The Dawntrail Official Benchmark previews some of the graphics changes planned for FINAL FANTASY XIV’s Patch 7.0 and estimates how the game may run on a Windows PC. Square Enix’s goals include improved overall aesthetics, texture and shadow resolution, and material quality while preserving the game’s established style. It is a useful visual preview, but its score is only a reference—not a promise of retail-game performance.
What the Dawntrail benchmark shows
Square Enix built the benchmark using actual game maps and playable characters. Its cutscenes show some of the graphical update, while its character-creation tool lets players preview appearances; characters created there can be carried into the full Dawntrail release. The creator also features the female Hrothgar option. The footage is a showcase, not proof that every player’s PC will render the game identically or perform at the same level.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
![Final Fantasy XIV Online: 60 Day Time Card [Online Game Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51bYMOf2hEL._SL160_.jpg)
|
Final Fantasy XIV Online: 60 Day Time Card [Online Game Code] | $29.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Final Fantasy XIV Online Complete Edition (PS4) | $59.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Final Fantasy XIV Online, Complete Edition - PlayStation 4 | $99.97 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood - PlayStation 4 | $16.25 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
Final Fantasy XIV Online | $45.60 | Buy on Amazon |
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
The benchmark supports 1280×720, 1920×1080, and 4K (3840×2160) resolutions. It offers five graphics presets, with settings that can also be customized. Higher resolutions and quality settings put more load on a system, so a score is meaningful only alongside the settings used to produce it. The run takes about six minutes; stopping it early means no score is produced. Square Enix’s launch announcement describes the benchmark and its character-creator features.
Recommended Free Tools
Dawntrail benchmark system requirements and availability
- Operating system: Windows 10 64-bit or Windows 11 64-bit.
- Graphics: DirectX 11-compatible hardware and drivers.
- Minimum resolution: 1024×720.
- Mac OS: not supported by this benchmark.
These are the benchmark’s listed requirements, not a guarantee that a particular system will run the retail game smoothly. The benchmark is a separate download from the game, and Square Enix explicitly warns that its results do not guarantee in-game performance. See the benchmark download and license page for the publisher’s download terms and caveat.
#1 Best Overall
- Adventure awaits you beyond the horizon in FINAL FANTASY XIV.
- This product is a digital 60-Day Game Time Card for FINAL FANTASY XIV Online. It serves as a payment option that allows players to add 60 days of game time to their FFXIV account at the Standard subscription rate, subject to account limits. Both the game and game time are required to play.
- This product can be redeemed on service accounts registered with the Windows, Mac, PlayStation, or Steam versions of FINAL FANTASY XIV Online. However, it cannot be redeemed on service accounts that have only the XBOX or Nintendo Switch 2 versions registered.
How to interpret your Dawntrail benchmark score
Square Enix describes the score as an estimate of how well FINAL FANTASY XIV may run on your PC. Its published categories are:
| Score | Square Enix label |
|---|---|
| 15,000 and above | Extremely High Performance |
| 11,000–14,999 | Very High Performance |
| 8,000–10,999 | High Performance |
| 6,000–7,999 | Fairly High Performance |
| 4,000–5,999 | Standard Performance |
| 2,000–3,999 | Slightly Low Performance |
| 1,000–1,999 | Low Performance |
| Under 1,000 | Insufficient Performance |
Those labels are Square Enix’s descriptions, not a guarantee of a particular frame rate, setting, or retail-game result. The publisher says Dawntrail benchmark scores can be up to 20% lower than Endwalker benchmark scores on identical system specifications because the requirements were revised with the graphics update. That is a comparison caveat from Square Enix, not an independently measured result. Compare runs only when resolution and graphics settings match, and consider the reported CPU, GPU, and system specifications as well as the score.
Rank #2
- Access to all expansion content from Heavensward and Stormblood, unlocking additional jobs, areas, story quests and more ways to explore: flying, swimming and diving
- A flexible class system that allows players to switch freely between a variety of classes and jobs, including new additions red mage and samurai, and reach the new level cap of level 70
- All the hallmarks of the FINAL FANTASY franchise, including an engaging storyline, genre-leading graphics, and HD real time cut scenes.
- Robust gameplay features such as player-managed Free Companies, diverse party finder features to group up with other players with ease, and a variety of fun activities in the Gold Saucer area, all designed to accommodate a dynamic player community.
- Challenging trials, dungeons and raids for groups of up to 24, and exciting player-vs-player (PvP) content for groups of up to 72 players
If your first result seems unexpectedly low, run the benchmark again before drawing conclusions. Square Enix notes that GPU optimization can delay startup on the first run, affecting the score; a subsequent run may provide a more accurate assessment. The official benchmark overview says the score is for reference only and does not guarantee the game will run.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Why characters looked different in the first benchmark
Some players criticized how faces appeared in the initial character-creation environment. In an official response, Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida explained that the environment was based on the A Realm Reborn release version and had special lighting and weather conditions. Backlighting could flatten facial contours, while the weather setup could affect gloss. Yoshida said the character-creation environment had been overlooked while development prioritized Dawntrail and tuning the graphics update in the actual game, and apologized.
Rank #3
- A new adventure awaits in Norvrandt
- New jobs, including gun breaker and dancer
- New playable races: Viera and Hrothgar
- Level cap increase from 70 to 80
- New cities to explore: The Crystarium and Eulmore
What changed in benchmark version 1.1
Square Enix released benchmark version 1.1 on June 3, 2024. Its listed changes include character-model fixes or adjustments, revised character-creator lighting, additional lighting options, ambient-lighting adjustments, and removal of the Texture Filtering setting from Graphics Settings 4. Yoshida said the environmental and lighting revisions were applied to both the benchmark and the game from Dawntrail onward. The follow-up statement also explains the rendering changes.
Why some details changed
Yoshida said revisions to shadows, lighting, and shaders changed how certain details were rendered. For example, pupil highlights and lip gloss had previously used hand-drawn textures to reduce processing load; he said they would instead use what he called the “correct” rendering method. He acknowledged that subtle differences could make some characters look slightly different. A Phial of Fantasia quest reward added with Patch 7.0 could be used to fine-tune a character’s appearance, he said. These are Yoshida’s explanations of the changes, not an independent technical assessment.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Increased level cap from 50 to 60
- Dark Knight: Tank - Wields a two-handed greatsword and the power of darkness to deal damage to their foes
- Astrologian: Healer - Tap the power of the stars to cast potent healing magicks, while drawing energies from constellation-based divining cards to support your party
- Machinist: DPS - Deal damage from afar using a combination of firearms enhanced with various attachments, and mechanical turrets deployed on the battlefield
- Included in this expansion pack is a new race called The Au Ra, a new City-State - Ishgard, new Primals Bismarck and Ravana, and Flying Mounts
Rank #4
- Customer must have Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn to play Stormblood
- Increased level cap up to level 70
- New Jobs – Red Mage and Samurai
- New Beast Tribe and Primal
- New Alliance Raid
What the benchmark can—and cannot—tell you
- Use it to preview some of the updated visuals and get a rough estimate of performance on your PC.
- Record resolution and preset when comparing results; a higher-quality or higher-resolution run is a heavier workload.
- Rerun an unusually low first result, since initial GPU optimization can affect it.
- Do not treat a low score by itself as proof that a specific component needs replacing. Square Enix’s materials do not identify a particular GPU or other component as a bottleneck.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
