After months of radio silence Bandai Namco/FromSoftware have finally dropped the news we’ve been waiting for: Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition arrives on Nintendo Switch 2 on August 28, 2026.
The official Elden Ring account on X made the announcement on June 4th, keeping it characteristically brief: “Rise, Tarnished. Elden Ring Tarnished Edition is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 on August 28, 2026.” Grace has spoken.
A Long Road to Limgrave
If you’ve been following this saga, you’ll know this port has had a rocky journey. Originally announced alongside the Switch 2 reveal in 2025, the game was pulled back in October of that year after hands-on reports painted a grim picture of its performance on Nintendo’s hardware. Rather than ship a substandard port, FromSoftware chose to take extra development time, citing the need for performance adjustments. The extra effort appears to have been worth it: following new hands-on sessions at GDC earlier this year, previews came back notably more positive about how the game was running.
And if you caught our piece on Elden Ring Patch 1.16.2 a few days ago, you’ll know we had a feeling something was brewing. Turns out, we weren’t wrong.
What’s in the Box?
At $79.99, the Tarnished Edition bundles the base game, the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, two new starting classes, new character armor, and Torrent customization options.
As for the new classes, they were revealed at a FromSoftware event in Tokyo back in May 2025 and go by the names “Knight of Ides” and “Heavy Armored Knight”. We’ve already done an article on the Heavy Knight over at Elden Ring’s New Beefcake Class Is a Min-Maxer’s Dream – go check that out if you want the full stat breakdown. The Knight of Ides remains a mystery for now, with FromSoftware keeping those cards close to their chest.
Worth noting for physical collectors: the Switch 2 version ships on a Game-Key Card rather than a traditional cartridge, which won’t thrill everyone. Given the combined file size of the base game and Shadow of the Erdtree, it’s not a huge surprise, but it’s something to be aware of before you pull the trigger.
Not Just a Switch 2 Thing
Here’s the part that’ll interest those of you already playing on PC, PlayStation, or Xbox: all the new content from the Tarnished Edition will be released simultaneously as a standalone “Tarnish Pack” DLC across other platforms on the same August 28 date. Pricing for the Tarnish Pack DLC on other platforms hasn’t been officially confirmed yet, though community estimates are circling around the $5 mark.
Pre-Orders Are Live
Pre-orders are open now, and early buyers will receive two bonus gestures – that’s the extent of what’s been confirmed on that front.
One other timing note worth mentioning: the game launches just before Nintendo’s planned September 1st price increase on the Switch 2 console itself, which will push the standalone price from $449.99 to $499.99. If you’ve been on the fence about the hardware, that’s an extra nudge.
The Lands Between, Wherever You Are
August 28 isn’t far off. Whether you’re a Nintendo newcomer picking up Elden Ring for the first time or a veteran Tarnished eyeing those new classes for a fresh playthrough, there’s something here for you. We’ll have more coverage – including a proper breakdown of the new starting classes and the Tarnish Pack DLC – as official details roll in.
Grace be with you, fellow Tarnished.
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