Highlights

  • Elden Ring won Game of the Year at the 2022 Game Awards, surpassing popular first-party games like Horizon Forbidden West and God of War Ragnarok.
  • The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC for Elden Ring is expected to be a large-scale expansion similar to past FromSoft expansions for games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne.
  • The release date for the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC remains unknown, but it is speculated that an announcement may come soon, possibly at the 2023 Game Awards. Geoff Keighley has revealed FromSoftware footage in the past at his events.

It's wild to think that Elden Ring is almost two years old now, with its highly-anticipated release feeling like it was only a day ago for many FromSoftware fans. But a lot has happened in the 21 months since Elden Ring's initial release. At the end of 2022, Elden Ring won the Game of the Year trophy at the Game Awards, beating out huge first-party games like Horizon Forbidden West and God of War Ragnarok, and just a few months ago FromSoft released Armored Core 6. But those 21 months also the announcement of Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, which might not be too far away now.

Announced back in February of this year, Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC will apparently be a large-scale expansion, presumably in a similar vein to past FromSoft expansions for games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne. Not much has been officially revealed about Shadow of the Erdtree, and that includes a release date, though there's a perfect release window right around the corner.

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Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC Has an Obvious Potential Release Date

On February 25, 2024, Elden Ring will be two years old, and it'd be the perfect time for FromSoftware to release the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. When Elden Ring turned one back in February of this year, it celebrated by announcing the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, and it makes complete sense that it would want to celebrate next year as well, in an even bigger and better way.

Next year, February 25 lands on a Sunday, which does throw a wrench in the works a little. Video games aren't usually released on weekends, especially not on a Sunday, and that's even true for DLCs. For reference, Dark Souls' Artorias of the Abyss DLC released on a Tuesday, as did Dark Souls 3's Ashes of Ariandel and Ringed City expansions. While Bloodborne's Old Hunters DLC was a break in the trend, instead releasing on a Monday, it's another piece of evidence against Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree releasing on February 25, 2024 exactly. Instead, it's much more likely that Shadow of the Erdtree will drop either a few days before Elden Ring's second anniversary, or a few days after, with February 27 or 28 being probably the most likely dates, also marking a year since the DLC's announcement.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree's Release Date Reveal Could Be Right Around the Corner

Without official confirmation by FromSoftware, however, Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree release date remains a mystery. No amount of speculation or ruminating, no matter how much it makes logical sense, will determine when FromSoftware eventually decides to release Elden Ring's DLC. But thankfully, fans might not have to wait too long before they have a concrete release date to look forward to.

Sooner or later, FromSoftware is going to have to give fans an official Shadow of the Erdtree release date, and that announcement might be just around the corner. While this is pure speculation, it seems very likely that Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree could show up at the 2023 Game Awards. Over the last few years, Geoff Keighley has seemingly grown quite a strong relationship with FromSoftware, with Elden Ring unveiling its first gameplay trailer during Summer Game Fest 2021, and Armored Core 6 being initially revealed at last year's Game Awards. It seems likely that Keighley will have reached out to FromSoftware for some kind of reveal for this year's Game Awards as well, and there's really no better place to announce a release date for Shadow of the Erdtree.