The date (December 31st, 2026) is clearly a placeholder, but the box art appears legitimate. It indicates that the release is on a Game-Key Card, which might be a dealbreaker for physical collectors. Then again, given the sheer size of the title alongside its expansion, a proper cartridge with everything on it would have been far out of reach for Bandai Namco. At least the full game download is only 75 GB, so there’s some silver lining.

Elden Ring Tarnished Edition was originally slated for 2026. However, after reports emerged of performance troubles, it was delayed. Alongside previous updates, the port includes new weapons, armor sets and mount customization options, which will be available to all platforms in a separate paid DLC. Check out our reviews for more details on the base game and Shadow of the Erdtree.

Besides bringing The Lands Between and The Land of Shadow to Switch 2 players, FromSoftware is also working on The Duskbloods, a PvEvP multiplayer title. It’s allegedly launching in late 2026.

The demo, offering 15 minutes of gameplay, revolved around the early parts of Elden Ring. Polygon noted that it was enough time to at least get to Margit. However, according to GameSpot’s video preview (which you can check out below), direct capture wasn’t available, leading to footage being captured with an over-the-shoulder camera.

Most importantly, however, the previews noted that, while still not quite as smooth as 60 FPS, the frame rate for Elden Ring Tarnished Edition in handheld mode is quite a bit better than the previously-reported dips down to 15 FPS. While FromSoftware itself is yet to reveal any details about its performance targets, the smoother frame rates in its more recent builds might indicate that the company is aiming for 30 FPS, or maybe even 40 FPS.

Elden Ring Tarnished Edition was announced all the way back in April 2025. While few details were released at the time, the name indicated that FromSoftware was looking at the release as a “definitive edition” of sorts.

However, a few months later, reports started coming up that performance of Elden Ring Tarnished Edition was quite poor, especially in handheld mode. In one video from August 2025, Nintendo Life’s Felix Sanchez noted that the game was capped to 30 FPS, but intense moments had the tendency to bring it down to 20, and sometimes even 15 FPS. He compared it to playing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo 64, which famously ran at low frame rates.

“It’s really bad, and I understand why they don’t want you to see this,” said Sanchez in the video. “It was like playing Ocarina of Time. 20 frames-per-second, sometimes it was like 15 frames-per-second.”

While the previous console releases of Elden Ring had been praised for running quite well, the PC version was well-known for suffering from micro-stutters. The problem was discovered to largely revolve around how the game handles compilation. Linux-based platforms, like the lower-powered Steam Deck, saw a notable performance boost in Elden Ring thanks to the fact that shaders are compiled on the operating system before the game even launches, thanks to how the Proton translation layer works between the game and Linux’s graphics APIs.

Leading up to its originally-planned October 2025 release, FormSoftware announced that Elden Ring Tarnished Edition was being pushed back to 2026 so that the studio could work on “performance adjustments”. The company hasn’t yet revealed any new release date.

Originally released on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S back in 2022, Elden Ring is FromSoftware’s latest single-player Soulslike. It puts players in the shoes of a Tarnished, who has been cursed with living despite already having died, and revolves around exploring The Lands Between. Along the way, players will discover what happened to what used to be a great kingdom, and will get to meet (and fight) many of the key figures throughout this world’s history. The Shadow of the Erdtree expansion dug further into the backstory of the world, giving us hints about some of the less-explored aspects of the lore, like the nature of Frenzy, and the backstory of Marika.

Answering various questions during the release, Kadokawa clarified that it’s still to announce a specific release date and that it doesn’t “disclose forecasts regarding number of copies shipped for individual titles.” All that said, it remains a Nintendo Switch 2-exclusive with the company selling it on a “joint basis” with Nintendo Co., Ltd., based on the region.

As for Elden Ring Tarnished Edition, which was also missing from the Partner: Direct Showcase, Kadokawa reiterated that there’s no specific release date, and as a result, it isn’t included in its forecast for the fiscal year ending March 31st. One could take this as the title won’t launch by then, but it can really go either way.

At the end of the day, we’re back to square one for The Duskbloods, a PvEvP title where up to eight players control the Bloodsworn during the Twilight of Humanity. There are more than twelve playable characters, each with unique abilities and origins, but more intriguing is being able to mark others as companions or rivals. Depending on the objective, you can net specific rewards or even witness “unique interactions.”

