Nintendo Download: Elden Ring & The Duskbloods Take Over Switch 2

Aug 20, 2026

Nintendo Switch 2 players have a particularly dark week ahead of them.

Nintendo’s latest Nintendo Download update is putting FromSoftware front and center, with Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition preparing to bring the Lands Between to Nintendo Switch 2 while The Duskbloods opens the doors to its Global Network Test.

For players looking for something outside FromSoftware’s notoriously dangerous worlds, the Nintendo eShop also continues to expand with new releases across Switch and Switch 2.

Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition Arrives on Switch 2 August 28

One of the biggest third-party games announced for Nintendo Switch 2 is nearly here.

Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition launches August 28, 2026, bringing FromSoftware’s massive open-world action RPG to Nintendo’s newest hardware.

The Tarnished Edition is more than a straightforward release of the original game. It includes the full Elden Ring experience alongside the acclaimed Shadow of the Erdtree expansion.

Players will once again enter the Lands Between as a Tarnished, exploring its enormous open world, descending into dangerous dungeons and facing the punishing bosses that helped make Elden Ring one of the defining action RPGs of its generation.

The Nintendo Switch 2 edition also includes additional customization options, including new armor and options for changing Torrent’s appearance.

That makes Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition a substantial package for Nintendo players who missed the original release — and potentially an excuse for veterans to begin another journey toward becoming Elden Lord.

The Duskbloods Global Network Test Begins August 21

FromSoftware isn’t stopping with Elden Ring.

Nintendo Switch 2 owners will also get an early opportunity to experience The Duskbloods, FromSoftware’s upcoming Switch 2 exclusive, through a Global Network Test running August 21 through August 24.

The Duskbloods takes FromSoftware in a noticeably different direction.

Players become supernatural warriors known as the Bloodsworn of Dusk, who have gained special abilities through the power of blood. These warriors are summoned to battle during what FromSoftware calls the “Dusk of Humanity.”

Rather than focusing exclusively on the single-player exploration associated with games such as Elden Ring and Dark Souls, The Duskbloods is built around online multiplayer competition.

Battles can feature up to eight players, with participants forming temporary alliances, creating rivalries and fighting both enemies and one another as they compete for the right to claim First Blood.

The upcoming network test should give players their best opportunity yet to see how that formula actually works.

The full version of The Duskbloods is scheduled for release exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026.

A Big Week for FromSoftware Fans on Switch 2

The timing creates an interesting moment for Nintendo Switch 2.

Within the span of roughly a week, Nintendo players can get an early taste of FromSoftware’s next major project through The Duskbloods network test before Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition officially arrives on August 28.

It’s also another example of Nintendo Switch 2 attracting major third-party games that would have been difficult to imagine on the original Switch hardware.

Elden Ring alone represents a significant addition to the system’s growing RPG library. The Duskbloods is arguably even more important because it isn’t simply another port — it’s a new FromSoftware game being developed specifically for Nintendo Switch 2.

More Games Hit the Nintendo eShop

The FromSoftware titles may grab the headlines, but they’re far from the only games giving Nintendo players something new to play.

Among the games arriving around this week’s Nintendo Download are Grim Trials, a fast-paced action RPG centered around an academy for aspiring Grim Reapers, and The Witch’s Bakery, a considerably more relaxing adventure RPG about a witch running a bakery in modern Paris.

There’s also 1000xRESIST, with the acclaimed science-fiction narrative adventure receiving a Nintendo Switch 2 edition on August 20.

That mixture continues to be one of the strongest aspects of Nintendo’s digital ecosystem. In the same week players can explore emotional indie adventures, cozy RPGs, action games and some of the most intimidating worlds FromSoftware can create.

Switch 2’s Library Keeps Getting Stronger

Nintendo Switch 2’s software library continues to fill out as the system moves deeper into its second year.

But this week’s Nintendo Download is especially notable because of what it represents for players interested in more mature action games.

Elden Ring is one of the most acclaimed games of the last decade, while The Duskbloods gives Nintendo Switch 2 something potentially even more valuable: an exclusive FromSoftware experience.

For now, Bloodsworn can prepare for The Duskbloods Global Network Test beginning August 21.

The Tarnished won’t be far behind.

Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition launches for Nintendo Switch 2 on August 28, 2026.