Elden Ring Is Officially Returning, And New Gameplay Looks Incredible

Published Aug 19, 2026, 2:01 PM EDT Tom Wilson is a Gaming Features Writer at Screen Rant. Over the past five years, Tom has worked as the Editor-in-Chief at The Game Crater, as a Staff Writer for GamingIntel, a List Writer at TheGamer, and, of course, as a Senior Writer at ScreenRant. Tom has experience writing reviews, guides, news, and features, and has been responsible for teams of writers, training them and editing their work. Tom graduated with a Masters in Multimedia Journalism, and has since gone on to build up his portfolio of games journalism work. Elden Ring has continued to enrapture fans and newcomers alike across its four extremely fruitful years of existence. Through a game-sized DLC, numerous updates, and a critically acclaimed spin-off, Elden Ring's presence in the zeitgeist has been sustained, and fans continue to rave about its ingenious design and incredible world as a result. Fortunately, it doesn't appear to be going anywhere anytime soon, as even more Elden Ring content is set to be released very soon. FromSoftware's magnum opus is finally returning after a brief absence with brand-new gameplay, and it looks absolutely incredible. While several new Elden Ring releases have been popping up online over the past year or so, this new gameplay marks the return of the game itself. Fans will absolutely want to pay attention to Elden Ring's remarkable return, as it also means the introduction of brand-new DLC that they'll be able to grab for a surprisingly cheap cost. It is understandable that as FromSoftware releases a demo for The Duskbloods and attempts to gather feedback on its latest game, one would easily overlook the return of Elden Ring. However, Elden Ring releasing on the Nintendo Switch is a fairly big deal, not least because it means it's getting a dedicated handheld version that doesn't require any tweaking, unlike running the base game on the Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and other PC handhelds. However, the big issue has been that, while FromSoftware and Nintendo have released footage of the game running on the console, we've not gotten a good glimpse of unedited footage running natively in handheld mode. Fortunately, that has finally changed, as people are finally starting to get their hands on the game ahead of its release date on August 28, 2026. Over on X, users have been sharing footage of Elden Ring running flawlessly in handheld mode, showcasing its gorgeous visuals and steady framerate. The available footage, which showcases the player fighting a handful of weaker enemies on the ground before taking on Glintstone Dragon Smarag, looks incredibly smooth on the Nintendo Switch 2, a feat that shouldn't come as too big a surprise considering just how phenomenally more demanding ports have run on the console. It is great, however, to see that FromSoftware has put in the effort with this port of Elden Ring, making it the definitive handheld version. Of course, non-Switch 2 users or those who aren't interested in double-dipping may be wondering why any of this is of interest to them. Fortunately, the Tarnished Edition comes with several pieces of brand-new Elden Ring DLC that are being made available on August 28 for all platforms. Anyone on PlayStation, Xbox, or PC can purchase this largely cosmetic-focused DLC for around $3.50 when it releases, giving them a fairly affordable reason to hop back into Elden Ring once again. Released August 28, 2026 ESRB Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence Developer(s) FromSoftware Publisher(s) Bandai Namco Entertainment Multiplayer Online Multiplayer Number of Players Single-player Nintendo Switch 2 Release Date August 28, 2026