Square Enix has acknowledged that the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Final Fantasy 14 loads slowly in certain situations and says a fix is now in testing.
The Switch 2 release launched on Tuesday, bringing the MMORPG to Nintendo hardware for the first time. Video Games Chronicle reports that general player feedback has been positive, with the loading complaints concentrated on specific transitions rather than the game as a whole.
Where the delays occur
In a statement on the official Final Fantasy 14 site, Square Enix listed the cases it has confirmed. All three involve the screen fading to black inside instanced duties:
- During a battle phase transition, or when teleporting to a different map within an instanced duty
- When reviving after being knocked out in an instanced duty
- When using Return or a shortcut in an instanced duty
The publisher said its investigation traced the problem to entering an instanced duty while surrounded by a large number of characters, which makes data loading take longer than usual for as long as the player remains in the instance. That framing narrows the fault to a specific set of circumstances rather than to the port’s general performance, and it fits the pattern players described: the delays cluster around instanced content, not around open-world travel.
We have confirmed that in the Nintendo Switch 2 version, the loading time may take longer than usual when the screen fades to black in instanced duties.
A fix in testing
Square Enix said the delay comes from data reloading and cache clearing steps needed for safe rendering, and that those processes have been optimised. "The updated version is currently in testing," the company said, adding that it is working to release an update addressing this and several other issues as soon as it can. No date has been given.
The Switch 2 release carries the same editions as other platforms. Video Games Chronicle notes it includes the game’s Free Trial, which weighs in at around 117GB, alongside the Starter Edition and Complete Edition. The Free Trial carries the usual restrictions on its content.
Square Enix has not said whether the optimisation work will change loading behaviour on other platforms, or whether the update carrying it will be a hotfix or part of a scheduled patch.
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