The Duskbloods is FromSoftware’s first Nintendo-exclusive original title, and after fifteen months of near-silence it finally has a playable date attached to it. If you searched for The Duskbloods hoping for a release date, network test sign-up instructions, or a straight answer on whether this is secretly Bloodborne 2, this guide covers all three.
Here’s the short version: the game is still targeting a 2026 launch on Nintendo Switch 2, applications for the closed network test are open right now and close on July 28, 2026, and the test itself runs August 21–23. Below, we break down every confirmed detail dates, gameplay systems, characters, and the questions FromSoftware still hasn’t answered.
The Duskbloods release date: what’s confirmed in 2026
FromSoftware and Nintendo have committed to a 2026 worldwide release window and nothing narrower. That window was first set at the April 2025 Nintendo Switch 2 Direct and reaffirmed in parent company KADOKAWA’s February 2026 financial report an unusually direct confirmation for a studio that normally says nothing between trailers.
What we can infer: with the autumn 2026 calendar filling up and no firm date announced by late July, a 2026 launch looks most likely, and a slip into early 2027 isn’t off the table. A network test in August is typically a 4–8 month lead indicator for a FromSoftware online title, which points to a late 2026 or early 2027 arrival.
Confirmed at a glance:
- Platform: Nintendo Switch 2
- Genre: PvPvE online multiplayer action
- Players: Up to 8 per match
- Director: Hidetaka Miyazaki
- Release window: 2026
- Pre-orders: Not yet live
Full platform and player details are listed on the official FromSoftware Duskbloods site and in KADOKAWA’s original announcement release.
The Duskbloods network test: dates, sign-up, and requirements
This is the part with hard deadlines, so don’t skim it.
Key dates
| Stage | Date and time |
|---|---|
| Applications open | July 22, 2026 7:00 AM PDT / 10:00 AM EDT |
| Applications close | July 28, 2026 6:59 AM PDT / 9:59 AM EDT |
| Selection announced | August 7, 2026 6:00 AM PDT / 9:00 AM EDT |
| Network test runs | August 21–23, 2026 (five timed sessions) |
The test is split into five scheduled sessions rather than left permanently open FromSoftware is stress-testing large-scale network load, so everyone selected plays in concentrated waves.
How to sign up for The Duskbloods closed beta
- Go to the official Duskbloods website and choose your region and language.
- Sign in with a Nintendo Account create one first if you don’t have it.
- Complete the application form, including your preferred play language.
- Tick the terms and conditions box when linking your account. Applicants have reported link errors that trace back to skipping this step.
- Submit before the July 28 cutoff and watch your email on August 7.
Selected players receive a download code for the pre-release build. Nintendo has not published how many slots exist, so apply early rather than on the final morning.
Who is eligible
- A Nintendo Switch 2 original Switch consoles are not supported
- An active Nintendo Switch Online membership
- A Nintendo Account in a supported region
The Duskbloods gameplay explained: PvPvE, roles, and win conditions
The Duskbloods gameplay is best described as a compact, class-based arena built on Soulsborne combat rather than a battle royale. Eight players drop into a match, fight the environment and each other, and pursue First Blood.
Miyazaki has confirmed several systems that separate it from anything FromSoftware has shipped before:
- Assigned roles. Every match gives players a role with its own objective. Destined Rivals marks another player for you to hunt; Destined Companions pairs you with a random ally. Completing a role goal counts separately from the overall match result.
- Summons return. Each character can call an entity to assist in combat, carrying forward a series staple into a competitive format.
- Mobility is dramatically expanded. Sprinting, super jumps, and double jumps are core to every Bloodsworn, and Miyazaki describes them as intentionally “stress-free” a deliberate break from the deliberate, weighty movement of Dark Souls.
- Everyone has ranged options. Firearms and other distance attacks are universal, not class-locked.
The result is closer to a hero-shooter structure wearing FromSoftware’s armour, and it shares DNA with how Elden Ring Nightreign’s co-op loop works short sessions, chosen characters, escalating threat.
The Duskbloods characters: who are the Bloodsworn?
You don’t build a character from scratch. You choose from over a dozen Bloodsworn, each with distinct designs, weapons, and abilities, then customise them in a central hub between matches.
The lore hook is the customization system itself. Each character has a “blood history and fate” a set of items that adjust abilities, appearance, inner characteristics, and match role. Altering it also unlocks lore fragments about the world. It’s Miyazaki’s usual scattered-storytelling approach relocated into the progression menu, and he has said the design borrows from tabletop RPGs.
The narrative frame: the Bloods worn are vampire-adjacent figures who have transcended human limits through special blood. They are summoned across different eras and places to an event called the Twilight of Humanity, competing for First Blood as human society ends. Because there’s no fixed era or setting, guns, jetpacks, and stranger things can all coexist which explains that reveal trailer. Miyazaki’s full breakdown is worth reading in Nintendo’s Creator’s Voice interview.
Is The Duskbloods Bloodborne 2?
No and the visual resemblance is doing a lot of misleading work.
The Duskbloods is a new IP with no confirmed connection to Bloodborne. The overlap is aesthetic: gothic architecture, blood iconography, hunter silhouettes. Structurally they’re opposites. Bloodborne is a single-player campaign with optional co-op; The Duskbloods is a competitive eight-player match-based game with no announced solo campaign.
That distinction is why reaction has been split. Players wanting a Bloodborne successor are getting something else entirely an argument that lands differently depending on how you rank every FromSoftware game.
Is The Duskbloods a Switch 2 exclusive?
Yes. Nintendo is publishing, which makes a PC or PlayStation port very unlikely Nintendo does not typically license first-party published titles to other platforms. No PC version has been announced or hinted at.
If you’re weighing a console purchase around it, it’s worth checking it against the other Nintendo Switch 2 exclusives releasing in 2026 before committing.
FAQ
When is The Duskbloods release date?
The Duskbloods is scheduled for a worldwide 2026 release on Nintendo Switch 2. No specific day has been announced, and KADOKAWA reconfirmed the 2026 window in its February 2026 financial report.
How do I sign up for The Duskbloods network test?
Apply on the official Duskbloods website with a Nintendo Account between July 22 and July 28, 2026. Selected players are notified by email on August 7 and receive a download code for the test build.
Do I need Nintendo Switch Online to play The Duskbloods network test?
Yes. An active Nintendo Switch Online membership and a Nintendo Switch 2 console are both required. Original Switch consoles cannot participate.
How many players are in a Duskbloods match?
Up to eight players per match, competing in a PvPvE format against each other and against AI enemies and bosses simultaneously.
Is The Duskbloods coming to PC or PS5?
No. Nintendo is the publisher and the game has been announced as a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, making a port to other platforms improbable.
Is there a single-player mode in The Duskbloods?
FromSoftware has not announced a dedicated single-player campaign. The game has been presented as online multiplayer at its core since reveal.
The bottom line
The Duskbloods is the most structurally experimental thing FromSoftware has attempted: Soulsborne combat, a hero-select roster of Bloodsworn, role-driven objectives, and eight-player PvPvE all locked to Switch 2. The 2026 window holds for now, and the August network test is the first real look anyone outside the studio will get.
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