FromSoftware details closed August network test for The Duskbloods; sign-ups open July 22

FromSoftware has published the full timetable and sign-up details for a closed August network test for The Duskbloods, its upcoming Nintendo Switch 2-exclusive multiplayer action game, with applications set to open July 22.

The announcement gives players their first concrete shot at hands-on access to a major new project from the studio behind Dark Souls and Elden Ring. But this is not an open demo: participation is limited, and players will need a Nintendo Switch 2, a Nintendo Account and an active Nintendo Switch Online membership, sold separately.

According to FromSoftware’s official campaign site, which posted the detailed schedule on July 15, applications for the closed Network Test open July 22 at 7 a.m. PDT and close July 28 at 6:59 a.m. PDT. Selected applicants will be notified Aug. 7 at 6 a.m. PDT. Players who are chosen can download “The Duskbloods Network Test Ver.” from the Nintendo eShop starting Aug. 18 at 6 a.m. PDT.

The test itself will run across five sessions from Aug. 21 to Aug. 23. Those windows are Aug. 21 from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. PDT and again from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. PDT; Aug. 22 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. PDT; and Aug. 23 from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. PDT and from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. PDT. The official site says matches support up to eight players, reflecting the game’s previously announced PvPvE structure, meaning players compete against one another while also dealing with computer-controlled enemies and objectives.

FromSoftware says the test is primarily about infrastructure, not broad public access. On the official Network Test page, the company said, “We plan to conduct large-scale network load tests to check different technical aspects of the game's online systems.” The site also says the number of participants will be limited.

Nintendo had already said during its June 9, 2026, Nintendo Direct presentation that The Duskbloods would get a closed network test in summer 2026. The newly published campaign page fills in the exact registration dates and play times.

The game was first announced by FromSoftware on April 2, 2025, as a new title scheduled for 2026 and exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2. It is directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, the longtime FromSoftware creative best known for leading several of the studio’s biggest releases. In Nintendo’s 2025 “Creator’s Voice” interview, Miyazaki identified his role directly: “My name is Hidetaka Miyazaki. I work at FromSoftware, and I am the director for The Duskbloods.”

That connection to Elden Ring is part of why the test has drawn attention, but The Duskbloods is not a formal sequel. Based on Nintendo and FromSoftware’s own descriptions, it is a separate new intellectual property and a distinct online multiplayer project, rather than a direct follow-up to the studio’s earlier fantasy action RPGs.