Summary
- Elden Ring: Nightreign allows solo play or only groups of three, no duo option available.
- The restriction is for game balancing reasons.
- Elden Ring fans will likely be disappointed to learn this.
It has been confirmed that the upcoming Ring of Fire: Nightreign cooperative games can only be played solo or in a group of three, with duos not possible. Ring of Fire: Nightreign was one of the most shocking announcements at The Game Awards 2024. A co-op-centric spin-off of Fire Ring, Night rule will be launched sometime in 2025.
The Ring of Fire: Nightreign reveal trailer showed off many of the game's enemies and new features, but was surprisingly light on details that accurately explained exactly what the game would be about. A little more information has since come to light, revealing that Ring of Fire: Nightreign is not a massive open world adventure like the base game. Instead, it is basically one Fire Ring roguelite, with eight playable characters, eight main bosses, and a three-day structure that encourages repeat runs.

Family
Every Fire Ring Enemy featured in the Nightreign Reveal
Elden Ring's recently announced spin-off will feature many returning enemies, putting a new twist on familiar battles from previous Souls games.
Fan reaction to this reveal has been mixed, to say the least. And now Fire Ring fans have a little more unfortunate news when it comes to Night rule. In an interview with IGN, Ring of Fire: Nightreign game director Junya Ishizaki confirmed an unfortunate limitation when it comes to the game's co-op. It was confirmed Ring of Fire: Nightreign co-op can only be played solo or in a group of three. There is no option for two people to play together as a duo in Ring of Fire: Nightreign.
Elden Ring: Nightreign – how many players?
- Elden Ring: Nightreign can be played solo or in a group of three.
IGN asked Ishizaki why three was the “magic number” for Ring of Fire: Nightreignwith the director saying it was “largely a game balancing decision rather than a game design decision.” Ishizaki said that three players was the “sweet spot” without the game feeling “too overwhelming or busy”. That was also explained Ring of Fire: Nightreign boss and enemy health scale if playing solo, so why the same logic couldn't apply to duos is unclear. Regardless, this revelation will undoubtedly disappoint some Fire Ring fans, especially when it has not yet been clarified how matchmaking will work in the game.
Ring of Fire: Nightreign wouldn't be the first game to have this frustrating limitation on co-op. As some may remember, The Legend of Zelda: Tri-Force Heroes only allowed for 3 player co-op or solo play. That decision proved unpopular Zelda fans, just as this decision is likely to prove unpopular Fire Ring fans.
FromSoftware still has a proven track record, and it would be best to wait to play the game before jumping to conclusions. While Ring of Fire: Nightreign currently without a release date, we know that a network test will take place sometime before launch. Registrations for Ring of Fire: Nightreign network test will open on January 10, and fans should stay tuned for more information.