Localized date field returns wrong type

[MarvinVrdoljak]

Describe the Bug

I’ve encountered a bug with localized date fields. Instead of returning a string - they return a Date object. This behavior causes a runtime error in my project, where a string is required.

Link to the code that reproduces this issue

https://github.com/MarvinVrdoljak/payload-bug-report-2

Reproduction Steps

The Pages collection is located at:
/home/marvin/websites/payload-bug-report-2/src/collections/Pages/index.ts
It contains two new date fields: one localized, one not.

In the frontend rendering file at:
/home/marvin/websites/payload-bug-report-2/src/app/(frontend)/[slug]/page.tsx
you’ll find a console.log showing the incorrect output of the localized field.

Which area(s) are affected? (Select all that apply)

area: core

Environment Info

Binaries:
  Node: 22.14.0
  npm: 10.9.2
  Yarn: N/A
  pnpm: 10.10.0
Relevant Packages:
  payload: 3.33.0
  next: 15.3.0
  @payloadcms/db-mongodb: 3.33.0
  @payloadcms/email-nodemailer: 3.33.0
  @payloadcms/graphql: 3.33.0
  @payloadcms/live-preview: 3.33.0
  @payloadcms/live-preview-react: 3.33.0
  @payloadcms/next/utilities: 3.33.0
  @payloadcms/payload-cloud: 3.33.0
  @payloadcms/plugin-form-builder: 3.33.0
  @payloadcms/plugin-nested-docs: 3.33.0
  @payloadcms/plugin-redirects: 3.33.0
  @payloadcms/plugin-search: 3.33.0
  @payloadcms/plugin-seo: 3.33.0
  @payloadcms/richtext-lexical: 3.33.0
  @payloadcms/translations: 3.33.0
  @payloadcms/ui/shared: 3.33.0
  react: 19.1.0
  react-dom: 19.1.0
Operating System:
  Platform: linux
  Arch: x64
  Version: #1 SMP Tue Nov 5 00:21:55 UTC 2024
  Available memory (MB): 15672
  Available CPU cores: 22

[github-actions]

🚀 This is included in version v3.38.0

[github-actions]

This issue has been automatically locked.
Please open a new issue if this issue persists with any additional detail.