BANDAI NAMCO and FromSoftware announced a new Elden Ring game at The Game Awards - Elden Ring: Nightreign. Elden Ring: Nightreign will notably feature flying mounts and seamless co-op for up to three players. The new game is planned for release on PS4, PS5, Xbox and PC in 2025.
Network testing for Elden Ring: Nightreign has already been announced! Network testing begins in February 2025 and players can register starting January 10th.
Below are 8 co-op soulslike games to play while you wait for the release of this new Elden Ring game.
Elden Ring: Nightreign will notably feature flying mounts and seamless co-op for up to three players. FromSoftware is calling Nightreign a stand-alone Elden Ring game.
This may be a result of backlash after fans complained that the Shadow of the Erdtree was nominated for the Game of the Year despite it being a DLC. Developers are choosing to call Nightreign a stand-alone game instead.
It's currently unclear whether Elden Ring: Nightreign will follow the same story as Elden Ring. Being a stand-alone title, the developers have complete creative freedom to make Nightreign a sequel, prequel, or spin-off story.
The Elden Ring: Nightreign trailer debuted tonight at the Game Awards - featuring familiar stunning vistas and also a flying companion. Nightreign looks like it will feature a flying mount as opposed to faithful Torrent, a welcome change to the game.
Many fans were hoping to celebrate Bloodborne's anniversary this year with a sequel or remaster, but a new Elden Ring game to look forward to in 2025 definitely fills the void too.
While you wait for the release of Elden Ring: Nightreign, try digging into one of these other co-op soulslike games:
Lords of the Fallen (2023)
Lords of the Fallen is my favorite soulslike that isn't a FromSoftware game. If you're familiar with the original 2014 Lords of the Fallen title, know that this isn't a remaster or a remake of the original game. Lords of the Fallen was completely reworked and released in 2023 with everything we love about a Souls game.
Unique weapons and weapon arcs, powerful boss spells, and stunning graphics make Lords of the Fallen feel like a AAA title. The developers took ideas from the Souls games and improved on them.
While playing co-op, players can rest at bonfires and level up while playing co-op, and you don't need to re-summon your friends if you die.
Lords of the Fallen is a genuine horror soulslike game with seamless co-op. In their most recent patch, developers added item randomizers, enemy randomizers, new difficulties, and the ability to loot pre-upgraded weapons. If you're looking for a seamless co-op soulslike game to play, Lords of the Fallen is definitely one of the best.
Outward: Definitive Edition (2022)
Outward is the kind of soulslike-survival hybrid that I hope Elden Ring: Nightreign will be. Outward is a seamless co-op RPG set in a medieval world. You and a friend can raid bandit camps, climb over sand dunes and under city streets, and investigate mysterious ruins where powerful guardians are waiting.
Outward is a survival game in the sense that you have to keep track of food and water, mitigate cold or hot weather with the correct gear, and be prepared to heal yourself if you get poisoned.
Outward is a survival game where you could just as easily die from an infected wound as you could from fighting a boss.
This survival game features a dodge roll and a stamina bar, and forces players to make calculated decisions in every combat instance - therefore I think Iron Pineapple would classify this game as a soulslike. Every enemy from a field chicken to the Jade Lich can easily kill you if you let your guard down.
Outward was initially released in 2019 with two DLC's arriving in 2020 and 2021. Outward was remastered in the 2022 Definitive Edition, and a new trailer for Outward 2 was finally shown this October!
Path of Exile 2
PoE 2 released into early access on December 6th. Days after this game's release, both new and returning PoE players started calling the game "more like Dark Souls than Diablo."
Although PoE 2 is technically an ARPG, the game features a dodge roll with i-frames and countless boss fights featuring characters straight out of a Dark Souls game. The dark world of Wraeclast is reminiscent of a Dark Souls game.
If you love Elden Ring and Dark Souls because you're a glutton for punishment, you should try Path of Exile 2.
Path of Exile 2 is co-op for up to 6 players. Although this game will eventually be free-to-play, early access is limited to players that purchase a supporter pack. Thankfully, the cheapest supporter pack is only $30.
If you plan on waiting until the game is free, you may be in for a 6-month wait, according to developers.
Enshrouded
Enshrouded is an open-world survival indie game that's amassed 3 million players in its first year. Elden Ring: Nightreign plans to be a co-op survival game. If the game includes base-building and item crafting, it might end up playing a lot like Enshrouded.
In Enshrouded, create a world for up to 16 players and discover the source of the Shroud. The Shroud is a dangerous fog full of mysterious monsters. Once you enter the Shroud, timer starts, and you need to get back to safety before the timer runs out.
Explore the world, craft weapons, pick up quest items, and clear out portions of the Shroud either alone or with your friends. Enshrouded has an amazing crafting and building system, and dedicated players have recreated entire cities in-game.
Enshrouded also has a stamina meter and dodge roll, making combat similar to a soulslike game.
REMNANT II
REMNANT and REMNANT II have been fondly described as Dark Souls with guns. In REMNANT II, play solo or with two other friends. Clear maps, upgrade your weapons, and fight countless monsters while playing through the story.
REMNANT II has been out since June 2023 but has new DLCs that you might have missed. The game has 3 content DLCs - The Dark Horizon, The Awakened King, and the Forgotten Kingdom. The Dark Horizon is the most recent DLC that adds a new class to the game called The Warden.
If you're looking for a co-op soulslike game to play while you wait for Elden Ring: Nightreign, REMNANT II is a fast-paced gun game that's perfect for fans of Dark Souls.
ATLYSS
ATLYSS is a small indie game that was featured in an Iron Pineapple video. Despite some interesting character-building options, the gameplay looked solid. ATLYSS is an interesting mix between souls-like combat and a World of Warcraft questing system.
ATLYSS released in November 2024 and already has nearly 8,000 overwhelmingly positive reviews. The graphics look like an old-school MMO, and the reviews rave that ATLYSS is surprisingly fast-paced and fun to play. The game is also fully multiplayer, and you can play the entire game in seamless co-op.
This small indie game has been wildly successful in the first month since its release, hopefully meaning that the creators will keep working on it and add new content!
Seamless Co-Op Elden Ring Mod
If you play Elden Ring on PC or are interested in getting a PC, you have access to playing seamless co-op Elden Ring already. This seamless co-op mod for Elden Ring offered through Vortex has been updated for the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, and two players could technically play from the tutorial to the last boss of the DLC in one co-op session.
In this seamless co-op Elden Ring mod, players will respawn at their last site of grace after death, no resummoning needed. Defeating bosses will no longer send the cooperator home, and players can use Torrent together while playing!
This seamless co-op mod works for up to 6 players, and you can all ride your mounts, defeat bosses, and explore the Lands Between together (or separately.)
No Rest for the Wicked
No Rest for the Wicked is an indie soulslike that released in Early Access this April, with multiplayer planned for the game's first large update. No Rest for the Wicked is another interesting mix between an ARPG and a soulslike game.
Although the player views the world top-down similar to ARPGs like Diablo and Path of Exile, the rest of the game is inherently a soulslike. Set in the year 841, you are a holy warrior imbued with powers to push back the growing plague.
While exploring the dark world, you'll fight difficult bosses and unlock a town. No Rest for the Wicked features a town-building mechanic. You'll acquire resources that you use to rebuild various buildings in the town.
Another unique take on the souls-like genre is that resting at a bonfire doesn't refill your health. Players can only heal through eating, and your cooking skill becomes a life-saving necessity. No Rest for the Wicked has seamless co-op planned for the game's next update.
Elden Ring: Nightreign Trailer
You may also be interested in these related articles:
Comments