How Elden Ring Multiplayer and Co-Op Differs from the Dark Souls Series

The new trailer forElden Ringthat debuted at the end of the 2021 Summer Game Fest showcase revealed much about the upcoming game. The trailer unveiled the release date ofElden Ring,gave an overview of the game’s world, and showed players engaging in jolly co-operation online. While multiplayer details inElden Ringwere not specified at Summer Game Fest, an interview with FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki in a Japanese gaming publication appears to part the white mists.

In the exclusive interview with Famitsu, theDark Soulscreator answerednumerous questions aboutElden Ring. Miyazaki spoke on FromSoftware’s expertise with RPGs, on his collaboration withGame of Throneswriter George R.R. Martin on the game, and on the overarching story ofElden Ring. On the multiplayer aspects ofElden Ring, Miyazaki seemed to imply that it will be much more intuitive than the systems in theDark Soulsseries – multiplayer inElden Ringwill be highly customizable and will introduce a type of online play involving keywords.

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Elden Ringplayers can choose a keyword and be added to a “group” as other players with that same keyword. Miyazaki commented that there is no limit to the number of members in a group, which could lead to large communities forming around the game via shared keywords. Miyazaki said inElden Ring, blood stains and messages from players within a group will have a higher chance to spawn in other group members' worlds, and that phantoms from the same group will also be easier to summon thanks to this system.

While the interview did not directly confirm how multiplayer can be initiated, it did confirm that multiplayer will be more of a focus for the development team than it has been in the past. Multiplayer was non-existent inSekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and the systems presentthroughout theDark Soulsserieswere built around summoning signs and player strength. Miyazaki said that multiplayer inElden Ringwill be available in the open world, not just until a boss is killed, and that the game encourages players to overcome challenges together.

Miyazaki’s interview with Famitsu was published in Japanese and translated to English via Google for this article, so some information may not be 100% accurate. However, if the rough translation of this lengthy interview with Miyazaki reads correctly, it appears theElden Ringwill have more freedomin its multiplayer functionality than any other FromSoftware game.

Elden Ringwill release on Jul 18, 2025, for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.

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