Elden Ring, similar to other FromSoftware titles, has a unique form of multiplayer. Due to the presence of multiplayer in any capacity however, Elden Ring’s servers are subject to downtime and maintained like any other online game.
Elden Ring multiplayer functions quite differently than other major titles. Messages from players in your exact position litter the entire map, giving either tips or misdirection, depending on how kind the writer might’ve felt at the time. You can also summon other players to assist you on boss fights, or open yourself up to random invasions.
Multiplayer is a massive part of the Elden Ring community, although you might notice servers occasionally crash. Before panicking to restart your computer or re-installing the entire game, I recommend you make sure the issue is not on your side of the computer first.
How to check if Elden Ring is down
The best way to check if Elden Ring servers are down is to go on X (formerly Twitter) and check the official Elden Ring account. During previous times of high server usage and crashes, developers were quick to inform players about any widespread outages. If there is any scheduled maintenance planned that would make servers temporarily inaccessible, then this will likely be communicated here as well.
I’ve experienced many cases of server issues before they’re reported officially by FromSoftware. If you suspect you’re in a similar position, then I recommend visiting a community-driven page to check if the issue is widespread.
Unfortunately, Elden Ring does not have a page on Down Detector yet, so my preferred option is to visit the Elden Ring subreddit and sort by new. Typically, if players are experiencing widespread server crashes, then you’ll find tons of posts regarding the issue popping up there. If you don’t use Reddit, then searching Elden Ring on X and once again sorting by latest will achieve a similar effect.
Why do Elden Ring servers go down?
Elden Ring, and many other popular games, often experience connection issues whenever a massive influx of players all attempt to log into the game at once. This is most prevalent during major releases or updates. The launch of Elden Ring saw players fail to access multiplayer, and the same can likely be expected whenever the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC eventually drops and players start swarming into the DLC area.
Although it doesn’t help your current situation, you can at least find solace in the fact that this issue is often entirely outside of your control. Aside from restarting the game in an attempt to force your way in, there is very little that you can do to fix this issue yourself.
Elden Ring has an offline mode, so you won’t be entirely prohibited from entering the game itself. If you’re struggling on a particular boss fight and need reinforcements, however, then you’ll have to wait until player numbers even out.
