As one may expect, the delay comes as the development team hopes to add further polish to Elden Ring. In a statement, they said “Elden Ring will release on Feb. 25, 2022, as the depth & strategic freedom of the game exceeded initial expectations. Thank you for your trust & patience. We look forward to seeing you experience the game in the Closed Network Test …”

Those hoping to start their journey in the Land Between may have to wait a little while longer to see the full scale of Elden Ring, but a select few will be able to get a taste of it November 12-14. There will be five sessions available:

November 12: 3:00 A. M. to 6:00 A. M. PST November 12: 7:00 P. M. to 10:00 P. M. PST November 13: 11:00 A. M. to 2:00 P. M. PST November 14: 3:00 A. M. to 6:00 A. M. PST November 14: 7:00 P. M. to 10:00 P. M. PST

The closed network test is only available for console players on PS4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Series X|S. It is also invite-only. Fans can sign up here, selecting their console of choice before filling out a quick survey on their experience with other From Software titles. The test will feature cross-gen crossplay between PS4 and PS5 and Xbox One and Series X|S.

Bandai Namco also released a (very) short teaser trailer for the closed network test, which you can watch over on YouTube.

Elden Ring was first revealed to much celebration at E3 2019. Since then, news about the anticipated RPG from Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki and Game of Thrones author G.R.R. Martin has been relatively scant. Though, the first real gameplay trailer was shown earlier this year, and Miyazaki provided a bevy of new details not too long after that.