Elden Ring vs. Dark Souls 3: Which FromSoftware Game Should You Play First?

Choose Elden Ring first if you want a large open world, freedom to change how you approach problems, and the option to summon spirit allies when a fight is overwhelming. Choose Dark Souls III first if you prefer a more directed journey through connected areas and want to begin with the concluding chapter of the Dark Souls trilogy.

Neither choice is an objective difficulty ranking. The better starting point depends on whether you want to set your own route through exploration or follow a tighter sequence of locations and encounters.

#	Preview	Product	Price
1		ELDEN RING: Tarnished Edition - Nintendo Switch 2	$79.00	Buy on Amazon
2		Elden Ring (PS5) (European Version)	$34.00	Buy on Amazon
3		Bandai Namco Entertainment Elden Ring (PS4)	$47.44	Buy on Amazon
4		ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition | Digital | Nintendo Switch 2 Digital Code	$79.99	Buy on Amazon

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The difference in one glance

The official descriptions support this structural distinction, but they do not establish which game every beginner will find easier. Your preferred pace and the amount of choice you want are more useful deciding factors than a blanket difficulty label.

Why Elden Ring is the safer first choice for most newcomers

You can choose your own route

Bandai Namco presents Elden Ring as an open-world action RPG set across the Lands Between. Exploration is not just scenery around a fixed campaign path: you can decide where to travel, what to investigate, and when to return to a challenge. That structure is useful for a first FromSoftware game because a difficult encounter does not have to be the only immediate objective.

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• ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition contains the Elden Ring Base Game + Shadow of the Erdtree Expansion + Additional Content (including Torrent Skins, New Armors, and More...)
• MASSIVE OPEN WORLD
• DEEP, CUSTOMIZABLE COMBAT
• NEW STARTING CLASSES
• NEW PLAYER-FRIENDLY ENHANCEMENTS

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If a boss or area is stopping you, you can leave, explore elsewhere, and come back with a different plan. This does not make the entire game objectively easy; it gives a stuck player more ways to change the circumstances of an attempt. The freedom also means you must make more of your own decisions about direction and priorities.

Build experimentation is part of the design

The launch announcement emphasizes experimenting with disciplines, equipping weapon skills, and developing different play styles. In practical terms, that means you are not restricted to proving one exact combat approach before you can continue. You can adjust the way your character fights as you learn what suits you.

Weapon skills provide another layer of choice beyond simply selecting a weapon. The useful question is not “Which build is strongest?” but “What approach do I want to try next?” A player who dislikes a particular range, rhythm, or risk level can look for another configuration rather than treating one failed method as a final verdict on the game.

Spirit summons create an additional option for hard encounters

Elden Ring lets players summon spirits against tougher foes. This is an optional support system, not proof that every encounter becomes easy. It can, however, give a newcomer breathing room to learn an enemy, create an opening, or divide attention during a fight.

Because exploration, build experimentation, weapon skills, and spirit summons can be combined, Elden Ring offers several responses to a roadblock. You might search for a different route, alter your equipment, practice with a new skill, or use a spirit ally. The game still expects observation and repeated attempts, but it gives you more levers to pull before you conclude that progress is impossible.

The scale suits players who enjoy discovery

The official launch announcement describes traveling on foot or with Torrent while exploring. That combination reinforces Elden Ring’s central appeal: movement through a broad world is itself part of progression. If you enjoy finding optional paths and deciding what deserves attention, this is the stronger first entry.

The trade-off is decision fatigue. A large map can make it less obvious what to do next, and the game does not always provide the same tightly signposted sequence that a more directed adventure would. Choose Elden Ring because you welcome that uncertainty, not because open-world design automatically removes challenge.

Rank #2

Elden Ring (PS5) (European Version)

• Collaborating with George R.R. Martin to create the ELDEN RING mythos has been a genuinely delightful experience and a source of wonderful inspiration. The team is working hard to ensure that the world of ELDEN RING will be a fascinating place for players to explore, filled with peril and wonder from its furthest reaches to its lowest depths. This is a FromSoftware title through and through, rich in fantasy and RPG action. We sincerely hope you look forward to it.
• Building the world of ELDEN RING with Miyazaki-san and his team was a treat! The graphics, mythos, and action-RPG gameplay will deliver an unforgettable experience. I can’t wait for people to see what ELDEN RING has in store for them.” Said George R.R. Martin.

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Why Dark Souls III may be the better first game for you

Connected areas provide a clearer journey

Dark Souls III is described by Bandai Namco as a world made of varied locations that connect to one another. It should not be reduced to a wholly linear game, but its structure is more directed than Elden Ring’s open-world model. You generally spend more time moving through a defined chain of regions and understanding how those spaces relate.

This can be a major advantage for a first-time player who wants a stronger sense of sequence. Instead of surveying a huge world for the next possibility, you can focus on learning the immediate area, its enemies, and the route forward. Exploration still matters, but the scope of each decision is narrower.

The combat identity is focused

The official description centers sword-and-sorcery combat and challenging action-RPG play. Dark Souls III asks you to refine a personal style within that focused framework. If you want the satisfaction of mastering spacing, timing, equipment choices, and enemy patterns without an open-world layer competing for attention, its tighter presentation can be appealing.

That focus also means a blocked player has fewer external alternatives than in Elden Ring. You can still adjust your style and equipment, but the game’s directed structure encourages you to solve the current area rather than simply postpone it while searching a vast map.

