Elden Ring ‘successor’ demo confusion: three games are behind it

FromSoftware’s The Duskbloods will have a closed network test on Nintendo Switch 2 from August 21 to 24, 2026. For August, that makes it the only playable test connected to those recent claims about an “Elden Ring successor.”

Registration for The Duskbloods starts July 22. The August build isn’t a full demo, it’s a network test, and FromSoftware is clearly using it to put 8-player online play under load. Beyond that, a lot about The Duskbloods is still a mystery, including its gameplay systems, the shape of its world, and most of its story.

A week later, on August 28, Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition hits Nintendo Switch 2. It packs in the base game, Shadow of the Erdtree, two new starting classes, four new armor sets, and Torrent customization. Still, Gamescom 2025 previews also mentioned frame drops and input lag.

If you’re into FromSoftware, The Duskbloods is the August event to keep an eye on. Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition is the release to pick up if you want Elden Ring on Nintendo’s new hardware.

Black Myth: Wukong doesn’t belong in this August demo roundup. Game Science released Black Myth: Wukong on August 20, 2024, for PS5 and PC, and it sold 10 million copies in four days, then climbed past 30 million by June 2026. The game got attention for its Unreal Engine 5 visuals, punishing combat, and large-scale boss fights, even with bugs, uneven localization, and a dense story drawn from Journey to the West.

You can check out The Duskbloods and Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition on Nintendo Switch 2, while Black Myth: Wukong is already out on PS5 and PC.