Elden Ring Nightreign: Release Date, Platforms, Trailer, Gameplay & Story Details

The major announcement of Elden Ring Nightreign at The Game Awards 2024 came as a surprise to fans of the franchise who were unsure of its future. Nightreign is a “standalone adventure within the Elden Ring universe” that promises cooperative multiplayer, challenging boss-rush style fights against familiar foes, and an entirely new branch of Elden Ring lore. The new addition to the highly lauded franchise will be a completely new Elden Ring experience, yet still a distinctly FromSoftware creation. Nightreign‘s gameplay reveal trailer showcases some of the unique playable characters from the game and gives players a glimpse at the game’s combat mechanics.

Elden Ring Nightreign hands-on previews and the Closed Network Test have illuminated even more details regarding the game, and given many potential buyers a chance to try it out themselves. The game’s release date is also now set, alongside the variety of platforms it’s coming to. There still isn’t a ton of available information on the story specifics, but some details about the overall connection to Elden Ring and Shadow of the Erdtree lore, character and boss storylines, and Nightreign’s unique narrative have also been revealed. Here’s a look at everything to know (so far) about Elden Ring Nightreign, when to expect it, the confirmed platforms, trailer, and gameplay and story details.

Elden Ring Nightreign Release Date & Editions Info

Launching May 30, 2025

The excitement for Nightreign is through the roof right now, but players will have to wait at least a little longer to get their hands on what promises to be a revolutionary Soulsborne experience from developers at FromSoftware. Elden Ring Nightreign will release May 30, 2025, just shy of six months after it was revealed at The Game Awards 2024. For longtime fans, this will come as a relief after Elden Ring‘s notorious marketing cycle, in which two whole years passed between its first two trailers.

Elden Ring Nightreign Release Date Is Breaking A FromSoft Series “Tradition”

Elden Ring Nightreign’s astonishing release date has broken a FromSoftware tradition, although fans absolutely should not be worried.

Three editions of Elden Ring Nightreign are available for pre-order, at least in North America; a fourth is coming to European markets. The Standard Edition is simply the game, while the Deluxe Edition grants access to upcoming DLC alongside some digital goodies. The Collector’s Edition has everything included in the Deluxe, in addition to a statue of Wylder (the cover art Nightfarer), tarot cards featuring artwork of all eight Nightfarers, and a hardcover artbook. Europe has access to the SteelBook-including Seekers Edition, and some other memorabilia, like a replica Wylder helmet, can be ordered separately as well.

Elden Ring Nightreign Trailer & Gameplay Details

Cooperative Multiplayer, Randomized Maps, And Eight Character Classes

The gameplay reveal trailer showcases some of what players can expect to see in the upcoming release of Nightreign, including specific mechanics like wall jumping, climbing, and even gliding, as well as the high-intensity multiplayer combat that is in store. Many gameplay details have also been revealed by those who played Elden Ring Nightreign ahead of release, such as there being eight distinctive classes and bosses, a completely randomized map system, and the nature of the cooperative multiplayer focus. Players will be able to play either single-player or three-player cooperative mode, with no PvP mode in store.

Elden Ring Nightreign player preparing spell.

Elden Ring: Nightreign Will Be A Fully Standalone Game, Not A Live Service Game, Says FromSoftware

Shortly after the surprise announcement of Elden Ring: Nightreign, the game’s director has confirmed that the title will not be a live service game.

In a huge departure from Elden Ring, Nightreign will not include any sort of character creation, instead relying on eight character archetypes with unique movesets, abilities, and storylines. The game is divided into three-day cycles, with a culminating boss at the end of each day that will vary randomly from a pool of possible enemies. Days 1 and 2 offer a chance to explore randomized instances of Limveld, collecting better gear and acquiring Runes to level up with. As the days progress, players are gradually pushed toward a day boss by a steadily shrinking ring of burning rain known as the Night’s Tide, which is not entirely different from how battle royale games work.

