Elden Ring. Ooohhh, Elden Ring. It’s back with Nightreign, a multiplayer spin-off of the FromSoftware classic, which is both a blessing and a curse.
Elden Ring: Nightreign is a blessing because it spins the roguelike genre with FromSoftware flavoring and allows you to play Elden Ring with friends, but a curse because you need functional online servers to play it properly. This is a common occurrence in online games, and Nightreign is susceptible to these same ills.
Here are a few things to try if you’re having issues with Elden Ring Nightreign matchmaking.
How to fix Elden Ring Nightreign matchmaking not working
Image via Bandai Namco
Restart your game
A common fix for Elden Ring Nightreign’s matchmaking being wonky is to fully restart the game. This sometimes reboots the title into triggering the multiplayer servers and getting the game back online. And as always, double check your internet connection to make sure the problem isn’t on your end before trying to queue again.
This has happened to me multiple times where I would try over and over again to select LOG IN for multiplayer, but the issue would not go away until I fully closed and restarted the game again.
Make sure you’re queued for multiplayer
Screenshot by Destructoid
In the game, make sure you have multiplayer and not singleplayer selected. Also, go to the Settings menu, then Network, and for Launch Setting, make sure Play Online is selected. Turning on Perform Matchmaking under Cross-Region play will also help with matchmaking times.
Check Elden Ring server status
Elden Ring Nightreign servers may be having issues if you can’t play multiplayer. Websites like DownDetector can sometimes track reports of server problems, but Nightreign doesn’t have a page set up for it just yet, so options are limited to following accounts like @ELDENRING or @BandaiNamcoUS for more info. Bandai Namco’s support page is another option.
Play a solo run
Screenshot by Destructoid
If the servers are struggling, you still have the option to play the game solo. In Roundtable Hold, select Commence Expedition, then tab over to Matchmaking Settings. At the bottom of the menu, under Expedition Type, select Single Player. When this is selected, you will set out on an expedition on your own without needing to matchmake.
Wait it out
Unfortunately, sometimes the best solution for matchmaking errors is to come back and try after a few hours, or until an update has been deployed. Server issues in online games are a plague but they still happen in 2025 and there’s sometimes not much we can do about it besides touch some grass.
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