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Subscribe from just £3 Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love Try a single issue or save on a subscription Issues delivered straight to your door or device From£9.99View Summer Game Fest schedule 2025 New games 2025 Upcoming Switch 2 games Recommended reading Action RPGs Elden Ring Nightreign: Everything we know so far Action RPGs FromSoftware boss Hidetaka Miyazaki says "we still intend to develop single-player focused games" even as The Duskbloods follows Elden Ring Nightreign into multiplayer How to play Elden Ring multiplayer co-op with friends Action RPGs FromSoftware had to adjust the difficulty in Elden Ring Nightreign after the beta to make sure it's "challenging as you progress, but still manageable," and yes, some things are harder now Action RPGs Elden Ring Nightreign isn't pushing Lies of P to go multiplayer, but the director is "open" to co-op games in the future FromSoftware warns "the same strategy won't always work" in Elden Ring Nightreign, which is bad news for me because I used the same strategy in all the Souls games Co-op Games Ex Sony exec Shuhei Yoshida says "of course" The Duskbloods will "be great," but it and Elden Ring Nightreign present a "new challenge" for FromSoftware and boss Hidetaka Miyazaki Co-op Games Elden Ring Nightreign In its 3-player push, Elden Ring Nightreign boss admits FromSoftware "kind of overlooked and neglected the duos aspect," but is considering it for "post-launch support" Austin Wood 22 May 2025 Solo and three-player setups were the focus, but duos aren't off the table When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Bandai Namco) Elden Ring Nightreign is a PvE gauntlet designed for teams of three, and it really encourages matchmaking, though there is soft balancing to accommodate solo play despite the unavoidable risks of going it alone without buddies who can revive your downed corporeal form by lovingly hitting it with swords. The idea of playing with exactly one other friend, however, kind of got lost in the mix. You either drop in alone or the game gives you a team of three. But director Junya Ishizaki says FromSoftware hasn't abandoned squads of two. Speaking with IGN, Ishizaki explains the lack of dedicated duo play in Nightreign. "The simple answer is that this is simply something that was overlooked during development as just a two-player option, so we're very sorry about that," he says. "As we said before, we set out to make this a multiplayer co-op game for three players, balanced for three players, so that was the main focus and it's at the core of Nightreign," he continues. "Of course, I myself as a player understand that and often want times where I'm just playing myself, so this is something that we considered from the start. And so we did put a lot of effort into creating this experience that was playable for solo players in as much as the rules and new systems allowed." You may like Elden Ring Nightreign: Everything we know so far FromSoftware boss Hidetaka Miyazaki says "we still intend to develop single-player focused games" even as The Duskbloods follows Elden Ring Nightreign into multiplayer How to play Elden Ring multiplayer co-op with friends While "we kind of overlooked and neglected the duos aspect," Ishizaki says "this is something that we are looking at and considering for post-launch support as well." For the time being, the only post-launch updates confirmed for Nightreign are the contents of its DLC, which includes new characters, bosses, and map biomes. From Ishizaki's comments, it sounds like player feedback could inspire more granular updates aimed at specific gameplay experiences, including a more bespoke two-player run. (Image credit: FromSoftware) So, can you play Elden Ring Nightreign solo? Yes, with some asterisks. One way that Nightreign numbs the sting of solo play is "a self-revive feature" that you can find out in the map, Ishizaki told IGN. It's a limited life raft, but anything is better than going down, dying alone, and losing a hard-earned level on respawn. Ishizaki previously said that even when playing in a team – especially, I'd imagine, if you're matchmaking with random players – you may end up taking on some enemies solo since you and your teammates "don't have to babysit one another" and can explore at your own pace. And as a solo player, rather than mathematically scaling enemies down, it seems enemy AI is adjusted so you don't get dogpiled quite so heavily. I'd expected bosses, which will corral players together, to feel pretty tanky alone, though, and it certainly feels like Nightreign is best experienced as a group. Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. In my Elden Ring Nightreign hands-on preview, my team found more success staying together and doing some dogpiling ourselves, but that's much easier to plan with a premade team. FromSoftware warns "the same strategy won't always work" in Elden Ring Nightreign, which is bad news for me because I used the same strategy in all the Souls games. See more PS5 News Xbox Series X PlayStation Austin Wood Social Links Navigation Senior writer Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Elden Ring Nightreign: Everything we know so far FromSoftware boss Hidetaka Miyazaki says "we still intend to develop single-player focused games" even as The Duskbloods follows Elden Ring Nightreign into multiplayer How to play Elden Ring multiplayer co-op with friends FromSoftware had to adjust the difficulty in Elden Ring Nightreign after the beta to make sure it's "challenging as you progress, but still manageable," and yes, some things are harder now Elden Ring Nightreign isn't pushing Lies of P to go multiplayer, but the director is "open" to co-op games in the future FromSoftware warns "the same strategy won't always work" in Elden Ring Nightreign, which is bad news for me because I used the same strategy in all the Souls games Latest in Co-op Games REPO's "most powerful weapon" yet is a cannon that turns the cart into a tank, and this thing's friendly fire is absolutely going to destroy relationships REPO devs "always take a look at glitches that become popular or even mods" as a sign of what needs changing in the game, starting with a response to the "dearly missed" health glitch "We slept once and have been awake ever since": REPO devs say the first big update "will take a bit longer" because the co-op horror hit's "huge success" surprised them REPO dev says "there are no plans to make the game free-to-play" because "we don't want to add microtransactions or have cosmetics that you buy" A REPO ripoff called REPO Horror is on the Nintendo eShop, and it has the gall to list a Switch 2 file size as if it won't be nuked from orbit by June I had fun blasting fungus limbs in Mycopunk, Devolver Digital's co-op shooter, but it'll take a lot to lure me away from Deep Rock Galactic Latest in News Testing lab for Battlefield 6 takes its "first big L" as it removes weapon restrictions, meaning your medics might be sitting behind you sniping instead of healing on the front lines Why is Death Stranding 2 more combat-heavy? 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