from simple@lemm.ee to games@lemmy.world on 28 May 14:58
https://lemm.ee/post/65232699
Game Information
Game Title: Elden Ring: Nightreign
Platforms:
- Xbox Series X/S (May 29, 2025)
- PlayStation 5 (May 29, 2025)
- PC (May 29, 2025)
- Xbox One (May 29, 2025)
- PlayStation 4 (May 29, 2025)
Trailers:
- Elden Ring Nightreign: ‘Libra’ Boss Reveal Gameplay – IGN First
- ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN | Overview Trailer
- ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN | Overview Trailer
Developer: FromSoftware
Review Aggregator:
OpenCritic - 79 average - 79% recommended - 81 reviews
Critic Reviews
AltChar - Semir Omerovic - 90 / 100
For From Software’s first game of this kind, Elden Ring Nightreign is nothing short of an incredible co-op souls-like experience with plenty of fun and memorable encounters.
AnaitGames - Víctor Manuel Martínez García - Spanish - 7 / 10
From turns his masterpiece, the Great Epic Video Game of our time, into an impossible multiplayer roguelike that mixes recycling, carelessness and some surprisingly interesting design ideas.
But Why Tho? - Eddie De Santiago - 9.5 / 10
Elden Ring Nightreign does its best to let players have fun, get stronger, and take down big, bad bosses together. I can’t speak for the greater FromSoftware fanbase, but after these shared triumphs, I’ll have a hard time going back to doing it alone.
CBR - Mark O’Callaghan - 10 / 10
Everything feels shorter and tighter, which makes for a compelling gameplay experience. While some gamers might roll their eyes at seeing another Elden Ring title being considered Game of the Year, Nightreign deserves to be in the discussion.
CGMagazine - Justin Wood - 9 / 10
Elden Ring: Nightreign is both a love letter and a remix of everything FromSoftware fans adore. While the multiplayer focus won’t work for everyone, the sheer amount of challenge, variety, and the ever-elusive dopamine hit make it something special and something to be remembered.
COGconnected - Mark Steighner - 85 / 100
Nightreign has a few limitations, like a somewhat unrewarding solo mode, no AI party members, and no duos. Still, while it may be a game that few Souls fans thought to consider essential, Nightreign is an unexpected gift that will no doubt be a new addiction for many.
Checkpoint Gaming - Omi Koulas - 8 / 10
Elden Ring Nightreign is a faster, roguelike remix of the Souls formula that swaps deep exploration for co-op urgency. Combat is more agile, pacing is relentless, and boss fights thrive on teamwork. Still, not every change lands. FromSoftware’s familiar connection issues can spoil a good run, the storytelling lacks expected depth, and the Limveld map may be mastered very quickly. Overall, Nightreign delivers exciting high-speed battles and rewarding experimentation. It’s a bold spinoff that breaks the rules and mostly gets away with it.
ComicBook.com - Tanner Dedmon - 4.5 / 5
Elden Ring Nightreign already has a phenomenal foundation, and an online-focused game like Elden Ring Nightreign should be the pinnacle of FromSoftware’s post-launch support, so I’m more excited for the future of Nightreign than I have been for any of FromSoftware’s games before it
After Elden Ring set the bar impossibly high for what’s expected of open-world RPGs, Nightreign delivers a fantastic accompaniment to FromSoftware’s core portfolio. It’s unafraid to turn the established Souls formula on its head and ask if it can mesh well with other genres.
While the answer is a resounding yes, Nightreign won’t be for everyone. For series veteran fans with no interest in multiplayer, it’s a hard sell. Solo play is an officially supported mode, but it feels much like an afterthought.
Played with the intended group size, however, Nightreign is an irresistible co-op experience with far more depth than I expected.
Digital Trends - Giovanni Colantonio - 3.5 / 5
Built as a way to capitalize on the success of 2022’s Elden Ring without committing to a full sequel, Nightreign puts a clever co-op spin on the open-world game by turning it into a roguelike. It’s a smart remix that gets more use out of existing assets while inventing a replayable multiplayer game with unexpected strategic depth despite its RPG hooks being much more streamlined than a standard Soulslike. Fully finding that hook takes a lot of effort, but it pays off for those patient enough to push through its most obvious flaws.
