Bandai Namco has shared the official launch trailer for Elden Ring Nightreign, its upcoming co-op action survival game by FromSoftware. Set to arrive this week, the launch trailer sets the stage for what will surely be one of this year's biggest games.
Elden Ring Nightreign is a standalone spin-off to 2022's critically acclaimed action role-playing game Elden Ring. Although it's set in the same universe as Elden Ring and borrows similar themes and mechanics, the overall gameplay experience is much different.
For starters, Elden Ring Nightreign has been designed for three-player co-op, though you can play the game solo. It's also designed as a roguelike with a more bite-sized approach to its gameplay.
Unlike Elden Ring, which was set in a vast, meticulously crafted open-world, Elden Ring Nightreign is set in a procedurally generated version of Limgrave, one of the starting regions in the mysterious realm of The Lands Between. Roguelike, players embark on individual "runs" which last a total of three in-game days and culminate in a boss battle.
Teaming up in squads of three – or daring to go solo – they must outlast a three day-and-night cycle, making split decisions about combat and exploration across a changing map to become strong enough to take down terrifying bosses at the end of each day.
As a roguelike, the progression you make is reset after each run. You'll lose all of your experience and levels, as well as all of your weapons. However, the Relics you find do carry with you to provide permanent upgrades, making future runs a bit more manageable.
Elden Ring Nightreign also differs in its approach to combat. While Elden Ring emphasized more of a strategic approach to combat with stamina management, parrying, and positioning, Nightreign is faster-paced with enhanced mobility like wall-jumping and no fall damage.
In other words, aside from the shared universe, both of these games are drastically different gameplay experiences.
Elden RIng Nightreign officially launches on May 30th for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam. However, global timezone differences mean you may be able to start playing sooner depending on your platform and region. For example, console players on the west coast of the United States (PDT) can begin playing on May 29th at 9:00 p.m. on console, and 3:00 p.m. on PC. However, those on the East coast will need to wait to midnight on May 30th.
Below are the global release times for Elden Ring Nightreign:
Pre-loading for Elden Ring Nightreign begins 48 hours prior to the launch time on PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam, which means you may already be able to download and install the game right now. This ensures you can jump into the action the moment it launches, assuming the servers hold up.