Elden Ring Delayed To February, Closed Network Test Announced For November

But the Elden Ring, which was eagerly awaited by many, has been delayed for a little less than one month. FromSoftware announced that its open-world Souls-style adventure, will launch instead on January 21. 

In the following: tweet, FromSoftware says it decided to push the game back because the “depth and strategic freedom of the game exceeded initial expectations.”

There is however a silver lining. It also revealed that it will be launching a closed-network test of the game starting in November. As the game supports online and co-op play, selected players will be able to try Elden Ring within a matter of weeks.  This test is available for current and recent Xbox consoles and Xbox 360 consoles, but it will not be accessible on PC. To participate you must sign up, which can be done here. The registration closes November 1. The closed network test will take place over five sessions during allotted time windows. This is the complete schedule 

• Session 1: November 12 – 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m PT
• Session 2: November 12 – 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. PT
• Session 3: November 13 – 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. PT
• Session 4: November 14 – 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. PT
• Session 5: November 14 – 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. PT

It’s good that Elden Ring’s delay is a relatively small one that also gives Pokémon Legends: Arceus some breathing room. Elden Ring launches now in a packed month. Other giant open-world games such as Horizon Forbidden West, Dying Light 2 Stay Human, and Saints Row are all vying for players’ dollars in February. The game launches in February on the exact same date as Saints Row, which was relaunched. 

You can find out more about Elden Ring by reading this deep dive on everything we have so far about it. This game will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S (PS4), PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. 

What do you think about Elden Ring’s delay? Is it possible that the February Elden Ring launch will conflict with plans to buy one of the heavy-hitters in that month’s March? Please let us know your thoughts in the comment section!