Elden Ring: FromSoftware's Epic That Opened Dark Souls to the World
Elden Ring's origins, open world and combat, why it's a classic, expansions like Shadow of the Erdtree and Nightreign, and how to play it today.
Elden Ring is an action role-playing game developed by Japanese studio FromSoftware and released by Bandai Namco Entertainment on February 25, 2022. It took the approach of the Dark Souls series, known for difficult but fair combat, and transplanted it into a vast open world, becoming a sensation right from launch.
In this post, we look in turn at how Elden Ring came to be made, how it actually plays, and why so many people consider it a masterpiece. We then cover its legacy, from expansions and spin-offs to news of a film adaptation, along with how to get started today.
At a Glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Release | February 25, 2022 |
| Developer | FromSoftware (published by Bandai Namco Entertainment) |
| Platforms | PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows, Nintendo Switch 2 (Tarnished Edition) |
| Genre | Open-world action role-playing |
Origins
Elden Ring was directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, who led the Dark Souls series, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Yui Tanimura served as co-director. Miyazaki envisioned the game as an evolution of Dark Souls into an open world.
Full production began in early 2017, after work wrapped on The Ringed City, the final DLC for Dark Souls III. Sekiro was in development at the same time; Miyazaki directed both, and in the early stages each game had its own co-director to split the work.
George R. R. Martin, author of A Song of Ice and Fire, contributed to the world-building. FromSoftware approached Martin first, and he designed the distant past before the game begins, the foundation of its mythology and history. The main writer of the in-game story was Miyazaki himself. Miyazaki likened Martin's role to writing a sourcebook for the game master of a tabletop role-playing game.
The game was first revealed at E3 in June 2019. After a long stretch with no news, a new trailer arrived in June 2021, and a closed network test was held that November. Originally scheduled for January 21, 2022, it was delayed by just over a month and came out on February 25. Miyazaki cited Shadow of the Colossus, The Elder Scrolls series, The Witcher 3, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild among the games that influenced its design.
How It Plays
The game is set in a world called the Lands Between. With the disappearance of Queen Marika, the Elden Ring that sustained the world was shattered, and the player, as one of the Tarnished, sets out on a journey to restore the Elden Ring and become Elden Lord. The Lands Between consists of six major regions, including Limgrave and Caelid.
You can gallop across the wide plains on the spectral steed Torrent, and when not in combat you can fast travel to places you've already visited. Hidden dungeons, catacombs, caves, and tunnels are scattered across the land, with bosses and useful items waiting inside. Being able to choose where to go with no fixed order is the biggest departure from earlier games in the series.
Combat mixes melee weapons, ranged weapons, shields, and magic. You can dodge attacks with a roll and use your shield to counter and open up an enemy's defenses. Stealth play is also possible, letting you sneak up on enemies undetected and attack. Using Spirit Ashes, you can also summon spirit allies to fight alongside you near designated locations.
Sites of Grace serve as your hubs for resting and progression. Here you spend the runes earned from defeating enemies to raise your stats and swap your spells and combat skills. When you die, you drop the runes you were carrying on the spot, and if you die again before reaching them, they're lost forever. There's also a crafting feature for gathering materials to make consumables. Online, you can summon other players to take on bosses together, or invade other people's worlds to fight them.
Why It's a Classic
First, freedom of exploration and its rewards mesh well. If a boss blocking your path is too hard, you can explore other regions, build up your gear and level, and come back to try again. The series' hallmark of difficult combat stays intact, but there's always a way around when you get stuck. That gave even people who struggled with earlier games in the series a real chance to see it through to the end.
Second, there's the joy of discovery. Rather than following markers on a map, the game draws you to seek out a distant castle or a strange structure on your own. Something is hidden in every cave and underground passage, so each player experiences things in a different order and in a different way.
Third, its storytelling is sparing with words. The world's history is scattered across item descriptions, brief lines from characters, and the landscape itself, and players piece the fragments together to understand it. FromSoftware's distinctive way of storytelling was layered on top of the mythological foundation Martin designed.
Critics loved it, too. It scored 96 on Metacritic for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions and 94 on PC, and won more than 300 Game of the Year awards, including Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2022. Sales reached 13.4 million copies by the end of March 2022 and 30 million by April 2025.
Follow-Ups and Influence
The large expansion Shadow of the Erdtree was announced in February 2023 and released on June 20, 2024, selling more than 10 million copies. It is set in a new land outside the world of the base game.
On May 30, 2025, the spin-off Elden Ring Nightreign was released. Directed by Junya Ishizaki, it is a co-op-focused game in which three players spend three days preparing together in Limveld, a land based on Limgrave that is reconfigured every run, before challenging a final boss. It can also be played solo. According to FromSoftware, it sold 2 million copies within 24 hours of launch and more than 5 million by July 2025.
Its platforms have expanded too. Elden Ring Tarnished Edition for Nintendo Switch 2 was released on August 28, 2026. In May 2025, a live-action film was also announced. It will be produced by A24 and Bandai Namco, written and directed by Alex Garland, with a reported release date of March 3, 2028.
Elden Ring's success showed that even a difficult action game can reach a huge audience. Since then, the trend of games pairing free exploration with challenging boss fights has become more noticeable.
How to Play Today
Elden Ring is available on PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows (Steam), and Nintendo Switch 2. If you're just starting out, begin with the base game. Shadow of the Erdtree is an additional area attached to the base game's world, so it's more natural to play it after making good progress in the base game and building up your character.
The class you pick at the start only determines your initial stats and gear, so you can develop your character in any direction later. If a boss is too tough, you can explore other regions first, summon allies with Spirit Ashes, or get help from other players online. Taking your time and exploring at a relaxed pace is the best way to enjoy this game.
If you want shorter sessions with friends, Nightreign is also a great choice. Because it's structured around self-contained runs, it lets you experience the world of Elden Ring in a different way from the base game.