All Final Fantasy XIV server populations (May 2023)

If you’re struggling to pick the right server, this guide may be able to help.

In Final Fantasy XIV, your server is your foundation. That’s where you’ll face off against the forces of evil as the Warrior of Light, make new friends, and even perhaps find yourself a home away from home. Your initial choice of server is very important. It’s also key if you want to move servers, as it could cost you depending on your choice.

UPDATE (5/23/2023): Square Enix updated the status of several servers on May 23, 2023. Those changes are reflected below.

There are currently four North American Data Centers—Primal, Aether, Crystal, and Dynamis—each with a cadre of Worlds to their names. The first three Data Centers have been around for a while and have a collection of eight Worlds each, while Dynamis is brand-new and only has four Worlds at the moment.

Certain Worlds are also marked as “Congested”. These Worlds have a heavy population count, meaning they won’t allow the creation of new characters. Until the “Congested” tag is removed, you won’t be able to join those Worlds.

How to choose a World and Data Center in FFXIV

If you’re faced with this choice, you may find that many of the decisions are already made for you. For example, if you live in Japan, a North American Data Center will result in higher ping should you choose it. You’ll also likely want to be in a World where your friends have already established a home. Newer Worlds have newer communities and economies, if that’s an important factor for you.

FFXIV Data Center Travel and World Visit

You can easily travel between Worlds on the same Data Center with the World Visit system. This lets you visit another World from the aetherytes in Limsa Lominsa, Ul’dah, or Gridania. These transfers are relatively quick, outside of general server congestion. If you transfer Worlds, you won’t be able to use your retainers, sell items on the market board, use Cross-World Linkshells, or deliver mail via the Moogle Delivery Service.

You can also now travel between Data Centers thanks to the new Data Center Travel System. That means, North American players can travel to any other Data Center in the region; this means a player on the Primal Data Center can jump over to the Dynamis Data Center since they’re both in North America. You aren’t able to jump from the European Data Center over to the Japanese one, however. Many of the restrictions from the World Visit system also apply here.

What are the different World statuses in FFXIV?

There are four different available World statuses in Final Fantasy XIV. These statuses determine if you can create characters on a server, if server transfers cost money, or if you receive any special bonuses for a transfer. Here are the different World types:

  • New World: A recently added World. Players who transfer to or create new characters on designated new Worlds will receive special bonuses.
  • Congested World: A crowded, highly populated World. Cannot be selected for new character creation or Home World Transfer destinations.
  • Standard World: Inhabited by a manageable number of player characters.
  • Preferred World: Relatively sparsely populated World with room to spare. Players who transfer to or create new characters on these Worlds will receive special bonuses.

What are the current World populations and statuses in Final Fantasy XIV (Updated May 5, 2023)

Below you’ll find the server populations for every World in FFXIV, and their current status. Currently, there are no preferred Worlds on the North American Data Center. This knowledge comes from FFXIV Census, which currently lacks information for the new Dynamis Data Center. Server status comes from the official Lodestone World Status page.

North American Data Center

Aether
World World Status Server Population
Adamantoise Congested 557,352
Cactuar Congested 453,135
Faerie Standard 507,954
Gilgamesh Congested 406,276
Jenova Congested 500,076
Midgardsormr Standard 576,762
Sargatanas Congested 521,629
Siren Standard 601,087

 

Crystal
World World Status Server Population
Balmung Standard 300,973
Byrnhildr Standard 688,746
Coeurl Congested 617,402
Diabolos Congested 672,355
Goblin Standard 649,936
Malboro Standard 708,012
Mateus Standard 532,405
Zalera Standard 655,142

 

Primal
World World Status Server Population
Behemoth Standard 555,811
Excalibur Standard 475,073
Exodus Standard 659,286
Famfrit Standard 701,264
Hyperion Congested 493,145
Lamia Standard 660,837
Leviathan Congested 483,324
Ultros Standard 625,273

 

Dynamis
World World Status Server Population
Halicarnassus New No Data
Maduin New No Data
Marilith New No Data
Serpah New No Data

Japanese Data Center

Elemental
World World Status Server Population
Aegis Standard 186,527
Atomos Preferred 209,652
Carbuncle Preferred 183,347
Garuda Standard 176,627
Gungnir Standard 170,466
Kujata Standard 255,978
Tonberry Standard 225,374
Typhon Standard 227,806

 

Gaia
World World Status Server Population
Alexander Standard 157,238
Bahamut Standard 157,355
Durandal Standard 169,804
Fenrir Standard 147,668
Ifrit Standard 168,160
Ridill Standard 170,765
Tiamat Preferred 157,657
Ultima Preferred 184,681

 

Mana
World World Status Server Population
Anima Congested 165,257
Asura Congested 198,060
Chocobo Congested 159,514
Hades Congested 181,881
Ixion Congested 168,668
Masamune Congested 190,473
Pandaemonium Congested 202,112
Titan Congested 183,864

 

Meteor
World World Status Server Population
Belias Standard 211,750
Mandragora Preferred 161,695
Ramuh Preferred 206,049
Shinryu Standard 151,166
Unicorn Standard 200,956
Valefor Preferred 195,352
Yojimbo Standard 201,633
Zeromus Standard 193,994

European Data Center

Chaos
World World Status Server Population
Cerberus Standard 615,405
Louisoix Standard 712,420
Moogle Standard 667,434
Omega Standard 597,479
Phantom Standard 153,926
Ragnarok Standard 554,315
Sagittarius Preferred 156,966
Spriggan Standard 560,534

 

Light
World World Status Server Population
Alpha Standard 137,710
Lich Standard 887,963
Odin Standard 612,321
Phoenix Standard 646,964
Raiden Standard 173,083
Shiva Standard 630,236
Twintania Preferred 586,176
Zodiark Standard 868,056

Oceanian Data Center

Materia
World World Status Server Population
Bismarck New 52,807
Ravana New 63,679
Sephirot New 71,619
Sophia New 80,038
Zurvan New 43,428