Final Fantasy 14 benchmark tool lets PC players check if they can still run it after its Dawntrail update

Square Enix has released a benchmark tool for Final Fantasy 14 ahead of its upcoming Dawntrail expansion.

Dawntrail, which will be released on July 2, will bring the game up to version 7.0, and will bring with it a major graphical upgrade.

Version 7.0 will add greater visual detail to the game, with textures, grass, hair, shadows and reflections among the various elements getting an upgrade.

This will naturally make the game more processor intensive, meaning some players who have currently been playing Final Fantasy 14 with more modest set-ups may find it a struggle to play the game after the update arrives.

The new Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail Official Benchmark is a free download available from the game’s website, which players can run to check their setup.

The benchmark will run a number of cutscenes, including support for resolutions up to 4K, and will then give the player a Benchmark Score, explaining how well Final Fantasy 14 will likely run on their PC once Dawntrail is released.

A previous benchmark was released in 2021 ahead of the game’s last expansion, Endwalker.

Square Enix notes that due to the graphical upgrades in Dawntrail, players who previously ran the Endwalker benchmark and plan to run the Dawntrail one with the same PC specifications can expect their score to be “up to 20% lower”, meaning what was previously considered acceptable may no longer be the case.

Last month Final Fantasy 14 director Naoki Yoshida joked that he had to move the Dawntrail release date to July 2 because he wanted to give players a week to finish Elden Ring’s DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, which releases on June 21.