The highly anticipated next chapter in the Elden Ring saga is inching closer to reality as the first waves of invites for the Elden Ring Nightreign closed playtest have officially begun landing in the inboxes of lucky applicants. Following its stunning reveal at The Game Awards 2024, FromSoftware and Bandai Namco opened registrations for this mysterious project, and now, in early 2025, the selection process is underway. The selected participants will gain their first hands-on experience with the game during scheduled sessions starting on February 14, 2025. While core details about Nightreign remain shrouded in mystery, this playtest phase promises to be the first major unveiling of gameplay and mechanics, generating immense excitement within the Soulsborne community and beyond. The hype train, fueled by the monumental success of Shadow of the Erdtree, shows no signs of slowing as all attention turns to this cooperative-focused spinoff.
GameSpot and other outlets have confirmed the distribution of the initial invitations. The closed beta is structured across five distinct sessions spanning from February 14 through February 16, 2025. While the playtest window is relatively brief, the gaming community is poised to dissect every frame of gameplay, uncovering secrets and details that have been carefully guarded since the announcement. Bandai Namco has provided a clear and precise schedule for the sessions, allowing invited players to plan their foray into the Lands Between's new nightmare. The schedule is as follows:
🎮 Closed Beta Playtest Schedule (All Times 2025)
| Session | Date | Pacific Time (PT) | Eastern Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session 1 | February 14 | 3:00 AM - 6:00 AM | 6:00 AM - 9:00 AM |
| Session 2 | February 14 | 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM | 10:00 PM - 1:00 AM (Feb 15) |
| Session 3 | February 15 | 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM | 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM |
| Session 4 | February 16 | 3:00 AM - 6:00 AM | 6:00 AM - 9:00 AM |
| Session 5 | February 16 | 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM | 10:00 PM - 1:00 AM (Feb 17) |
It's important to note that while Elden Ring Nightreign is slated for a full release on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC, this initial technical test will be limited to the current-generation consoles: Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5. This focus allows the developers to stress-test the game's performance on these platforms specifically. The exclusivity of the invites has, unsurprisingly, led to a secondary market emerging almost immediately. Reports surfaced earlier this month that a small number of players who secured an invitation attempted to sell their access codes on online marketplaces for prices reaching up to $300. It remains unclear if any such sales were completed, but the incident underscores the fever-pitch demand surrounding Nightreign.
So, what exactly is Elden Ring Nightreign? Official information remains sparse, but key pillars have been established. It is confirmed to be a spinoff set within the Elden Ring universe, inheriting the franchise's signature DNA of punishingly precise combat and terrifying enemy design. However, FromSoftware is charting a distinct course for this entry. The development team is implementing a major shift in focus towards cooperative gameplay. Nightreign is being built from the ground up to support a seamless three-player co-op experience, a significant evolution from the sometimes-cumbersome summoning systems of previous titles.
This cooperative framework is intertwined with a new core gameplay structure. Early indications suggest Nightreign will incorporate a roguelike or roguelite gameplay loop, a first for a major FromSoftware release. This design choice promises a fresh, replayable experience where players band together to tackle dynamically generated challenges, likely facing permadeath or progressive loss mechanics familiar to the genre. This combination of Soulsborne combat depth and co-op roguelike structure represents a bold and intriguing new direction for the acclaimed studio.
The community's reaction has been a mixture of intense curiosity and wild speculation. Longtime fans are eager to see how FromSoftware's meticulous world-building and combat translate to a more structured cooperative format. Newcomers, who may have been intimidated by the solitary difficulty of Elden Ring, see the emphasized co-op as a potential gateway into the series. As the February playtest dates approach, the entire gaming world awaits the first streams, screenshots, and player impressions that will finally pull back the curtain on Elden Ring Nightreign. The playtest isn't just a trial for servers and gameplay balance; it's the first real glimpse into what could be the next evolution of the Soulsborne formula. 🔥