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Elden Ring Nightreign launch times and release date

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Here's when you can get Nightfaring.

An Elden Ring Nightreign character clad in full armor, rearing back what looks to be a small crossbow before firing.
(Image credit: FromSoftware)

Elden Ring Nightreign is FromSoft's experiment to see how players tolerate a Soulslike's worth of punishment when it's packed into a repeatable roguelike format, and the experiment is almost ready to commence. On Thursday, May 29, squads of nightfarers will be unleashed for co-op boss killing, and you'll need to know exactly when Nightreign unlocks if you want to be among the first to fight FromSoft bosses old and new.

I can't help you with those boss fights, but I can tell you when you can get started. I've mapped out the Nightreign launch times below, so you can know the precise moment you'll be able to start hunting down Nightlords.

I can't be blamed for what happens afterwards, though. If you get immediately bodied back to the Roundtable hold, that's not on me.

When does Elden Ring Nightreign launch?

Elden Ring Nightreign launches at 3 pm PDT on May 29. The US lucked out with comfortable unlock times for Nightreign; even if you're on the east coast, you'll be able to get some pleasant suppertime runs in. Who wouldn't want a chance encounter with Gaping Dragon with their evening meal?

Here are the full Nightreign PC unlock times for timezones around the world.

  • Los Angeles: 3 pm PDT on Thursday, May 29
  • New York: 6 pm EDT on Thursday, May 29
  • London: 11 pm BST on Thursday, May 29
  • Berlin: 12 am CEST on Friday, May 30
  • Tokyo: 7 am JST on Friday, May 30
  • Sydney: 8 am AEST on Friday, May 30
  • Auckland: 10 am NZST on Friday, May 30

Does Elden Ring Nightreign have preloading?

Yes, Elden Ring Nightreign will be available to preload on Steam at 3 pm PDT on May 27, two days before launch time. The game's install size is only around 21 GB, so it should be a short wait before it's all downloaded and comfortable on your hard drive for unlock time.

Is there early access for Elden Ring Nightreign?

No, there isn't. While Nightreign has a deluxe edition, it doesn't include a few days of early access like Ubisoft and Microsoft games have started offering as a matter of course. Instead, the Nightreign deluxe edition includes a digital artbook and "mini soundtrack," as well as eventual DLC characters and bosses that the Steam page says will be available "by Q4 2025."

Lincoln Carpenter
News Writer

Lincoln has been writing about games for 11 years—unless you include the essays about procedural storytelling in Dwarf Fortress he convinced his college professors to accept. Leveraging the brainworms from a youth spent in World of Warcraft to write for sites like Waypoint, Polygon, and Fanbyte, Lincoln spent three years freelancing for PC Gamer before joining on as a full-time News Writer in 2024, bringing an expertise in Caves of Qud bird diplomacy, getting sons killed in Crusader Kings, and hitting dinosaurs with hammers in Monster Hunter.

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