At The Game Awards yesterday, a major highlight was Elden Ring Nightreign, as fans anticipated anything coming from FromSoftware’s renowned team. Recently, Bandai Namco announced that there will be a network test for the game early next year, with sign-ups kicking off in January.
In case you missed the buzz around Nightreign, it’s a game designed with cooperative play at its core, allowing you and your friends to tackle bosses in shared environments. Essentially, it promises the Elden Ring experience with a twist—teaming up with buddies beyond just scrawling messages or popping in to assist with tricky battles.
Scheduled to launch sometime in 2025, this game will see a network test shortly after we ring in the new year. The trial run is slated for February 2025, and players can start registering from January 10. However, the bad news for PC and older console users is that the test will be exclusive to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
So, what can you expect if you manage to snag a spot in this test? According to Bandai, it’s a preliminary verification process where selected players will trial parts of the game before the official release. They’ll assess the online systems’ capacity through extensive network stress tests.
If you need a metaphor to make sense of all those technical terms, think of them as formidable bosses you’re taking on. The ultimate prize is ensuring a stable network for the full game’s release—sort of like earning an “aura of stable network load.” Feel free to boast about that to your friends if you score a spot in the testing phase.
For more buzz around Elden Ring, don’t miss what Sony had to say about its interest in acquiring FromSoftware’s parent company, Kadokawa.
