Elden Ring Nightreign release date and time, preload, and latest news

When is the Elden Ring Nightreign release date? Your time in the Lands Between isn't over just yet, Tarnished. Or should that be Nightfarer? This standalone multiplayer game is the closest FromSoftware fans can get to an official Elden Ring co-op mode, and we couldn't be more excited to get stuck into some jolly cooperation.

Elden Ring Nightreign is set in a parallel universe to that of the soulslike game we all know and love, paving the way for new possibilities. As our Elden Ring Nightreign review attests, this co-op adventure shrinks the boundaries of Elden Ring's open world to a procedurally generated "open-air dungeon" populated with random enemies, locations, and even surprise cameos pulled from other FromSoftware titles. Gather your fellow Nightfarers and prepare for Elden Ring Nightreign, as we delve into everything we know ahead of the release date.

The Elden Ring Nightreign release date is Thursday, May 29, 2025. It launches on May 29 at 3pm PDT / 6pm EDT / 11pm BST, and May 30 at 12am CEST / 8am AEST. 

These release times are for the PC version only. For the console release times, check the infographic above. Nightreign is available to preload 48 hours prior to the PC release time in your region.

Elden Ring Nightreign is available on PC via Steam, as well as on PlayStation 5, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Xbox Series X/S for console users. We've also got the latest news on whether Nightreign is on Game Pass at launch.

A select few players got to go hands-on with Nightreign ahead of launch thanks to the Elden Ring Nightreign beta. This console-only network test was restricted to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. According to Capcom, players defeated the Nightlord Gladius, Beast of Night 58,615 times.

Given the proximity to the release date, it's unlikely another beta will take place before launch. Instead, you can check your PC is capable of running it with the Elden Ring Nightreign system requirements.

Elden Ring Nightreign editions

There are four editions of Elden Ring Nightreign: Standard, Deluxe, Seekers, and Collectors. There is also an additional pre-order bonus gesture that players can obtain later.

The Deluxe edition includes additional DLC, a digital art book, and a mini soundtrack, whereas the Seekers edition features a steelbook case with all of the above content.

The Collector's edition contains everything included in the Seekers edition, in addition to a statue of Wylder, eight Nightfarer cards, and a hardcover art book spanning 40 pages.

Elden Ring Nightreign trailers

The official reveal trailer from Elden Ring Nightreign aired during The Game Awards in December 2024. It establishes this alternate version of The Lands Between and its multiplayer focus, as the corruptive force of Night's Reign engulfs its landscape in blue flame.

This reveal trailer consists almost entirely of gameplay, with several in-engine cutscenes thrown in for good measure. FromSoftware has repurposed many of Elden Ring's assets for Nightreign to craft an original experience without losing the spirit of the former. It also assures this standalone episode's speedy development, so we don't expect to wait too long or suffer any major delays.

The preorder trailer gives us a closer look at the Nightreign bosses, enemies, and abilities that we can expect. We've spotted several encounters with Elden Ring enemies that take place in different environments this time around, and we got a better look at some of the playable Nightreign classes and their unique powers.

However, the scene stealer of the preorder trailer is Gladius, Beast of Night. This fearsome three-headed wolf is the final boss in Nightreign's network test. However, Gladius is just one of several potential Nightlords that we might face on the third and final day.

Finally, the Nightreign overview trailer caught us up with the general premise. The Nightfarers are dispatched to Limveld to hunt the Nightlords before night descends and brings the once-great country to an end. With only three days to amass the strength to defeat such powerful forces, you must carve a path through this ever-shifting world before night falls.

This trailer also introduces the environmental challenges we'll face in Nightreign, including random events that can dramatically change the landscape. Meteor strikes and rot-infested forests constitute new traversal challenge in otherwise familiar terrain, but their sudden appearance can offer new loot opportunities as well.

As Night's Tide closes in, the borders of Limveld begin to recede, similar to Fortnite's iconic storm, until the Nightfarers are forced into an unavoidable confrontation with the resident Nightlord.

Elden Ring Nightreign gameplay

Elden Ring co-op has been the most requested feature in the soulslike game's community, leaving Elden Ring mods to fill the void. While Nightreign isn't fully integrated into the base game like the Seamless Co-op mod, it offers the means to experience a multiplayer mode designed by FromSoftware itself. You can team up in a squad of up to three players; it's technically possible to go it alone, but – well, prepare to die, as they say.

Whether alone or grouped up, Nightreign challenges you to outlast three days and nights in Limveld, and this time around, crafting the best Elden Ring builds just won't cut it. Instead, the key to success lies in the hidden synergies between Nightreign's eight playable characters and all the weapons and spells at their disposal, adding a new dimension to the single-player game's core experience. Even failure can unlock new ways to switch up your playstyle and give you a new route to victory. Communication will be key to victory, Elden Ring's message system won't appear in Nightreign, so be prepared to make use of your emotes.

The Nightlord might be the big bad, but it's not the only threat to worry about on your runs. True to form, Elden Ring Nightreign is stacked with new bosses – and a few familiar faces. The reprise of Dark Souls 3's Nameless King will be the most exciting reveal for FromSoftware fans. Considered the most difficult encounter in a FromSoftware title until his dethronement by Melania, this royal traitor returns astride his trusty blue wyvern to hurl lightning and generally be the menace we remember.

Elden Ring Nightreign story

We expect Elden Ring Nightreign's story to be as obfuscated as Elden Ring before it, though perhaps a bit more lightweight than the lore-heavy beats we followed in Shadow of the Erdtree. The presiding mystery is the identity of Nightreign's chief antagonist.

The Nightlord isn't a known entity in Elden Ring, but there are several hints that they could be connected to the Nox. This ancient race was banished underground after committing high treason against the Greater Will. The flavor text of the Nox Swordstress Crown and Night Maiden Twin Crown reveals they live "in eternal anticipation of their liege. Of the coming age of the stars. And their Lord of Night." Perhaps this Lord of Night and Nightreign's Nightlord are one and the same.

The Age of Stars is also the official name of one of the Elden Ring endings, which sees you leave the Lands Between behind as Ranni's "eternal" consort among the stars. There's no agreed-upon 'canon' ending in Elden Ring, but Nightreign's parallel universe could be one in which this ending has been achieved. The Nightlord could well be the Tarnished helping Ranni bring about the Age of Stars and usher in the "thousand-year voyage under the wisdom of the Moon."

This theory might seem a bit far-fetched, but FromSoftware has precedence for pitting players against their past selves. Dark Souls 3 culminates in the player going up against all the champions who have linked the First Flame, which amounts to anyone who completed Dark Souls 1.

Nightreign Remembrances promise to explore Nightfarer backstories in flavor text and playable memories. Some may even result in Nightfarer-specific side quests, such as defeating a specific boss or collecting a hidden item. This is certainly a huge change from Elden Ring's Remembrance system, but it's one we can't wait to get our hands on.

We'll be separating theory from fact in the run-up to the Elden Ring Nightreign release date, so check back regularly for all the latest news. In the meantime, check out all the co-op games to while away the hours with pals ahead of launch. Alternatively, our Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree review reflects on our time with the base game's DLC.