Elden Ring 2022

About

Elden Ring came out on February 25, 2022 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Xbox One, then for Nintendo Switch 2 on August 28, 2026. On Steam, 93% of 834,914 player reviews are positive (Very Positive). 22,517 people are playing it on Steam right now, with a peak of 37,434 in the last 30 days. It is Verified on Steam Deck. The main story takes about 46 hours, doing everything about 175 hours. It won 28 awards, including Big Apple Award for Best Game of the Year and D.I.C.E. Award for Game of the Year.

Elden Ring is an action RPG developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, released in February 2022. Directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, with world-building contributions from novelist George R. R. Martin, the game features an expansive open world called the Lands Between. Players assume the role of a customisable character known as the Tarnished, who must explore this world, battle formidable enemies, and seek to restore the Elden Ring to become the Elden Lord. The game builds on the challenging gameplay mechanics familiar from the Dark Souls series but introduces a more open-ended structure with vast exploration, dynamic weather, and a day-night cycle. It offers deep lore, complex characters, and an interconnected world filled with secrets, dungeons, and powerful bosses.

Story

Elden Ring takes place in the Lands Between, a fictional realm over which several demigods rule. It was previously ruled over by the immortal Queen Marika, who acted as keeper of the Elden Ring, a powerful force that manifested itself as the physical concept of order. When Marika shattered the Elden Ring and disappeared, her demigod children began fighting over pieces of the Ring in an event called The Shattering. Each demigod has a shard of the Ring called a Great Rune, which corrupts them with power. In the game, the player character is a Tarnished, one of a group of exiles from the Lands Between who are summoned back after the Shattering. The player must traverse the realm to repair the Elden Ring and become the Elden Lord.

What is happening now

Elden Ring stands as FromSoftware's landmark action-RPG collaboration with George R.R. Martin, released in February 2022 across PC and console platforms. Director Hidetaka Miyazaki's vision helped define the modern soulslike genre, building on the foundation established by Dark Souls over nearly two decades. The game continues to maintain cultural relevance as a point of reference for other releases, with recent coverage examining how newer titles either draw inspiration from or compete with its design. Conversation around Elden Ring's community remains active, bolstered by fan modifications that have reinvigorated engagement for some players. Meanwhile, FromSoftware's next project is moving toward playability, and the confirmed arrival of Elden Ring on Nintendo Switch 2 represents a significant platform expansion, though questions remain about technical performance on the new hardware.