All Final Fantasy XIV server populations (September 2024)

When you first load into Final Fantasy XIV, you need to find your character a World and Data Center to play on. The options may seem limitless, but you still want to pick one that suits your playstyle and personal requirements.

Depending on the server, players might be unable to make a character on some Data Centers. For example, at the time of writing, the Crystal Data Center is considered congested, meaning players cannot make any characters on Crystal. They must choose one of the other three North American Data Centers.

Each Final Fantasy XIV Data Center has a vibe, but no matter which one you choose, you’ll find players who fit your playstyle. For example, in the North American Data Centers, Aether is considered a place where more hardcore players gather, while Crystal is for casual players who like to roleplay or enjoy the social scene.

Which Data Center and World to choose in Final Fantasy XIV

FFXIV characters pose with their weapons. — A crowded server might sound fun, but it’s not that simple. Image via Square Enix

Now that Data Center travel is a thing, players don’t need to weigh their options as much as they used to. As long as it is within the same region, players can hop in Data Centers if the World they’re going to isn’t maxed out with players online. That likely won’t be an issue except when patches drop because more players return to complete the story, and Data Center travel almost comes to a screeching halt. Wait times are typically anywhere from a minute to three, but the wait can be 10 minutes or more when new updates and expansions come around.

Choosing a World depends on several factors. Players who want to play with friends can do so on any regional Data Center. For example, players in North American Data Centers cannot travel to Data Centers in the EU region. But for ease, players should choose a World their friends are on, so having to travel to different Worlds or Data Centers is less common.

Players can only do certain things when visiting other Worlds or Data Centers. For example, players don’t have access to their Retainers when visiting other servers, which can be a pain if they’re doing events like Treasure Hunt, where only a certain number of maps can be held in their inventories. So when choosing a World and Data Center, these must be considered.

What does each status mean for Worlds in Final Fantasy XIV?

Knowing which Worlds have a server status of “Preferred” is important for those who don’t have everything leveled to 90. Preferred and new Worlds bonus players who create characters there or move over a character from a congested or standard World. Here’s an explanation of what the World statuses mean:

New World: These Worlds are new and players who transfer or create new characters there receive bonuses.
Congested World: These Worlds are crowded, and the game won’t allow any new characters to be made or transferred there.
Standard World: There are no bonuses on these Worlds and new players can be created or transferred to them.
Preferred World: Worlds that are underpopulated. They get special bonuses for creating a new character there or transferring one.

Players can see the different bonuses they are awarded for joining new or preferred Worlds on the Lodestone.

Here are all the server populations in Final Fantasy XIV and their statuses. The information for the server populations was obtained from ffxivcensus. A World marked with an asterisk means the world is considered standard, but new characters can’t be created or transferred there.

North American Final Fantasy XIV Data Center

World name	Total population	World status
Adamantoise	570,213	Congested
Balmung	305,375	Congested
Behemoth	565,189	Standard*
Brynhildr	704,529	Standard
Cactuar	481,612,	Standard
Coeurl	630,744	Standard
Diabolos	694,615	Standard
Excalibur	497,717	Standard
Exodus	688,048	Standard
Faerie	514,471	Standard
Famfrit	713,173	Standard
Gilgamesh	432,834	Standard
Goblin	679,971	Standard
Halicarnassus	84,582	New
Hyperion	515,618	Standard
Jenova	520,010	Standard
Lamia	668,692	Standard
Leviathan	506,691	Standard
Maduin	55,906	New
Malboro	733,972	Standard
Marilith	60,699	New
Mateus	539,707	Congested
Midgardsormr	599,511	Congested
Sargatanas	551,059	Standard
Siren	103,399	Congested
Seraph	623,172	New
Ultros	648,452	Standard
Zalera	689,964	Standard

Japanese Final Fantasy XIV Data Center

World name	Total population	World status
Aegis	195,183	Standard
Alexander	166,138	Standard
Anima	162,398	Standard
Asura	194,982	Standard
Atomos	216,996	Standard
Bahamut	164,427	Standard
Belias	220,198	Standard
Carbuncle	190,453	Standard
Chocobo	157,642	Standard
Durandal	179,310	Standard
Fenrir	154,711	Standard
Garuda	185,695	Preferred
Gungnir	182,362	Preferred
Hades	178,883	Standard
Ifrit	178,618	Standard
Ixion	165,502	Standard
Kujata	259,900	Standard
Mandragora	167,588	Standard
Masamune	186,992	Standard
Pandaemonium	197,558	Standard
Ramuh	216,905	Preferred
Ridill	175,119	Standard
Shinryu	162,855	Preferred
Tiamat	167,179	Standard
Titan	180,816	Standard
Tonberry	235,132	Standard*
Typhon	234,713	Standard
Ultima	193,002	Standard
Unicorn	209,059	Standard
Valefor	200,790	Preferred
Yojimbo	208,960	Standard
Zeromus	201,532	Standard

European Final Fantasy XIV Data Center

World name	Total population	World status
Alpha	219,676	Standard
Cerberus	596,586	Standard
Lich	829,766	Standard
Louisoix	640,730	Preferred
Moogle	644,547	Standard
Odin	601,526	Standard
Omega	523,980	Standard*
Phantom	242,933	Preferred
Phoenix	625,166	Standard
Ragnarok	551,864	Standard
Raiden	268,027	Standard
Sagittarius	260,428	Preferred
Shiva	612,386	Standard*
Spriggan	459,109	Standard*
Twintania	520,373	Standard
Zodiark	820,218	Standard*