FFXIV Pauses Housing Demolition Timers in NA Servers Due to Hurricane Helene

Final Fantasy XIV has paused its automatic housing demolition timers across North American servers in response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in late September. The suspension affects players on the Aether, Crystal, Dynamis, and Primal data centers, giving those impacted by the storm some much-needed peace of mind.

In FFXIV, if you don't step into your in-game home for 45 days, the auto-demolition timer kicks in, and your cozy estate gets reclaimed by the game—opening up land for others eager to join the competitive housing market. However, Square Enix has hit the pause button on that system for now. In a heartfelt statement on The Lodestone, the team wrote, “Our hearts go out to those affected by Hurricane Helene. We’ve decided to temporarily suspend the automatic demolition of estates.”

The suspension went into effect early on October 2. Whenever Square Enix decides to reinstate auto-demolition, the timer will pick up right where it left off. So, if you were 30 days into your 45-day countdown, don’t get too comfortable—you'll be right back at 30 when the timer resumes.

Hurricane Helene has left a trail of destruction across six states, with at least 162 lives lost and countless homes damaged. Thousands remain without power, and recovery efforts are ongoing. Square Enix’s decision to suspend housing demolition should offer at least some relief to players dealing with the real-world chaos.

This isn’t the first time FFXIV has paused its in-game eviction system due to natural disasters. Similar measures were taken for Japanese and European servers in response to major earthquakes, and the demolition timer was globally frozen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stay tuned for updates on when the demolition countdown resumes.