Day 3 is exclusively for fighting the final boss, which is selected as a target when beginning matchmaking. For instance, Gladius (aka Tricephalus on the matchmaking menu) is the only final boss available in Nightreign‘s Closed Network Test. Players will also travel great distances using Spectral Hawks, as seen in the trailer, both to begin a run and to traverse the map quickly from certain points of interest.

There are also many familiar (yet distinctly different) elements from Elden Ring gameplay, including familiar dungeons with brand-new layouts. Nightreign was created with cooperative multiplayer in mind, so utilizing three of the pre-designed classes correctly yields better results. Using three separate Nightfarers is not required, however; all three players can choose the same character.

Outside the actual runs, players are free to explore the Roundtable Hold, which acts as the game’s hub. The Nightfarers and other NPCs will be available to chat with in the full release, and this is presumably where much of Nightreign‘s story development will come from. The session-based gameplay doesn’t lend itself to storytelling, nor does the fast-paced nature of the gameplay and combat. Despite bearing Elden Ring‘s name, Nightreign is a very different experience, one which many FromSoftware fans might find odd.

Elden Ring Nightreign Confirmed Platforms

Nightreign Will Be Cross-Generation But Not Cross-Platform Capable

It’s confirmed that Elden Ring Nightreign will be available on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X/S, as well as PC. When asked if Nightreign would be released on the Switch 2, director Junya Ishizaki told IGN they “know nothing about the Switch 2 at this point,” so it’s a distant possibility a Switch 2 version might be made in the future, but remains uncertain. It’s worth noting this could be one of the last Soulsborne games released by FromSoftware for multiple platforms, given Sony’s plans to acquire FromSoft parent company Kadokawa, though the impact of that acquisition isn’t entirely clear.

Elden Ring Nightreign promotional images showing different characters.

Elden Ring Fans: Mark Your Calendars For The Nightreign Test Sign-Ups

Elden Ring; Nightreign was only announced last night, and it’s now been announced that network test beta registration will begin very soon.

Importantly, Elden Ring Nightreign will be cross-generation compatible but will not have cross-platform capabilities. This means that PS4 and PS5 players will be able to team up and take on the Night Lords, but won’t be able to play with Xbox or PC players, and the same applies to Xbox One and Series X/S. Elden Ring does not allow cross-platform play either, but considering cooperative multiplayer-focused gameplay is at the heart of Nightreign, crossplay seems like an odd omission.

What Will Nightreign’s Story Be About?

Nightreign Is A Standalone Elden Ring Spin-Off

While the game is connected to the same universe, it is not Elden Ring 2 by any means. The game is set in “a parellel world to Elden Ring,” according to publisher Bandai Namco, taking place after the Shattering in Elden Ring, a war between the Demigods crucial to Elden Ring‘s story. This means that Elden Ring, Shadow of the Erdtree, and Nightreign are all technically canon, but Nightreign exists in a branched reality from the main game, allowing both stories to co-exist and also overlap. In Nightreign, the story is built around the eight playable characters and the bosses’ backstories, with no involvement from George R. R. Martin.

The Game Awards 2023 overlay with Metaphor, Astro Bot and Balatro

The Game Awards 2024: All Winners & Awards

The Game Awards 2024 have announced winners for each of the 30 categories, including the most prestigious Game Of The Year award for 2024.

Nightreign operates around a three-day cycle with each day ending in a new boss fight. There is also the Night’s Tide and “the encroaching night” that connect directly to the final boss in the game (presumably the Night Lord). Character backstories will be gradually uncovered as players progress and will tie into evolving gameplay specialization. These main characters will “band together and prepare to claim the life of the Night Lord.” Overall, Elden Ring Nightreign promises to be a revolutionary cooperative multiplayer take on the Souls genre, and will be available on most major platforms starting May 30, 2025.

Sources: IGN, Bandai Namco