Elden Ring: Nightreign still doesn’t have a release date, but its first online playtests do. FromSoftware has revealed times for when players can get their hands on the upcoming multiplayer spin-off, and signups for the free network tests on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S are now underway.
Registration for the network tests went live on Friday at Bandai Namco’s website, and fans have until January 20 at 9:00 a.m. ET to signup. All it requires is your age, email address, and platform of choice. The publisher will then select random groups of players to participate in the February network tests, when they’ll get to play a portion of the action-RPG online with others.
Here’s the full schedule for the Elden Ring: Nightreign playtest sessions in February:
- Session 1: Feb 14th, 6am to 9am ET
- Session 2: Feb 14th, 10pm to 1am ET
- Session 3: Feb 15th, 2pm to 5pm ET
- Session 4: Feb 16th, 6am to 9am ET
- Session 5: Feb 16th, 10pm to 1 am ET
Elden Ring: Nightreign was first announced back at The Game Awards 2024 with a release window of 2025. Instead of a mostly single-player campaign like its predecessor, the spin-off focuses on co-op play between three players (or you can play solo) as they take on successive waves of tough enemies and bosses through a day-and-night cycle, while exploring a randomized version of the original game’s open-world map.
It’s going to be a $40 release and feels a bit like FromSoftware drew inspiration from various PC mods that turned Elden Ring more into a survival roguelite than a traditional action-RPG. The combat shown in the initial trailers also looks like it will be faster, flashier, and more dynamic than the version in Elden Ring proper. Some lucky players will find out soon enough when they go hands-on with the game in next month’s network tests. And while those are only for current-gen consoles, the full game will be on PC as well as PS4 and Xbox One.
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