Elden Ring Tarnished Edition Confirmed for Switch 2 on August 28, 2026 at $79.99
FromSoftware’s punishing open-world epic finally has a firm arrival date on Nintendo’s newest hardware. Bandai Namco confirmed via its official European news portal that ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition is coming 28 August to Nintendo Switch 2, and the new content will also be available to purchase for PS4, PS5, XBOX One, XBOX Series X|S, and PC via Steam. The announcement lands more than a year after the port was first teased alongside the console itself.
August 28 Launch, $79.99 Price Tag on a Game-Key Card
Physical copies of the Switch 2 edition will run $80, and it comes as yet another Switch 2 Game Key-Card release, a format where the cartridge itself holds no game data and simply unlocks a full digital download from the eShop. According to GameSpot’s breakdown, that price becomes easier to parse once you factor in the original $60 base game, its $40 Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, and even some unique in-game items, plus some new exclusive weapons and armor skins, all folded into a single package that also demands roughly 75GB of storage.
Nintendo Everything, corroborating the same date independently, confirmed it’s been a long time coming, but Elden Ring Tarnished Edition finally has its release date on Nintendo Switch 2, pinning the game is due out on August 28, 2026.
What’s Actually Inside the Tarnished Edition
The Switch 2 package bundles the entirety of the original 2022 release with the acclaimed Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. Per Bandai Namco’s official product page, Also included in ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition is the ELDEN RING Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, alongside a new armor and customization features for Torrent’s appearance.
On top of the base content, FromSoftware is adding two brand-new starting classes exclusive to this edition. Reporting from GamingTrend describes them as the Heavy Knight and the Idus Knight, with the Heavy Knight built as a durable strength-focused build wearing bulky plate armor, while the lighter class leans on dexterity and a shield described elsewhere as carrying the previously endgame-locked Milady Light Greatsword. Four new armor sets and three new Torrent skins round out the exclusive content, giving longtime players fresh cosmetic and build options even on a game they may have already finished twice over.
Everyone Else Gets a Cheap Tarnished Pack Instead
Players who already own Elden Ring and Shadow of the Erdtree on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S or Steam won’t need to buy the whole game again. TweakTown reported that FromSoftware confirmed on social media that the new content to be added in “ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition” will be released as the “Tarnished Pack” for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Steam on Friday, August 28, 2026, for 550 yen (tax included), a figure that converts to only a few dollars. That timing lines up exactly with the Switch 2 launch, so no platform is left waiting for the new classes, armor and mount cosmetics.
A Year-Long Detour Through Gamescom Frame-Rate Trouble
The road to August 28 wasn’t smooth. Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition was originally unveiled during Nintendo’s April 2025 Switch 2 Direct with an expected 2025 launch window, but FromSoftware pulled the plug on that timeline last October. TechRadar quoted the studio’s statement in full: “While development on #ELDENRING 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,” FromSoftware said.
The delay followed a rocky public demo. TechRadar noted that many people who got to experience the game hands-on at Gamescom describing significant frame-rate issues after going hands-on with an early build. Follow-up previews earlier this year suggested the extra development time paid off, with testers reporting markedly smoother performance ahead of the June 2026 date reveal.
First Time in the Lands Between on Nintendo Hardware
Whatever the wait, this marks Elden Ring’s first appearance on any Nintendo console. The original game, released worldwide in February 2022, has become one of the defining RPGs of the decade; Bandai Namco’s own materials note the title received more than 400 “Game of the Year” nominations and sold 30 million units worldwide. For Switch 2 owners in New Zealand and Australia, the August 28 date means the console’s growing third-party library finally gets its most demanded open-world showcase, with regional eShop and retail pre-orders expected to mirror the global rollout confirmed through Bandai Namco’s storefronts.
Read also: Nintendo Download EU: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Switch 2 Edition Leads July 30 Lineup
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