Elden Ring Nightreign
A roguelike cooperative spin-off set in an alternate Elden Ring timeline.
FromSoftware · via Wikipedia: Elden Ring Nightreign · Fair use
Elden Ring Nightreign is an action role-playing game from 2025, developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It is a roguelike spin-off of Elden Ring that emphasizes cooperative play and procedural generation. The game was unveiled at The Game Awards 2024 and launched on May 30, 2025, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. After its release, it became the top-selling game across all platforms in May 2025, received generally favorable reviews, and sold over five million copies.
The gameplay takes place in Limveld, a procedurally generated version of Limgrave from Elden Ring. Although a single-player mode exists, the game is designed for three-player cooperative teams that work together over three in-game days to prepare for a final boss. A shrinking play area, similar to battle royale games, resets after players defeat a minor boss at the end of each day. Each match has a randomized map with different enemies, items, and locations. Occasionally, a "Shifting Earth" event transforms the map into a large dungeon with more bosses and better rewards.
An updated mode featuring harder versions of the Nightlords, called the Everdark Sovereigns, began releasing on June 19, 2025. Each Everdark Sovereign starts in its second phase and gains a new third phase. The Everdark versions of the Nightlords Adel, Fulghor, Gnoster, Maris, Caligo, Libra, and Gladius were released on June 19, June 26, July 9, July 31, August 6, August 13, and August 20, respectively.
A downloadable content update, The Forsaken Hollows, came out on December 4, 2025. It adds two expedition bosses, new night bosses (including the Divine Beast Dancing Lion from Shadow of the Erdtree, the Demon Prince from Dark Souls III, and Artorias from Dark Souls), new locations, a new map (classified as a shifting earth event), and two new Nightfarers: Undertaker and Scholar. This expansion is accessed through the Jar merchant at the Roundtable Hold.
The story is set in an alternate timeline of the Lands Between. After the Shattering, a cataclysm called the Primordial Night brought an eternal night, and creatures from other realms now rule. Eight powerful beings, the Nightlords, control an altered version of Limgrave known as Limveld, where chaos shifts the land. Marika's religion has been largely abandoned, and the Erdtree is gone.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Elden Ring Nightreign
- Developer
- FromSoftware
- Publisher
- Bandai Namco EntertainmentJP · FromSoftware
- Platforms
- PlayStation 4 · PlayStation 5 · Windows · Xbox One · Xbox Series X/S
- Released
- May 30, 2025
- Genre
- Action role-playing, roguelike
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Director
- Junya Ishizaki
- Producer
- Yasuhiro Kitao · Shingo Kawabata
- Programmer
- Yuki Kido
- Composer
- Shoi Miyazawa · Tai Tomisawa · Soma Tanizaki · Yoshikazu Takayama · Yuka Kitamura
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Elden Ring Nightreign takes place in an alternative timeline of the Lands Between, where a cataclysmic event called the Primordial Night has plunged the realm into eternal darkness. The game is set in a procedurally generated version of Limgrave, renamed Limveld, where players control Nightfarers—warriors summoned to the dilapidated Roundtable Hold to defeat eight Nightlords and end the reign of night. The story follows the Wylder, a greatsword-wielding Nightfarer, who awakens in the Roundtable Hold and is guided by the Priestess (later revealed as the Duchess) to unite with other Nightfarers, including Guardian, Ironeye, Raider, Recluse, Executor, and Revenant.
Reader's Guide
Elden Ring Nightreign is significant as a bold expansion of the Elden Ring universe into roguelike and cooperative territory, a departure from FromSoftware's traditional single-player focus. Its procedural generation of Limveld, shrinking gameplay area, and three-day structure for boss preparation introduced new dynamics to the action RPG genre. The game received generally favorable reviews, with IGN praising it but noting the lack of an in-game journal. Commercially, it was a major success, selling 2 million units in its first 24 hours and over 5 million units by July 2025, topping May sales charts across all platforms. The release of the Everdark Sovereigns update and the Forsaken Hollows DLC extended its lifespan, adding new bosses, Nightfarers, and story content. Its multiple endings—Endless Night, New Night, Night of Love, and Dawn—offered narrative variety tied to character-specific Remembrance quests, cementing its legacy as a creative and profitable spin-off.
Did You Know?
- The game was directed by Junya Ishizaki, a designer on Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Dark Souls III, and Elden Ring.
- George R. R. Martin, who wrote Elden Ring's backstory, was not involved with Nightreign.
- The Everdark Sovereigns update began releasing on June 19, 2025, with seven bosses released weekly through August 20.
- The Forsaken Hollows DLC, released December 4, 2025, added bosses from Dark Souls III and Dark Souls, including the Demon Prince and Artorias.
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Elsewhere in Elden Ring
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