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Elden Ring's Tarnished Edition, which will bring the storied open-world RPG to Switch 2 and bring a smattering of content to folks who own the game elsewhere, has been rated by the ESRB, suggesting a launch or at least a release date reveal is imminent.
The Switch 2 ESRB rating for the Tarnished Edition is just that: a rating, predictably matching the existing version of the game, which is rated M. It does, however, provide another opportunity to examine the ESRB's summary of the game's hands-off narrative.
"This is an action role-playing game in which players assume the role of a character trying to retrieve a magical ring and become the Elden Lord," the ESRB reckons.
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I mean, kind of? There are certainly magical rings of light, and the classical ending sees you seated upon the Elden throne. But from my memory, Elden Ring is either a game about completing ridiculously convoluted side quests for Ranni so that she gives you the magic sword you need to perfect your build, or a game about setting the world on fire to prevent Marika from setting herself on fire, with little to no in-between. To each their own.
Also, after 250 hours of Elden Ring and its DLC, I'm still not entirely sure what this line from the ESRB is a reference to: "During the course of the game, a humanoid monster is depicted partially nude, with scales/scars covering its breast and pelvic regions." Surely the little stretchy lizards in the lava castle didn't warrant a disclaimer.
This line, however, I understand perfectly: "The word 'sh*t' appears in the dialogue."
Elden Ring has been on the big list of upcoming Switch 2 games for some time. It was revealed in the big Nintendo Switch 2 Direct back in April, but we didn't learn the full implications of the Tarnished Edition until later. It's got new starting classes, armor, weapons, and more, and all Elden Ring players will get to enjoy that part. But only Switch 2 players will get to savor the whiplash of seeing the Elden Ring title card alongside Mario's face in their console home page UI.
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Meanwhile, I'm still reeling from the fact that FromSoftware's next game, The Duskbloods, is a bona fide Nintendo exclusive.
Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.
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