Can steam free trial turn PC version instead?

[Rueby]

Asking for a sprout in NN. They started the free trial on steam, but would like to buy the game through the mogstation. They're concerned about losing like 100hrs of gametime.

Does anyone know if that's possible? I thought free trial accounts aren't locked into any ecosystem yet until you buy the game, but I suppose I might be wrong.

I'm aware that PC and steam versions are incompatible. Does it also apply to free trial? Should I tell them they have to buy it on steam?

[1313]

If they started on steam they need to stay on steam afaik

[DiaDeem]

From Reddit

If you are asking whether Steam accounts and Windows accounts can be combined or swapped between, the answer is no.

For paid users: Steam and Windows FFXIV licenses are as different as PlayStation and Windows and require separate purchases. Unlike Windows and PlayStation though, you cannot own both and must pick between Windows or Steam. Once you own one license, you cannot ever own the other on the same Square Enix service account.

For free trial users: You can begin the free trial on the Windows version and then swap to the Steam version by purchasing the base game on Steam. Once you have done so, you will be locked into the Steam version for all future purchases. This does not work in reverse - players who begin the free trial on Steam must stay with the Steam version for all future purchases.

[Limecat]

Do your sprout a solid and encourage them hard to cut bait on this one. 100 hours might sting, but it'll sting a lot less than marching ahead and becoming increasingly frustrated with the baffling issues that come from having your XIV account locked into Steam. That 100 hours will become 1000 hours, and if the day ever comes that they just can't put up with it anymore, they'll be well and truly screwed.

[Rekh]

Do your sprout a solid and encourage them hard to cut bait on this one. 100 hours might sting, but it'll sting a lot less than marching ahead and becoming increasingly frustrated with the baffling issues that come from having your XIV account locked into Steam. That 100 hours will become 1000 hours, and if the day ever comes that they just can't put up with it anymore, they'll be well and truly screwed.

On that note, square enix would be doing themselves a favor by removing the game from steam. If someone wants to try xiv they would do so regardless if it was on steam. Yes yes, steam is marketing, but you'll lose potential long term players to steam frustrations.

[Rueby]

Snip

I feel that...I regretted steam when I had thousands of hours and too much 'I don't want to lose all that' but in hindsight I wish I did, now I have like 18k hours on that account so yeah, too late to switch now. I don't know how SE and steam payments would work if I change my country, I'd still pay in $ but my region would be assigned to EU. So I guess I'm stuck with my NA steam forever now.

I heard if you change regions on steam you get payment issues and I never had the guts to 'try it and find out'.

Snip

I saw that yeah, but I guess I thought the steam free trial can go back and forth. I wish buying the game didn't feel so unclear. I think it really sucks that players are trapped either in SE's/Steam's ecosystem once you make a purchase.