DualShockers - Ethan Krieger - 7 / 10
Sadly, the repetitive nature and balancing issues also can make it feel like a series of the world’s longest Soulslike runbacks ever—over, and over, and over.
Eurogamer - Ed Nightingale - 4 / 5
FromSoftware’s multiplayer spin-off is an exhilarating rush and a celebration of the studio’s prior achievements Souls veterans will devour.
Fextralife - Fexelea - 8.7 / 10
Elden Ring Nightreign is a must-play for any souls combat fan, and an excellent experience to tackle with your friends. The smartest asset reuse in the industry, it masterfully delivers addictive gameplay with some innovative ideas that only slightly miss the mark on execution and leave you wishing they had added more new content.
Game Rant - Matt Karoglou - 9 / 10
A near-perfect merging of FromSoftware game design and roguelike structure, Elden Ring Nightreign is a bold experiment and one of 2025’s highlights.
GameSpew - Richard Seagrave - 7 / 10
There’s fun to be had with Elden Ring Nightreign, especially if you’re a skilled Elden Ring player who loves a challenge or can get a good team together, but it does have a range of issues. The fact that there’s only one map means repetition quickly creeps in, for example, and the Relic system simply doesn’t feel as impactful as it should. Being a multiplayer-focused game, the lack of cross-play is also egregious.
GameSpot - Richard Wakeling - 9 / 10
Elden Ring Nightreign successfully condenses the Elden Ring experience, cramming challenging combat, exploration, worldbuilding, and character development into a fast-paced and thrilling multiplayer game
Gamepressure - Maciej Bogusz - 8.5 / 10
Elden Ring: Nightreign offers a fast-paced gameplay and a return to the kind of raw challenge I’ve come to love in soulslikes. And that’s exactly what I wanted, the more time I spent with Nightreign, the more I found myself enjoying it.
Gamer Guides - Ben Chard - 92 / 100
Elden Ring Nightreign gripped me from start to finish and constantly fills my every waking thought. This is a game that will have me glued to my chair for many nights to come.
Gamers Heroes - Johnny Hurricane - 90 / 100
Elden Ring Nightreign is truly worthy of its namesake. Fans who still have the Elden Ring itch even after the DLC should gear up for some jolly good cooperation.
GamingBolt - Ravi Sinha - 8 / 10
Elden Ring Nightreign is an unusual yet well-executed effort by FromSoftware, blending rogue-like progression and battle royale mechanics into a fun co-op experience despite some nagging issues.
Hardcore Gamer - Adam Beck - 4 / 5
The spin-off to one of the best games in the last five years, can Nightreign live up to the high expectations of Elden Ring?
IGN - Mitchell Saltzman - 7 / 10
When Elden Ring Nightreign is played exactly as it was designed to be played, it’s one of the finest examples of a three-player co-op game around – but that’s harder to do than it should be, and playing solo is poorly balanced.
IGN Italy - Andrea Peduzzi - Italian - 7 / 10
Elden Ring Nightreign has a lot of good ideas on its side, a lot of quality, and I’m sure it will blossom during the coming months; however, at the moment the ratio of fun to frustration seems a bit problematic.
Kakuchopurei - Lewis Larcombe - 90 / 100
Elden Ring: Nightreign takes FromSoftware’s mastery of tension and triumph and remixes it into a co-op formula that’s stressfully brilliant, borderline ridiculous—and dangerously addictive.
It’s not trying to out-Elden Elden Ring. Instead, it turbo-charges the experience with a multiplayer twist that turns despair into shared laughter, and panic into camaraderie. The rogue-lite loop keeps things snappy, the class system is absurdly well-designed, and even as someone who’s never touched a Souls game before, I felt like I belonged in this world of moonlit carnage and beautifully timed dodges.
MKAU Gaming - Dylan Kocins - 9 / 10
Overall, Elden Ring: Nightreign isn’t just a spin-off; it’s a massive triumph. With more direct storytelling, mindblowing boss fights, including a final boss that is one of the best they’ve ever crafted and a brilliantly tense gameplay loop, it stands tall as a worthy standalone game. FromSoftware has once again delivered a haunting, unforgettable world that challenges and rewards you.