Which makes sense considering reports emerged from Gamescom about the frame rate allegedly dropping as low as 15 FPS in Handheld Mode. As for when fans can expect the next update, FromSoftware confirmed that there will be “further announcements” after it determines a specific release date.

Elden Ring Tarnished Edition collects the base game and its expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, into one definitive package. It also features the Tarnished Pack, which includes new armor sets, weapons, customization options, and two new starting classes. While launching on other platforms as paid DLC, the developer confirmed it’s also been delayed to next year in a separate press release.

On the bright side, Elden Ring Nightreign is available and set to receive paid DLC later this year. A release date has yet to be announced, however.

Sanchez also noted that, at its booth on the Gamescom show floor, publisher Bandai Namco was not allowing players to record gameplay footage of Elden Ring running on a Nintendo Switch 2. He also brought up comparisons to Nintendo 64 classic The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which is famous for running at low frame rates when it first came out. He also noted that the frame rate of Elden Ring would drop down to 20 FPS, and some times even 15 FPS.

“It’s really bad, and I understand why they don’t want you to see this,” said Sanchez in the video. “It was like playing Ocarina of Time. 20 frames-per-second, sometimes it was like 15 frames-per-second.”

It is worth noting that Elden Ring, since its release, has run quite smoothly on consoles. However, the PC version of the title was plagued with issues like microstuttering, which was credited to the way the action RPG handles shader compilation. Curiously, despite the PC version facing these technical hiccups, the game ran quite well on the relatively lower-powered Steam Deck.

These problems didn’t stop Elden Ring from being incredibly successful for FromSoftware and Bandai Namco, however. The publisher confirmed back in July that the expansion for Elden Ring – Shadow of the Erdtree – had shipped more than 10 million copies worldwide since its June 2024 release. As for the base game, FromSoftware had confirmed back in April that more than 30 million copies had been sold.

Elden Ring has been available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S since release. A release for the Nintendo Switch 2 was announced back in April, with a general 2025 release window. The Switch 2 release is slated to include the base game as well as Shadow of the Erdtree.

Elden Ring Tarnished Edition on the Switch 2 is also set to get two new classes that players can start out with – Knight of Ides and Heavy Knight. Along with this, the release will also bring with it new armour sets, weapons, combat skill sets, and cosmetic customisation options for Torrent. Other versions of Elden Ring can also get their hands on this content through a DLC dubbed Tarnished Pack.

For more details about Elden Ring, check out our review. Also check out our review of Shadow of the Erdtree. While you’re at it, take a look at Elden Ring Nightreign through our review as well.

But that’s not all. Nintendo DE also confirmed on Twitter that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Hades 2, Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade, Elden Ring Tarnished Edition, Borderlands 4, EA Sports FC 26, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, and more will also be playable. Considering many of the above either lack release dates or launch later this year, it’s a good opportunity to go hands-on early.

Before Gamescom kicks off, Opening Night Live will return on August 19th with two hours of announcements and updates. Nintendo isn’t confirmed to be showcasing anything, but it could drop a surprise or two out of nowhere. Stay tuned for more details and live coverage of the event later this month.

Metroid Prime 4

The Metroid Prime games have been one of the biggest games in recent years, and funnily enough at one point, Metroid Prime 4 was supposed to be an early release title for the original Switch. It’s finally coming out for the Switch 2 (and even the original Switch) after undergoing plenty of delays, and it looks absolutely fantastic. Samus looks quite resourceful, decked with so many powers and weapons, and it’s going to be an absolute blast. It’s scheduled to come out sometime this year.

Dubbed Elden Ring Tarnished Edition, the game is slated to launch for the Nintendo Switch 2 in 2025. There have currently been no details about whether or not the Switch 2 release will also include the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. Considering the Tarnished Edition moniker, it is likely that this will be a sort of Definitive Edition release of Elden Ring that might also end up coming to other platforms.

Elden Ring Tarnished Edition was announced alongside a host of other things during the Switch 2 Direct. One of the key announcements during the event has been the fact that the Switch 2 will be hitting stores on June 5. For more details on the console, check out our coverage here.

Nintendo also revealed that the new C button on one of the Switch 2’s JoyCons will allow players to make use of the new GameChat feature to communicate with their online friends. The feature can also be used to livestream gameplay, and even get on video chat. Check out more details here.

For more details about Elden Ring, check out our review of the original, as well as our review of Shadow of the Erdtree.