Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition Release Date & Price Announced for Nintendo Switch 2

Written by Omar Solanji

Promotional image for Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition for Nintendo Switch 2.

FromSoftware released some long-awaited news on an upcoming port of theirs - Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition officially releases on Nintendo Switch 2 on August 28th.

Tarnished Edition is a full, proper port of Elden Ring to the Nintendo Switch 2, with a new pack of cosmetics.  This cosmetic pack will be available on other platforms as a standalone "Tarnished Pack" DLC pack.

A look at some new in-game items in Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition.

A look at some new in-game items in Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition.

With Elden Ring finally coming to Nintendo platforms, you'd expect the response to be positive, especially considering this was one of the first games announced for Nintendo Switch 2, right?  Well, almost.

Multiple official listings of the game, including Amazon & GameStop, have the game listed at a whopping $79.99.  It raises the question, why?  While the "Nintendo Tax" is a real thing even with Nintendo's own games, namely Wii U ports costing more than they did on Wii U, why would FromSoftware price it so high?

On top of that, the game is another Game Key Card, meaning you're paying $80 for a game not even on the physical cartridge.  In my opinion, the whole Key Card thing is probably one of the dumbest decisions Nintendo has made for the Switch 2, among many.

Tarnished Edition doesn't even come with the Shadow of  the Erdtree expansion, which would've warranted a price increase, especially considering it already costs that much to buy both bundled together.

This also raises the question of if FromSoftware will even port the Erdtree expansion to the Nintendo Switch 2, as it would mean to be able to play the complete Elden Ring experience on the Switch 2, it'll cost upwards of $100.

Only time will tell what the reception & game performance will be, but in any case, Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition releases on Nintendo Switch 2 on August 28th, with pre-orders live on major storefronts, but not yet on the Nintendo eShop.  

What're your thoughts on Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition's price & release date?  If you already own the game, will you be buying the Tarnished Pack DLC?  Let us know in the comments below!