MMORPG.com - Nick Shively - 7 / 10
In the end, Nightreign manages to offer up something unique that I’m sure a certain audience will find a vast amount of enjoyment in, but in the process, it sacrifices a lot of what made Elden Ring so special.
MonsterVine - Luis Joshua Gutierrez - 3.5 / 5
Elden Ring Nightreign is a blast to play. It has a lot going for it and is an Elden Ring game at its core. The game is challenging and fast-paced, forcing you to adjust to whatever is thrown at you. Running through some of the best bosses in the FromSoftware catalog is something I never thought I could do in one game. But at the same time, not having a mode to play with less than three people does shoot itself in the foot, and the lackluster story is disappointing.
Multiplayer First - James Lara - 9.5 / 10
Going into Elden Ring Nightreign, I admit I was skeptical, wary of FromSoftware venturing into unfamiliar multiplayer territory. Yet, after countless runs and shared triumphs with fellow Nightfarers, it’s clear my concerns were unfounded. Nightreign isn’t merely a multiplayer spin-off; it’s a testament to FromSoftware’s ability to innovate while fiercely guarding the essence of what makes a Souls game so compelling. It masterfully blends the unforgiving challenge and rich lore we’ve come to expect with a seamless, exhilarating cooperative experience that genuinely redefines what a ‘Souls game’ can be. While I hope the mainline series remains true to its roots, Nightreign proves that a bold new path can be forged, offering a fresh, addictive ‘one more run’ loop that will keep you, and your friends, coming back for more. It’s truly one of the standout titles of the year, a shared journey you won’t soon forget.
NextPlay - Brad Goodwin - 9 / 10
Elden Ring Nightreign takes the best elements of Elden Ring and applies an engrossing core gameplay loop that will have Nightfarers in a trance. Everything is better with friends, and this makes Elden Ring Nightreign the best multiplayer game of the year.
Nexus Hub - Sahil Lala - 9 / 10
Elden Ring Nightreign is another triumph for From Software, where jolly co-op greatly enhances the experience - a worthy spin-off to Elden Ring that’s unmissable for fans and newcomers.
One More Game - Ricki Buzon - 8.5 / 10
Elden Ring Nightreign introduces an unexpected yet compelling multiplayer PvE experience, offering a fresh take on the series while incorporating familiar roguelite mechanics. True to FromSoftware’s reputation, Nightreign delivers challenging gameplay that rewards perseverance and strategic play. Players won’t face the trials alone this time, and playing with a full team enhances each encounter’s depth and intensity.
Despite lacking some basic features like crossplay and voice chat, Nightreign successfully delivers a distinctive Elden Ring experience that will hopefully get more content in the coming months.
PC Gamer - Tyler Colp - 80 / 100
Elden Ring Nightreign is just as confusing and abrasive as FromSoftware’s other games, but there’s really nothing else like it.
Elden Ring Nightreign shoots for the stars with a clean retrofit of familiar assets into a roguelike format, but it’s dragged back down to earth with repetitive encounters, overtuned bosses, and lacklustre meta-progression. Random chance and an urgent pace rewards blind haste over careful buildcraft, but I’m confident its biggest issues can still be fixed.
Paste Magazine - Garrett Martin - 8 / 10
The Gang’s All Here with Elden Ring Nightreign—And, Surprisingly, It Works
PlayStation Universe - Simon Sayers - 8 / 10
Not every idea in Nightreign lands cleanly, but its willingness to push Elden Ring’s mechanics into unfamiliar territory is admirable. It’s a game made for a specific kind of player-those who crave a punishingly difficult challenge. If that’s you, this detour is worth the journey.
Push Square - Aaron Bayne - 8 / 10
Elden Ring Nightreign is a very interesting game that’s likely going to divide FromSoftware fans. It’s not the hand-crafted RPG that we’ve come to expect from the storied developer, but it does manage to take much of the gameplay depth of Elden Ring, and retrofit it into a fast-paced multiplayer experience. While we don’t think it really holds a candle to games like Dark Souls 3 or Elden Ring, it isn’t really trying to. This is basically FromSoftware having some fun with its IP, and with a squad of friends, Elden Ring Nightreign is a blast.
