Revealed less than 24 hours ago, Elden Ring: Nightreign has already announced its first network test for players to go hands-on with the online multiplayer spin-off. The test will take place early in 2025, with registrations beginning next month.

“The network test is a preliminary verification test in which the selected testers play a portion of the game prior to the full game launch,” an announcement on Bandai Namco’s website reads. “Various technical verifications of online systems will be examined by conducting large-scale network load tests.” Registration will be for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S players and take place on January 10 with the test going live in February.

While Elden Ring: Nightreign can be played single-player, one of the main draws is the opportunity to play through its open-world challenges as part of a three-person squad. While FromSoftware isn’t explicitly calling it a roguelike, the action-RPG will revolve around individual playthroughs spent exploring a world with a day-and-night cycle as well as randomized environments and encounters, with boss fights ramping up as the run progresses.

While players’ characters progress during each run, they can also unlock permanent stat bonuses that carry over between runs. The game’s first trailer shows combat that’s much more stylized than that in the original game too, with characters pulling off faster, more elaborate moves. We’ll see how all that works in practice once the first network test goes live in February.

While the Elden Ring: Nightreign playtest will be on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S only, the game is also coming to PS4 and Xbox One (and PC) when it arrives in full next year. Despite officially continuing the Elden Ring series, FromSoftware says it’s not currently planning a direct sequel to the 2022 game anytime soon.

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