oct. 23, 2026)
Transparency: this article was produced with AI assistance, based on cross-checking public posts on X and the internet sources listed above. Check the original sources to confirm details and availability before making any decision.
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