Quest Daily - Tom Greer - 8 / 10
Elden Ring Nightreign delivers a dynamic, adrenaline-fuelled take on the Souls formula. It’s tailored for hardcore fans with fast pacing, and brutally tough bosses… But its reliance on recycled content, and long expedition times may deter newcomers or those seeking a more traditional Elden Ring experience. For seasoned FromSoftware devotees like myself, it’s a compelling challenge. I only hope matchmaking improves at launch — because I’m itching for another run.
RPG Fan - Zach Wilkerson - 75 / 100
Elden Ring Nightreign is a fun concept, but despite excellent boss fights and a fun start, it quickly becomes repetitive and tedious.
RPG Site - Scott White - 7 / 10
This first drop into the roguelike genre with the Souls series is intriguing enough to make me consider exploring future explorations into it, but beyond that, I will happily stick with my exploration-heavy and deep character customization options instead.
Restart.run - Jesse Vitelli - 4 / 5
I walk away from Elden Ring Nightreign with an admiration for the weird thing the team at FromSofware has crafted. Something that doesn’t feel like a cheap cash-in of the namesake but an idea that the team wanted to explore. It doesn’t get everything perfect, but I’d rather see developers take big swings than stay stagnant. Much like Nightreign’s speedy pace, FromSoftware once again proves it’s not standing still.
Shacknews - Sam Chandler - 9 / 10
Elden Ring Nightreign isn’t your dad’s Dark Souls game. It’s not a slow, methodical, and exploration-driven experience. It is high octane, caffeine into the veins, run until you drop. The game kept me up at night, well past my bedtime, as I tried to clear just one more Expedition – maybe this next run would be the one. I went to sleep with it on my mind and woke up ready to dive back in. Even after rolling credits, I wanted to get in and keep playing. FromSoftware has done it again.
Spaziogames - Domenico Musicò - Italian - 7.5 / 10
Elden Ring: Nightreign is a bold move to expand the series through a cooperative, dynamic format. While its streamlined progression and limited exploration may disappoint purists, the addition of roguelike and battle royale elements doesn’t quite fit FromSoftware’s design ethos. It might draw in new players, but longtime fans may find the balance between innovation and tradition a bit off.
SteamDeckHQ - Noah Kupetsky - 4.5 / 5
Elden Ring Nightreign feels like a near-perfect blend of From Software’s souls-like formula and addictive roguelikes that make this experience feel like a step above the rest. The combat still feels just like Elden Ring and other souls-like games we have come to love, but the faster exploration and bite-sized expeditions kept my attention longer than most other souls-like games have. I adore the new roguelike mechanics, which make each run feel distinct and impactful, while also maintaining the quality that further elevates the experience.
The Relic system can feel a little underwhelming, and the story for the characters feels significantly less complex and meaningful compared to the original game, but it’s still a great, high-quality roguelike that should satisfy both fans of each genre Nightreign encompasses.
It also runs quite well on the Steam Deck, even if there are some fluctuations with framerate and visuals. A lot of the issues come from an underwhelming PC port that lacks some essential settings, like V-Sync and in-game framerate limiters. However, it’s still very playable, both online and offline, and is still a solid way to play this wonderful experience.
Stevivor - Steve Wright - 8 / 10
Elden Ring Nightreign won’t be every FromSoft fan’s cup of tea, and this is especially true if you’re a lone wolf.
TechRaptor - Joe Allen - 8 / 10
Elden Ring Nightreign is a pleasant surprise. Its thrilling bosses, well-crafted character archetypes, and strong combat make it worth your time, but don’t expect the usual FromSoftware lore standard.
The Nerd Stash - Julio La Pine - 9 / 10
Elden Ring: Nightreign manages to seamlessly blend multiple gameplay systems, creating a highly addictive gameplay loop. Despite some solo balancing issues, it is another FromSoftware masterpiece, and one I hope will stick around for many years to come.
The Outerhaven Productions - Keith Mitchell, Jordan Andow, Andrew Agress - 4 / 5
Elden Ring Nightreign is the “greatest hits” album of FromSoftware games. With bosses from Dark Souls, builds inspired by Bloodborne and Sekiro, and the world of Elden Ring, it has something for every Soulslike fan. And it’s multiplayer. It throws a lot into one pot and ends up as more of a cracked pot. But patches may fix it over time. No, not that Patches.
