How to Deal With FFXIV Congested Worlds

Final Fantasy XIV features dozens of worlds that essentially act like the servers players can create their character and play on. But the FFXIV congested worlds put a wrench in that with their overpopulated servers.

FFXIV congested worlds explained

The FFXIV congested worlds are essentially the worlds Square Enix has deemed too packed with players. When this is the case, the world is switched to the congested status and a bunch of restrictions come into place.

For instance, the most important one is no players can create new characters on that particular server. This includes both the existing players on that server and any new ones who want to join their friends or check that world out. Yes, even if you already have a character on that world and want to make a new one there, you can’t do that.

It is basically like that world’s community is completely locked at this point. But this status does change every once in a while.

How do I deal with congested worlds in FFXIV

While you wait for the FFXIV congested worlds status to change, here’s what you should do. I recommend not letting this stop you from enjoying this game. You should go ahead and create a new character on a different world. How you should pick this world should be based on the data center for the world you want to eventually join.

For instance, if you want to join Gilgamesh, but it’s congested, you might want to join the world where I play, Midgardsormr. This may seem disappointing if you want to play with your friends, but not all hope is lost. Once the congested status goes away, you can transfer your character to that world. In the meantime, you can use the world travel system to visit that world and play with your friends.

At the time of writing, here are the congested worlds, but this is subject to change in the future. The statuses are always in flux, so checking the Lodestone’s Server Status site is helpful.

• Cactuar: Aether data center
• Faerie: Aether
• Gilgamesh: Aether
• Jenova: Aether
• Sargatanas: Aether
• Hyperion: Primal
• Leviathan: Primal
• Balmung: Crystal
• Coeurl: Crystal
• Mana data center: All worlds

Final Fantasy XIV is available for the PS4, PS5, and PC. It will also release for the Xbox Series X in Spring 2024.