In a surprise that not many people would have had on their bingo cards, a new Elden Ring game has been announced at The Game Awards. From Bandai Namco Entertainment and FromSoftware, Elden Ring Nightreign is the name of this new standalone game. Of course, the expansion to the first game—Shadow of the Erdtree—was released earlier this year and is up for multiple awards, including Game of the Year. Elden Ring Nightreign will be released in 2025 on major platforms.
The standalone nature of Elden Ring Nightreign was perhaps highlighted because Shadow of the Erdtree’s inclusion in The Game Awards nominations sparked some controversy because the expansion is DLC. While The Game Awards has included the expansion, another prominent awards show, the BAFTAs, has not allowed Shadow of the Erdree to be nominated, citing, “Our Best Game category specifically recognizes full games which have released for the first time in the past year.” If Nightreign is received to similar acclaim next year, shows like the BAFTAs will have no problem nominating it.
We do know a little about the game, with Bandai Namco Entertainment writing, “Three players can team up and take their chosen Nightfarers to battle against new terrors, and explore an ever-changing map to defeat increasingly challenging bosses and ultimately take on the Nightlord.” Some hardcore fans might have spotted established characters and locations in the previous title returning in Nightreign, which will undoubtedly make up the changing map. We will just have to wait and see whether or not it’s as good as Elden Ring or Shadow of the Erdtree. But, in true FromSoftware pacing, we won’t need to wait long.
Elden Ring Nightreign is due for a 2025 release on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5,
