After FromSoftware and Bandai Namco finally launched the long-anticipated Elden Ring: Nightreign, the game immediately attracted a massive crowd counting more than 300,000 players on Steam – in just the first hour of its presence.
Indeed, Elden Ring: Nightreign has hit 313,593 players one hour after the launch, and it’s so far the all-time high (ATH) number for the game that has overshadowed the total player count of the Dark Souls trilogy combined, according to the data retrieved from SteamDB charts on May 30.
What’s more, judging by the initial, enthusiastic response, this number has the potential to soar even further over the weekend, as players have more time to jump on the (highly successful) bandwagon that has become something of a cultural phenomenon in the gaming industry.
Focus on the multiplayer
As a reminder, Bandai Namco announced back in December 2024 that it would launch the standalone multiplayer co-op action survival game, developed together with FromSoftware, on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.
In preparation for the launch of the game that emphasizes multiplayer teams counting at least three people struggling to survive against increasingly difficult enemies and bosses within time constraints, the developers stepped up their server power, with Elden Ring: Nightreign director Junya Ishizaki stating:
“In the worst case, we want players to be able to keep playing, even if there is a connection issue. We don’t want them to just get kicked out. We want them to be able to keep playing in their own world, for players to reconnect.”
Elsewhere, gamers around the world have plenty games to join in right now or look forward to, all catering to various gaming tastes and styles, including the announced XCOM-style Star Wars Zero Company, GTA 6 that’s coming in May 2026, the summer release of Gears of War: Reloaded, the recently launched Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remake and RuneScape Dragonwilds, Baldur’s Gate 3 that has received its final patch, and many more.
Meanwhile, the next-generation Xbox console seems to be just around the corner, after photos of a handheld Xbox leaked in early May, later turning out to be a partnership with Asus for the new ROG Ally, nicknamed ‘Project Kennan.’
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