TheGamer - James Lucas - 4.5 / 5
Diving into game after game, experiencing that Soulslike loop in a microcosm, was unbelievably satisfying, and those moments of victory have never felt better. There are some minor quirks, like the lack of cross-platform play and spongy bosses, but on the whole, Nightreign is one of the most inventive things to come out of FromSoftware since it coined the Soulslike genre.
TheSixthAxis - Jason Coles - 7 / 10
Elden Ring Nightreign is a fun multiplayer offshoot, but it also doesn’t come close to the dizzying heights we’re used to seeing from FromSoftware. It’s an interesting experiment, and I am glad it exists despite my mixed feelings, but it’s a shallow happiness when I expect far more profound experiences from this company.
Elden Ring Nightreign takes the Souls formula in a new direction, blending rogue-like elements of Hades with the closing ring as seen in Fortnite to deliver a multiplayer challenge all its own. But with runs inevitably feeling time-consuming and pointless unless successfully besting a boss, and little else on offer in terms of replay value, Nightreign leaves a mixed impression.
VG247 - Connor Makar - 5 / 5
I can not help but to love Elden Ring Nightreign. It’s a strange beast, kitbashed from parts of Elden Ring that feel clunky in places (god, the vaulting system can be frustrating at times). It has bugs, and it has blemishes. It’s not a traditional Soulslike experience and as such will surely turn away fresh faces and diehard veterans alike. But it’s also a celebration of you, the massive community of Soulslike players, and, specifically Elden Ring players. It’s a game and a story about you, and all the weirdos you’ve met along the way. If this is a send off to Elden Ring and The Lands Between, it’s a perfect one.
WellPlayed - James Wood - 8 / 10
A fascinating precursor to FromSoftware’s multiplayer pivot, Elden Ring: Nightreign offers us a glimpse at the thrills, and pitfalls, of adapting the studio’s signature style to meet contemporary standards. Propulsively fun gameplay loops and a killer art direction gently usher in one of the least considered efforts from the studio to date.
Worth Playing - Chris “Atom” DeAngelus - 8.5 / 10
Elden Ring: Nightreign is sure to be a divisive entry in FromSoft’s catalog. It isn’t the Elden Ring sequel that people might want, and it isn’t necessarily a game that will appeal to those who love Souls titles. It’s a weird, experimental concept grafted into the skin of a different game. It’s an engaging and enjoyable game to play, assuming you meet it halfway. The core mechanics are strong, the boss fights are fun, and it’s an enjoyable game. If you’ve ever wanted to see what a more multiplayer-focused take on the genre is like, Nightreign shines, but those looking for a single-player experience will want to look elsewhere.
Xbox Achievements - Josh Wise - 80%
Elden Ring Nightreign is being billed as a standalone follow-up to Elden Ring, which is like saying that Wallace stands alone from Gromit. Both are th…
XboxEra - Aarsal Masoodi - 7.2 / 10
my mostly solo-play experiences were a mixed bag at best, preventing me from praising the game too much or giving a high “review-in-progress” temporary score.
Zoomg - Afshin Piroozi - Persian - 8.5 / 10
Overall, Elden Ring: Nightreign offers a different kind of experience—both compared to the original Elden Ring and within FromSoftware’s entire body of work. But this difference works in its favor, resulting in a compelling experience. It might not be all that exciting to play solo, but in the ideal scenario—with a solid team by your side—it’s easy to get lost for hours in its epic, unforgettable battles and the thrill of taking down its many bosses. So if you’ve always enjoyed the challenging combat of the Souls series and Elden Ring, and don’t mind a reduced focus on exploration and storytelling, Nightreign could be a deeply rewarding experience for you.
threaded - newest
It’s what I expected overall. Some people loved it, others say it’s more like an alternate gamemode that reuses way too many assets. I think I’ll wait for a sale before jumping in with friends. Looks fun, but $40/person is a bit much.
Sounds like the solo experience isn’t great. Unless you’re okay with getting matched with randos, I guess you’d better bring exactly three players?
Ugh I just wish it was designed for two players, so I can just play with my partner.
Long time from fan, it’s super frustrating to see 2 completely multiplayer centric games in a row. 0 interest, don’t even use summons and play souls offline to keep out invaders.