Dark Souls PC servers won't come online until after Elden Ring's launch, says FromSoftware

What you need to know

• FromSoftware has announced that the servers for Dark Souls games on PC won't come online until after Elden Ring launches later this month.
• The servers were originally shut down due to a dangerous exploit that would allow people to execute code on your computer.
• The developer is currently working on fixing the issue, and has made sure the vulnerability won't be present in Elden Ring at launch.
• Elden Ring is slated to release on Feb. 25, 2022.

Developer FromSoftware has announced that the servers for the Dark Souls series on PC — including Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition, Dark Souls: Remastered, Dark Souls II, and Dark Souls III — will remain offline until after Elden Ring launches on Feb. 25, 2022. The servers were originally shut down due to a dangerous Remote Code Execution (RCE) exploit that allows someone to potentially steal information off of your computer, and while the Blue Sentinels mod for Dark Souls III temporarily fixes the vulnerability, FromSoftware is currently developing a permanent fix for the issue for all of the Dark Souls games.

The developer says that the exploit will be patched in time for Elden Ring's release, so players don't need to worry about this exploit when playing FromSoftware's new action RPG later this month. However, "due to the time required to set up proper testing environments," the servers for Dark Souls won't come back online until after Elden Ring is out. FromSoftware has confirmed that it will announce when it plans to resume Dark Souls online services as soon as it has information to share. Note that the exploit doesn't affect the console versions of these games at all, and because of that, online services have not been shut down on Xbox or PlayStation.

It's unfortunate that fans of FromSoftware's games on PC won't be able to pass the time playing Dark Souls online until Elden Ring comes out, but there's always Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. The Dark Souls games can still be played offline as well, though you won't be able to experience player messages, co-op summoning, and PvP. Perhaps you should give the Bloodborne PSX "demake" a try?

Elden Ring is expected to release Feb. 25, 2022 on Xbox Series X, Xbox One systems, PS5, PS4, and PC. Elden Ring preorders are available now if you'd like to purchase your copy of the game before it arrives.