Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

A ‘Dark Souls Remastered’ network test will begin on May 11

By
DARK SOULS: REMASTERED Gameplay Trailer | X1, PS4, PC

Dark Souls Remastered launches on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC  later this month, giving action-role-playing fans the chance to play the massively influential game with a shiny new coat of paint and some extra features, and if you’re a console player, you’ll be able to take part in the game’s “network” test next week.

Recommended Videos

On May 11 and May 12 — next Friday and Saturday — Bandai Namco will be hosting the Dark Souls Remastered network test on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. These will be two separate tests, each running for three hours on the two days, and will be used to measure “various functions of the online system.” For you, however, that just means a few hours to try out the game for free.

Because of the small window for actually playing the game during the network test, Bandai Namco is allowing players to download the game client in advance. You can install it from now through May 7 on Xbox One, and until May 8 on PlayStation 4. The total download size is about 3GB, so you won’t have to free up too much space on your storage device ahead of time.

The network test will take place in the Undead Parish area, which is very early on in Dark Souls Remastered. Though it shouldn’t pose too much of a threat to veterans, this will be your chance to try the game out at 4K resolution (on PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X) and 60 frames per second, and it includes access to the six-person multiplayer, expanded from the original game.

Not included in the network test is the Nintendo Switch, which was recently delayed until an unspecified date this summer. That version of the game will also have a network test at some point, but Bandai Namco hasn’t given a final date as of yet. The Solaire of Astora Amiibo figure originally scheduled to launch with the game on May 25 has also been delayed, so you’ll have to wait to “praise the sun” for a little bit longer.

Dark Souls Remastered is out for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on May 25. We’ll be purchasing extra controllers to replace the ones we expect to break ahead of time.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Gabe Gurwin
Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
Every FromSoftware Soulsborne game, ranked
A dragon in Elden Ring.

It could be said that FromSoftware's ever-expanding collection of punishing but rewarding role-playing games – lovingly referred to as the Soulsborne series – has been among the most influential of all time. In fact, the cultural impact of Soulsborne games has been so powerful that it's led to an entirely new subgenre of role-playing games known as "Soulslikes." But while many studios have tried to mimic the famed Japanese developer's game design philosophy to varying results, few have come close to offering the same breathtaking experiences.

Granted, as the grandfather of Soulslikes, FromSoftware simply knows its way around the genre like no other. And by maintaining extremely similar gameplay mechanics, controls, and UI elements across each game, the studio ensures that its games, though not directly connected, remain familiar to fans who have played previous entries in the series. The most consistent thing of all, though, is the consistently challenging combat and exploration, which has defined the series since the beginning and is often the most-cited reason players flock to the games.

Read more
Armored Core VI gameplay showcases intense mech fights, deep customization
A combat encounter in Armored Core 6

A new gameplay video for FromSoftware's Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon is out now, and it highlights the intense combat and detailed mech customization that Digital Trends first got a look at during Summer Game Fest Play Days earlier in the month.
ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON — Gameplay Footage
The gameplay video begins with a mech leaping off a ledge and boosting through the air to get across a large mechanical facility. It then showcases some combat against minor enemies as the player makes their way deeper into the base so we can see some of the tense combat situations players will find themselves in as they boost around, shoot, and sometimes even melee attacks. 
After a look at a Detective Mode-like ability that allows players to scout ahead and some more combat, the trailer cuts away to highlight Armored Core VI's deep customization systems. We see the person playing change arm and back "units," which essentially serve as new weapons. We then see the different kinds of body parts and generators that a mech can be equipped with to make it look and play differently.
And yes, the video confirms that you can customize the color of your mech.

After highlighting customization, it's back to more fighting, which ultimately culminates in a boss fight against a boss that looks a bit like a furnace. It has the remarkable visual design, attack variety, and aggressiveness one would come to expect from a boss in a FromSoftware game, but unfortunately, the player dies and the trailer ends before the boss can be defeated. Still, if you were on the fence about Armored Core VI before, this gameplay footage shows you exactly what to expect.
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon launches on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X on August 25.

Read more
Elden Ring developer’s next game is Armored Core VI
A mech carrying things overlooks a destroyed world in Armored Core 6's reveal trailer.

Armored Core is back. FromSoftware, the developer of Elden Ring, is working on Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon. The upcoming sequel was announced Thursday night during The Game Awards 2022 via a short cinematic trailer. It's gearing up to launch sometime in 2023.

ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON – Reveal Trailer

Read more