Elden Ring Nightreign now has an official release date, and it’s a lot closer than you might think. The next game from FromSoftware is technically tied to Elden Ring, but it’s not a continuation of the original game in any way. It’s not a sequel, nor does it even really have much narrative compared to the original. It’s not set in the same world either, and enemies as well as the location are technically different, though not entirely.
Elden Ring Nightreign was a surprise announcement from FromSoftware last year. It showed up at The Game Awards as a sort of shadow drop that players weren’t expecting at all. In large part, this was because Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree (the base game’s expansion) had just released a little over six months prior. No one would have guessed that FromSoftware had another full game coming so soon. During the time of the reveal, no release date was mentioned, but that has changed.
Elden Ring Nightreign gets a May 30 release date
Those looking to play Elden Ring Nightreign will actually have a chance to test it out this weekend. For everyone else, there are still a few more months of waiting. Bandai Namco, as well as Sony and Microsoft, have all put out announcements revealing the game’s release date to be May 30. It’ll launch for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One. Best of all, it’s only going to be $39.99. So it won’t be a very expensive game either.
This is likely because of the game’s size. It’s not going to match the sheer scale of Elden Ring, so the lower price makes sense. However, it should still have plenty of content. The game is essentially a mashup of games like Elden Ring and other FromSoftware titles, as well as Battle Royale games, roguelikes, and RPGs. It has a unique concept that could very well pull in those who haven’t played Elden Ring before.
And it should have no trouble grabbing the attention of long-time Elden Ring fans. That being said, the gameplay is going to be significantly different in a number of ways. From character classes to the overall gameplay loop. Instead of being a heavily narrative-driven RPG where you build your character however you want, there will be a set number of classes each with unique skills and attacks. They have ultimate attacks as well. You won’t be able to choose skill point attribution either.
Instead, you will simply level up as you gain enough points to do so, which raises your power and defenses. The game is also completely co-op, and you can play solo or with two other players. At launch, the only option will be to play solo or with a full three-person party.
You can pre-order it starting today
If you’re looking to pre-order the game, it’s now up for pre-order on Steam, PSN, and the Xbox Store for $39.99. There will be deluxe editions available as well for $54.99, and a collector’s edition for $199.99. You can also get this as a physical edition off Amazon for both Xbox and PlayStation consoles.
Whether you pre-order or not, you can also check the game out during its upcoming playtest. However, you had to have been selected to participate. Emails for the playtest selection went out last month, and codes for the playtest download started going out this week. The playtest begins on February 14 and there will be varying times for it.
The first session is on February 14 from 3AM to 6AM PST. The second session will be the same day from 7PM to 10PM PST. There will also be one session on the 15th from 11AM to 2PM PST, and two sessions on the 16th with the same start and end times as the first two sessions on the 14th. Playtests are only happening on PlayStation and Xbox platforms.
