Elden Ring Nightreign Launch Hits 313K on Steam, Mixed Reviews

Elden Ring Nightreign, a new spin-off in FromSoftware’s iconic universe, officially launched on May 29, 2025. This roguelike survival action game introduces a three-player co-op mode and delivers a faster-paced, session-based souls-like experience.

Elden Ring Nightreign Draws Large Steam Crowd

In just the first few hours of release, Elden Ring Nightreign hit a peak of 313,593 concurrent players on Steam, according to SteamDB. That figure doesn’t even include console players on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, meaning the total number of active players is likely much higher.

Still, the game has not matched the massive debut of the original Elden Ring, which saw over 953,000 concurrent Steam players on its release day.

Multiplayer System Sparks Mixed Reviews

The three-player co-op setup has drawn criticism from early adopters. Many players noted that:

• It’s hard to coordinate with random teammates.

• The lack of voice chat makes teamplay difficult.

• There’s no two-player mode.

• Solo play feels unbalanced and punishing.

These issues have led to mixed reviews on Steam, where users praise the concept but highlight frustrations with execution.

Critical Reception

Despite some drawbacks, Nightreign is getting decent critical reception. The game currently holds a 77/100 average score on Metacritic and 80/100 on OpenCritic.

Reviewers have praised FromSoftware for reusing Elden Ring’s rich assets while introducing fresh mechanics. However, most agree that Nightreign is not a substitute for the main Elden Ring game. Instead, it’s better suited for players looking for quicker, more action-focused cooperative gameplay, with sessions averaging around 45 minutes.

Elden Ring spinoff offers a fresh take on the souls-like formula, blending fast co-op gameplay with familiar aesthetics.

While it doesn’t reach the legendary status of its predecessor, it serves as a promising experiment for fans craving a new multiplayer challenge.