Elden Ring Switch 2 Port Delayed to 2026 for Performance Tweaks — Fans Are Actually Fine With It
Not this year after all: Elden Ring Tarnished Edition has been delayed to next year.
If you were planning to lug Elden Ring around on your shiny new Switch 2 next year, pump the brakes. FromSoftware and Bandai Namco just pushed the Switch 2 port to 2026. And honestly? Most people seem weirdly fine with it.
What is getting delayed, exactly?
This is the special Switch 2 version, the one they announced back in April 2025. It is called Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition, and it bundles the base game with the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. The plan was to squeeze it into 2025. That is now officially not happening.
"While development on Elden Ring Tarnished Edition continues wholeheartedly toward release, we have decided to move the launch to 2026 to allow time for performance adjustments. We apologize to players looking forward to the game and thank you for your patience and support."
That statement went up on the official account on October 23, 2025. No new date beyond "2026," just the usual apology and a nod to performance work.
- Announced: April 2025 for Switch 2 as Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition
- What you get: Base game + Shadow of the Erdtree DLC
- Old target: 2025; New window: sometime in 2026
- Reason given: "performance adjustments" (their words)
- Announcement date: October 23, 2025 via the official account
- Community vibe: broadly chill about the delay; some jokes about FromSoftware performance, and a chorus asking for real cartridges instead of code-in-box or digital-only
The mood check (it is not outrage)
Given we had heard basically nothing since the spring reveal and there are only two months left in the year, this was telegraphed. The reaction has been more pragmatic than salty. The general consensus: take the time, ship it stable. FromSoftware ports have a history of needing a tune-up after launch, so players nudging them to polish first is not a shock.
One recurring request: physical carts. Some Switch 2 releases have gone digital-only or used those code-in-box cards, and fans are already lobbying for a proper cartridge. That is the kind of detail we probably will not get until much closer to release, but the demand is loud and clear.
So what now?
If you are in that particular Venn diagram of Switch 2 owners and Souls obsessives, it is a longer wait. The upside is obvious: if they are actually prioritizing performance on a portable, everyone wins. And when it does land, a whole wave of new players is about to meet Malenia, Goddess of Rot, for the first time. Thoughts and prayers.
Totally unrelated but fun: the modder who once jammed Halo maps into Dark Souls is back at it, claiming "I ported Morrowind to Elden Ring." Chaotic energy remains undefeated.