Well, Tarnished, the portable journey through the Lands Between just hit a speed bump. Earlier today, Bandai Namco dropped the news that Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition for the Nintendo Switch 2 has been delayed from 2025 to 2026 for “performance adjustments.”
Here’s what makes this delay particularly interesting: the game was actually showing real improvement. This isn’t a panic-button delay – it’s FromSoftware choosing quality over a rushed release.
The Rocky Road: From Gamescom Disaster to PAX West Progress
Let’s rewind to August 2025 at Gamescom in Cologne, where the Switch 2 version of Elden Ring made its public debut. The verdict? Brutal. Nintendo Life’s Felix Sanchez didn’t mince words: “It’s really bad, and I understand why they don’t want you to see this, because wowie zowie, it is terrible.”
The numbers told the story: reports indicated the game was dropping to as low as 15 FPS during certain sections, with frame rates struggling to maintain even 20 FPS in handheld mode. Sanchez compared it to “playing Ocarina of Time” with its famously choppy frame rate.
And here’s the really telling detail: Bandai Namco reportedly forbade attendees from recording gameplay footage at the event. When a publisher won’t let you capture footage of a three-year-old game, you know something’s seriously wrong.
But here’s where the story gets better.
Fast forward to September at PAX West, and the situation had notably improved. Nintendo Life played an updated build and observed “noticeable improvements” compared to Gamescom. While the visuals initially chugged, once entering the open areas of Limgrave, the graphics were “surprisingly smooth.” Frame rate deviations from 30 fps were “less frequent than at Gamescom.”
Even more encouraging: unlike in Berlin, Bandai Namco allowed filming of the docked version this time. That’s a publisher confident enough to let people see their work.
So Why the Delay If Things Were Improving?
This is the million-rune question. FromSoftware was clearly making progress – the PAX West build proved that. So why delay from 2025 to 2026 when you’re on the right track?
The answer likely comes down to standards. “Better” isn’t the same as “good enough,” and for a game that has shipped over 30 million units and is beloved by millions, FromSoftware knows they can’t afford to ship a compromised version.
The PAX West build still had some deviations from 30 fps, which means it wasn’t quite there yet. And in a game where timing is everything – where you need to read enemy animations, nail dodge rolls, and react precisely – even occasional stutters can break the experience.
What Is Tarnished Edition, Anyway?
For those just tuning in, here’s what you’re waiting for. Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition is an all-in-one package that includes the base game, the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, and exclusive new content.
The package includes:
- Two new classes: Knight of Ides and Heavy Armored Knight
- New armor and three customization options for Torrent
- The complete Shadow of the Erdtree DLC (which has shipped over 10 million units worldwide)
Good news for existing players: this additional content is also coming to the other versions of the game. The delay pushes that content back to 2026 as well, but at least nobody’s being left out.
The Official Word
FromSoftware’s announcement was professional and straightforward (X):
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.
No excuses, no elaborate explanations – just an acknowledgment that they need more time to deliver the experience players deserve.
Community Reactions: Understanding Mixed with Disappointment
Here’s where things get interesting. Despite the delay, the community response has been surprisingly positive. Sure, there’s disappointment – nobody likes waiting – but there’s widespread recognition that this is the right call.
On NeoGAF, users responded with comments like “Glad to see companies delay games to polish up the performance” and “It’s the right move of course. We have heard too many reports on bad performance.”
Over on ResetEra, one user captured the sentiment perfectly: “Good on them. I think the audience has tolerance for some performance issues provided that the game is great to play… But the Switch 2 is capable of much more than those Elden Ring previews. And we expect more from a publisher and developer after their game sold nearly 35 million copies on other platforms.”
That’s the key point: FromSoftware has earned enough goodwill that fans would rather wait for excellence than settle for “good enough.”
What This Says About FromSoftware
Let’s be honest – FromSoftware has a history of eventually addressing performance issues in their games, even if it takes time. The PC version of Elden Ring had stuttering at launch that took months to fix. Bloodborne had frame pacing issues. This is familiar territory.
But here’s what’s different: they’re choosing to delay rather than launching and patching later. That’s significant. It shows they learned from past criticisms and are prioritizing the player experience from day one.
The fact that they showed measurable improvement from August to September proves the team knows what they’re doing. They just need more time to get it right.
The Bigger Picture for Switch 2
Some forum users expressed concern that poor performance could signal trouble for AAA third-party support on Switch 2. But I think that misses the forest for the trees.
The real story here is that FromSoftware cares enough to get it right. We’re not looking at a “dump and run” port – this is a studio actively working to optimize their game for new hardware. The PAX West improvements prove that Switch 2 can handle Elden Ring; it’s just a matter of optimization time.
It’s worth noting that FromSoftware is juggling multiple projects, including The Duskbloods (an exclusive Nintendo Switch 2 title launching in 2026) and the recently released Elden Ring Nightreign. Perhaps spreading resources thin contributed to the initial rough state, but the trajectory is clearly positive.
The Bottom Line
Look, I wanted portable Elden Ring in 2025 just as much as you did. The idea of exploring the Lands Between on a commute or curled up in bed is genuinely exciting.
But here’s the thing – I’ll be honest with you. As a longtime Tarnished, I’m actually most excited to dive into that new content on my PS5. New starting classes? Fresh armor sets? Sign me up.
And here’s a thought that keeps me optimistic: with this extra development time, there’s always the chance FromSoftware might squeeze in a little more content than they’re currently telling us about. They’ve surprised us before, haven’t they?
The point is, whether you’re waiting for the portable version or planning to jump back in on your current platform, you know what’s more exciting than getting it in 2025? Getting a version that actually does the game justice.
As one industry observer put it: “Overall, it’s a sound decision to delay the launch of the Elden Ring: Tarnished edition, as the game was genuinely suffering from very real performance issues.”
For now, if you’re itching to play Elden Ring and own other platforms, you’ve got plenty of options that run smoothly. And if you’re specifically waiting for the Switch 2 version? The PAX West demo showed it’s coming together. It just needs a bit more time in the oven.
Stay strong, Tarnished. The grace will guide you when the time is right – and when it does, it’ll be worth the wait.
What do you think about the delay? Are you encouraged by the progress shown at PAX West, or frustrated by another wait? Let me know in the comments below!
Don’t forget to check our other Elden Ring News to keep you updated.
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