Elden Ring Nightreign: Everything we know so far

Elden Ring Nightreign is arriving very soon, with just a handful of weeks left to go until its confirmed release date. The sense of anticipation has only been growing since it was initially announced during the Game Awards 2024 showcase, with Bandai Namco steadily dropping more details about what promises to be one of the biggest new games for 2025.

With the reveal of various characters that will have different playstyles and abilities - including the likes of the Raider, and the archer-type known as the Ironeye - FromSoftware's upcoming game is set to be a standalone adventure with three-player online co-op. Bringing its own twist on Dark Souls gameplay in a universe that's parallel to the setting of Elden Ring, you'll be teaming up with other players in the name of survival as you loot, level, and fight your way through the world.

It's certainly an exciting time for FromSoftware fans, with The Duskbloods - another new adventure which is set to come the Switch 2 sometime in the future - also being announced. But with plenty of exciting details out there about all things Nightreign, now's a great time to get a recap ahead of launch. So, read on below as we give you an overview of everything we know so far about the Elden Ring Nightreign.

Elden Ring Nightreign release date

FromSoftware has confirmed that Elden Ring Nightreign will launch on May 30, 2025. Pre-orders are now live on publisher Bandai's homepage, with a Seekers, Deluxe, and Standard edition currently on sale. Coming just a year after much-anticipated DLC Shadow of the Erdtree, we weren't expecting the co-op extravaganza to land so soon - though it gives us yet another mid-year release to look forward to as the roster of new games for 2025 shapes up.

Elden Ring Nightreign platforms confirmed

Elden Ring Nightreign is set to land on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, and Xbox One when it releases on May 30 this year. The great news is that you won't need to own a copy of Elden Ring to access this cooperative experience with your friends, as it is a standalone adventure. It is currently unknown whether full cross-platform play will be supported. However, it is unexpected as this was not available in the original Elden Ring experience (which only supported co-op within each publisher's platform ecosystem).

Elden Ring Nightreign trailer

What is Elden Ring Nightreign?

Elden Ring Nightreign is a three-player co-op game, a standalone spin-off adventure set in a universe parallel to the events of Elden Ring. You'll join two friends at the Roundtable Hold and then head off into Limveld, fighting together to survive three full day-and-night cycles. Outlast the day, and you'll need to contend with the coming Night's Tide, which shrinks the map until you're left with no option but to battle one of many different Elden Ring Nightreign bosses.

The world becomes progressively more challenging across each of the three days, culminating in a battle with the Nightlord himself. FromSoftware says you can opt to play Elden Ring Nightreign solo, but there is strength in numbers.

Elden Ring Nightreign isn't Elden Ring DLC

Elden Ring Nightreign isn't a DLC, it's a standalone adventure. Publisher Bandai Namco has also confirmed that it won't be free-to-play and that it won't be a premium priced experience either, but is yet to put a firm answer out into the ether for how much it'll ultimately cost. As this is standalone, it's unlikely that any progression or items will carry over from Elden Ring or Shadow of the Erdtree.

Elden Ring Nightreign characters

Elden Ring Nightreign is a departure from the classic FromSoftware model. You won't be able to create a character from scratch, and will instead choose from one of eight unique Elden Ring Nightreign characters. Known as Nightfarers, each one has their own fighting styles, unique abilities, and ultimates, fulfilling a fairly typical class role, be it fighter, mage, or assassin.

As you head into the realm of the Nightlord, you'll need to synergize with two other players to ensure a balanced party – collaborating to take down powerful foes and venture into more dangerous parts of the open-world Limveld map. You'll be able to customize the appearance of your character in Elden Ring Nightreign by unlocking skins, and you'll be able to upgrade your equipment by unearthing special relics.

Bandai Namco has released a series of character trailers, with details about each Nightfarer's abilities, which are as follows:

• Raider: a "powerful sea-farer" who wields big weapons and makes use of a defensive character skill to reduce incoming damage.
• Ironeye: an archer with "pinpoint accuracy" who uses their skills with a bow to mark enemies, observe their surroundings, and deliver powerful shots.
• Duchess: a character skilled in evasion and uses quick, agile moves to effectively dodge attacks and hide from enemies.
• Recluse: A witch-like character that wields cursed magics that allows them to use powerful spells and invoke a blood chant to brand enemies.
• Wylder: A character with "well-balanced abilities who can make use of a grappling claw to draw in enemies, or deliver a powerful hit with an iron stake.
• Guardian: An eagle-like warrior-type character with high defensive abilities who wields a shield, and can perform a whirlwind move.

Elden Ring Nightreign gameplay

Elden Ring Nightreign gameplay is markedly different to the original Elden Ring. Where that experience dropped you into a sprawling open-world and left you well enough alone to figure out how to proceed, Elden Ring Nightreign is more focused. It's a session-based game, allowing you and two friends to launch into Limveld and attempt to outlast three full day-and-night-cycles.

As you explore the land and battle enemies together you'll uncover more powerful weapons and better rune and relic rewards – used to upgrade your equipment and abilities. Sites of Grace can be located throughout the shrinking map too, giving you a chance to level up and gain crucial power for the session.

Leveling is different in Elden Ring Nightreign versus its single-player counterpart. You won't be investing runes into individual stats, but rather into entire levels which increase your character stats across the board. Nightreign has eight characters to choose between and stat expansion is different for each of them. Character stat progression doesn't carry across between sessions – meaning that regardless of whether your group succumbs to the dangers of Limveld or is able to defeat the Nightlord, you'll always begin a new adventure back at level one. There is however progression in the form of Relics – earned through both successful and unsuccessful runs – which provide massive bonuses, impacting everything from exploration to your equipment.

Some Elden Ring Nightreign beta tests took place over February, with over five separate sessions, each of which was limited to just three hours. We got some hands-on time with the upcoming release during this period, and it has already left quite the impression across the three hours of play, GamesRadar+'s senior writer Austin Wood said it "feels like a modded version of FromSoftware's best game ever" in our Elden Ring Neightreign hands-on preview, which is well worth checking out if you want to get a first-hand feel of what's in store.

Elden Ring Nightreign combat

The Elden Ring Nightreign combat experience builds on the baseline Elden Ring experience but there will be some notable differences. With the character creator gone, there are eight builds to choose between as you load into a session – each with its own equipment, weapons, and proficiencies. From the gameplay footage we've seen so far, it's the combination of the three characters which unlocks the best opportunities in Elden Ring Nightreign with tank, DPS, and support builds coming together to tackle big challenges.

There's some subtle changes too, with fall damage removed from the experience, and movement sped up to allow faster exploration and navigation as you combat a shrinking map. Otherwise, you should expect Elden Ring Nightreign to handle similarly to the original Elden Ring, with the controls and core combat mechanics returning.

Elden Ring is one of the best action games ever made, but only time will tell if this co-op spin-off will be considered one of the best online games in today's market.