Summary
- Elden Ring Nightreign was one of the biggest and most surprising reveals during last week’s Game Awards.
- Its network test will take place in February, but PC players don’t appear to have been invited.
- FromSoftware typically runs network tests exclusively on consoles and it seems Nightreign won’t be any different.
Better looks at games we knew were coming combined with some very big surprises made last week’s Game Awards one of its best showings in recent memory. One of the bigger reveals was that FromSoftware is giving us more Elden Ring in 2025. Elden Ring Nightreign is an online co-op game a lucky few will be able to take for a test drive in February, but only if you do your gaming on certain platforms.
If you were caught up in the excitement of an unexpected Elden Ring announcement, you may not have noticed the logos that flashed up when news of its network test was revealed. PS5 and Xbox Series X|S logos. No mention of anything about the playtest being available on PC which, combined with FromSoftware‘s history with other network tests, all but confirms that PC players will not be invited to be among the first to play the new game.
There’s also no mention of PS4 or Xbox One which likely means unlike Elden Ring and its Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, Nightreign won’t be getting a last-gen launch. That hasn’t been confirmed yet though, so don’t give up hope.
Registration for the network test will open on January 10, 2025, and until then, or until FromSoftware confirms otherwise, there’s a very slim chance that PC players will be invited to join the fun the following month. However, as has been highlighted by PC Gamer, it seems unlikely the omission of any mention that PC players will be a part of it is a mistake.
Elden Ring Nightreign’s Network Test Begins In February 2025
But PC Players Don’t Appear To Be Invited
Nightreign isn’t getting a network test just because it will be a largely online game, although you will be able to play it offline and alone. While the test will help get that side of things prepped and ready for its full launch, this is standard practice for FromSoft. Dark Souls 3 and Elden Ring both had network tests before release, and both were restricted to consoles.
As for why FromSoft omits such a large chunk of its potential player base from these tests, it’s likely due to how much easier it is for dataminers to dive into game files on PC compared to consoles. On the bright side, Nightreign’s network test getting dated gives us a better idea of when the full game might launch. There was a three-and-a-half-month wait between Elden Ring’s network test and its release, so we might all be playing Nightreign across all platforms by May.
ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN is a standalone adventure within the ELDEN RING universe, crafted to offer players a new gaming experience by reimagining the game’s core design.