Switch 2 owners will have to wait a little while longer before playing Elden Ring.

Nintendo's latest Switch 2 is a new frontier for games that couldn't launch on the original system, games like FromSoftware's ultra-popular Elden Ring. It feels challenging to cram the huge open-world action game into a handheld-native format. Apparently that's the case, as FromSoftware delayed Elden Ring Tarnished Edition from its original 2025 launch into an indefinite 2026 launch.
"While development on Elden Ring Tarnished Edition continues wholeheartedly toward release, we have decided to move the launch to 2026 to allow time for performance adjustments. We apologize to players looking forward to the game and thank you for your patience and support," FromSoftware said in the announcement.
The delay comes roughly two months after reports that Elden Ring runs very poorly on the Switch 2. The game was playable at Gamescom 2025 in Germany, but Bandai Namco apparently would not let players record Elden Ring Tarnished Edition in action. This led to first-hand accounts that the game stuttered and suffered from heavy performance issues on the Switch 2.
The Tarnished Edition isn't just another re-release. Instead, Bandai Namco is packing in a bunch of extra content including two extra playable classes--the Heavy Knight and the Knight of Ides.
The Tarnished Edition also comes with four new pieces of armor and weapons, skills/abilities, and customization options for the Torrent spirit steed. FromSoftware has confirmed that this content will be purchasable on other platforms as a separate pack.
It's possible that Bandai Namco and FromSoftware will try to release the Tarnished Edition before their respective fiscal year periods end in March.




