Elden Ring delayed to February 2022

Now scheduled for February 25, 2022

It looks like we’re in a world of pain with this headline: Elden Ring delayed. But it’s not delayed by that much!

Sharing the news on the game’s official Twitter account, the team had this to say this morning:

“Elden Ring will release on Feb 25, 2022, as the depth & strategic freedom of the game exceeded initial expectations. Thank you for your trust & patience. We look forward to seeing you experience the game in the Closed Network Test in Nov.”

Originally, Elden Ring had a very public January 21, 2022 release date, so this isn’t that much of a delay. But it could be a sign of things to come, if the team needs to work out some kinks before it actually comes out.

To that end, Bandai Namco has confirmed closed network tests for Elden Ring in light of this news for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S:

• November 12: 3:00 A.M. to 6:00 A.M. PST

• November 12: 7:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M. PST

• November 13: 11:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. PST

• November 14: 3:00 A.M. to 6:00 A.M. PST

• November 14: 7:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M. PST

And as we always say on this side of the table: take as much time as you need. While some games lend themselves better to “fixing on the fly,” like deadline-heavy shooters, Elden Ring is something you absolutely do not want to screw up. While all modern From games have a great long-term tail, you want to make a good impression day one.

I for one welcome this change. Monster Hunter Rise is hitting PC in early January, and Pokemon Legends is arriving on January 28. We needed a breather in early 2022, especially when it comes to highly dedicated, occasionally stressful Souls-esque experiences. I’ll re-level my hunter, capture some creatures; then I’ll be ready to take on a cursed kingdom thank you very much. I suspect I’ll have Horizon Forbidden West done by then.