Elden Ring is an action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, released in February 2022. The game was created in collaboration with fantasy author George R.R. Martin, who wrote the mythos of the Lands Between — the open world setting players explore as a Tarnished seeking to restore the Elden Ring and become Elden Lord.\n\nThe game builds on FromSoftware's Soulsborne formula with vast open-world exploration, challenging combat, and deep lore. Players can traverse on horseback, discover hidden dungeons, and take on powerful demigod bosses each holding a fragment of the shattered Elden Ring. Character builds are highly customizable through stats, weapons, sorceries, incantations, and Spirit Ashes summons.\n\nElden Ring supports cooperative and competitive multiplayer, allowing players to summon allies for boss fights or invade other worlds as hostile phantoms. Its mix of punishing but fair combat, rich environmental storytelling, and expansive world made it one of the most critically acclaimed games of 2022, winning numerous Game of the Year awards. The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC expanded the game significantly in 2024.
