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All Final Fantasy XIV server populations (September 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.

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 Sept. 1, 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  
WorldWorld StatusServer Population
AdamantoiseStandard566,573
CactuarStandard476,121
FaerieCongested519,077
GilgameshStandard426,946
JenovaStandard517,487
MidgardsormrCongested594,865
SargatanasStandard540,749
SirenCongested620,775

 

Crystal  
WorldWorld StatusServer Population
BalmungCongested310,761
ByrnhildrStandard704,621
CoeurlStandard630,723
DiabolosStandard688,265
GoblinStandard675,291
MalboroStandard731,881
MateusCongested540,398
ZaleraStandard683,595

 

Primal  
WorldWorld StatusServer Population
BehemothCongested565,684
ExcaliburCongested497,254
ExodusStandard677,931
FamfritStandard712,515
HyperionStandard513,005
LamiaCongested670,861
LeviathanStandard501,746
UltrosStandard643,511

 

Dynamis  
WorldWorld StatusServer Population
HalicarnassusNewNo Data
MaduinNewNo Data
MarilithNewNo Data
SerpahNewNo Data

Japanese Data Center

Elemental  
WorldWorld StatusServer Population
AegisStandard194,718
AtomosStandard216,898
CarbuncleStandard190,497
GarudaPreferred185,386
GungnirPreferred183,872
KujataStandard259,429
TonberryStandard233,106
TyphonPreferred235,821

 

Gaia  
WorldWorld StatusServer Population
AlexanderStandard165,845
BahamutStandard162,660
DurandalStandard179,009
FenrirStandard153,016
IfritStandard175,534
RidillStandard174,195
TiamatStandard167,053
UltimaStandard193,270

 

Mana  
WorldWorld StatusServer Population
AnimaCongested163,618
AsuraCongested196,274
ChocoboCongested158,004
HadesCongested179,992
IxionCongested166,860
MasamuneCongested188,637
PandaemoniumCongested199,660
TitanCongested182,225

 

Meteor  
WorldWorld StatusServer Population
BeliasStandard219,852
MandragoraStandard168,407
RamuhPreferred217,858
ShinryuPreferred161,967
UnicornPreferred209,894
ValeforStandard201,795
YojimboStandard207,954
ZeromusStandard200,791

European Data Center

Chaos  
WorldWorld StatusServer Population
CerberusStandard622,655
LouisoixPreferred708,617
MoogleStandard699,007
OmegaStandard567,629
PhantomPreferred216,102
RagnarokStandard556,644
SagittariusStandard253,008
SprigganStandard537,487

 

Light  
WorldWorld StatusServer Population
AlphaPreferred192,547
LichStandard872,426
OdinStandard612,986
PhoenixStandard647,705
RaidenPreferred241,506
ShivaStandard637,547
TwintaniaStandard695,728
ZodiarkStandard855,706

Oceanian Data Center

Materia  
WorldWorld StatusServer Population
BismarckNew66,672
RavanaNew76,710
SephirotNew86,235
SophiaNew94,225
ZurvanNew59,639

About the Authors

Mike Williams

Jessica Scharnagle

Starting as an esports journalist in 2018, Jessica has been writing for a little over five years now. She is a big Final Fantasy XIV nerd who has been playing since 2021 and has put a more than normal amount of hours in it since then. She also teaches journalism at Rowan University.