Is the Elden Ring DLC coming to Xbox Game Pass?
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is not releasing on Xbox Game Pass, and I'd wager it will never be available through the service in the future. None of FromSoftware's Xbox or PC releases — including the Dark Souls trilogy, Sekiro, Armored Core 6, and Elden Ring — have ever appeared on Game Pass.
It's not, and probably never will, either
Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC appearing in Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass library would be a dream come true for Xbox and PC players subscribed to it, so naturally, many are wondering if that's actually going to happen once it launches on June 21. Unfortunately, dreams are one thing and reality is another — and in reality, the highly anticipated expansion is not coming to the all-you-can-play subscription service.
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That news is certainly disappointing for Game Pass members, but it's not at all surprising. None of FromSoftware's previous ARPG releases — including the three Dark Souls games, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Armored Core 6, and the base game of Elden Ring — have ever been playable through any tier of Game Pass, so it was unlikely that the developer or publisher Bandai Namco would put this DLC on it. It's also unlikely that Shadow of the Erdtree will come to the service at any point in the future, too, though I suppose "never say never," right?
To play the DLC, you'll need to buy it (along with Elden Ring itself, if you don't have it) directly. Note that while it's got a full $39.99 price, CDKeys has the Steam version for sale at $37.09 and the Xbox one at $34.89 right now. There are small discounts available for editions of it that include Elden Ring's base game, too. Regardless of whether you get it at MSRP or not, though, it's absolutely worth the cost of admission; as I wrote in my review, it's essentially Elden Ring refined to near-perfection, and a must-play experience for any Soulsborne fan.
Don't miss these great Game Pass alternatives
While Elden Ring and its DLC aren't in Game Pass, there are still some excellent Soulslike experiences available in the service that I highly recommend playing if you're looking to scratch that particular itch. In fact, 2023 brought two: HEXWORKS' Lords of the Fallen and NEOWIZ's Lies of P. I reviewed the former back in October and loved it, while my colleague Alexander Cope gave the latter a glowing five-star review in September.
Both games have fairly slow and weighty combat mechanics that — much like Dark Souls — emphasize careful, measured play with defensive dodge rolls, blocks, and parries. Structure-wise, though, they're very different, with Lords of the Fallen sporting a massive Dark Souls 1-style interconnected open world and Lies of P featuring linear level designs. The two are also visually distinct from one another in that Lords of the Fallen has a dark fantasy aesthetic, while Lies of P is directly inspired by the late 19th Century Belle Époque period.
Overall, I prefer Lords of the Fallen myself, as I like its combat, art direction, and build variety more. I've played through and greatly enjoy both games, though, and strongly recommend checking both of them out if you have Xbox Game Pass.