It is the trilogy’s concluding chapter

Bandai Namco calls Dark Souls III the latest chapter in the Dark Souls series. That context matters if you want to experience the trilogy’s closing entry and recognize its position within the series’ long-running themes and world-building.

You do not need to treat the earlier Dark Souls games as a mandatory prerequisite. The available official information identifies Dark Souls III as the final chapter, but it does not establish that newcomers must play earlier entries first. Start here if its structure and trilogy context appeal to you; go back to earlier games later if you want more of the series’ history.

Choose by the kind of first experience you want

Pick Elden Ring if these statements sound like you

• You want an explicitly open world rather than a mostly directed sequence of areas.
• You like deciding your own pace and taking a break from a difficult encounter to explore.
• You want to experiment with disciplines, weapon skills, and different play styles.
• You value the option to summon spirits when a tough fight becomes a barrier.
• You are comfortable making your own decisions about where to go next.
• You want to begin with a newer standalone fantasy world rather than a trilogy finale.

Pick Dark Souls III if these statements sound like you

• You prefer connected areas and a clearer sense of forward progression.
• You want a concentrated sword-and-sorcery action-RPG experience.
• You would rather learn one region at a time than survey a large open map.
• You are specifically interested in the concluding chapter of the Dark Souls series.
• You want the first game to foreground route knowledge and combat practice over broad exploration.

When both descriptions fit

If you like both freedom and focused progression, decide which compromise bothers you less. Elden Ring’s compromise is a greater amount of choice and potential wandering; Dark Souls III’s is a narrower set of alternatives when you are stuck. Neither is the wrong answer. The choice is about which friction you would rather live with during your first FromSoftware adventure.

Rank #3

Bandai Namco Entertainment Elden Ring (PS4)

• A New Fantasy World – Journey through the Lands Between, a new fantasy world created by Hidetaka Miyazaki, creator of the influential Dark Souls video game series, and George R. R. Martin, author of The New York Times best-selling fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire. Unravel the mysteries of the Elden Ring’s power. Encounter adversaries with profound backgrounds, characters with their own unique motivations for helping or hindering your progress, and fearsome creatures
• World Exploration in the Lands Between – Elden Ring features vast fantastical landscapes and shadowy, complex dungeons that are connected seamlessly. Traverse the breathtaking world on foot or on horseback, alone or online with other players, and fully immerse yourself in the grassy plains, suffocating swamps, spiraling mountains, foreboding castles and other sites of grandeur on a scale never seen before in a FromSoftware title
• Genre-Defining Gameplay – Create your character in FromSoftware’s refined action-RPG and define your playstyle by experimenting with a wide variety of weapons, magical abilities, and skills found throughout the world. Charge into battle, pick off enemies one-by-one using stealth, or even call upon allies for aid. Many options are at your disposal as you decide how to approach exploration and combat

$47.44

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How to handle difficulty without choosing on the wrong basis

It is tempting to ask which game is easier, but the official material does not prove a universal answer. Difficulty depends on your familiarity with action games, how quickly you recognize patterns, whether you explore optional content, and which tools you use.

Elden Ring can give a struggling player more ways to alter a situation: leave an encounter, search for another route, change equipment or weapon skills, or summon a spirit. Those options may make progress more manageable for some newcomers. They do not remove the need to learn combat or guarantee that every player will find the game easier.

Dark Souls III offers a more contained learning environment. Its connected areas can make the next objective clearer, but a difficult section is more likely to remain part of your immediate route. Players who prefer repetition and gradual mastery may find that focus motivating rather than restrictive.

Online play and what the official pages establish

Both games include online features, but the available descriptions do not support a current population comparison or a claim that one community is more active today.

Elden Ring’s current official page labels it as single-player while also listing online play, with capacities of up to three players and up to six in Arenas. Its launch announcement describes cooperative and competitive multiplayer. These labels indicate that online modes exist alongside the solo experience; they do not require you to play with others.

The Dark Souls III official page says that online interactions are integrated into the single-player experience. That wording points to a connected solo journey rather than a separate multiplayer-only product. Check the platform’s current service requirements before buying if online interaction is essential to your decision.

Platforms, editions, and expansions

Platform availability differs enough that you should verify the exact regional listing and edition before purchase. The current official Elden Ring page lists more platforms than the original launch announcement, while Dark Souls III’s official page remains focused on its original console generation and PC.

Rank #4

ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition | Digital | Nintendo Switch 2 Digital Code

• ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition

$79.99

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Elden Ring launch and later Switch 2 availability

Bandai Namco announced Elden Ring’s original launch for February 25, 2022, on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam. A later announcement dated August 28, 2026, covers the Tarnished Edition’s availability on Nintendo Switch 2 and says new Tarnished Pack content was available for purchase on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.

Edition contents can vary by platform and region. Treat the platform list as a starting point, then read the specific store listing to confirm whether you are buying the base game, an expansion bundle, or additional content.

What the expansion requirement means

Shadow of the Erdtree is not a standalone replacement for Elden Ring: the official page says it requires the base game. If you are buying an edition that includes the expansion, confirm that the listing includes both components for your platform. For Dark Souls III, the two named DLC packs are Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City; the official description identifies The Ringed City as the final DLC pack.

A practical first-game decision process

1. Decide how you want to navigate. Choose Elden Ring for open-world self-direction; choose Dark Souls III for interconnected areas and a more directed route.
2. Decide how you want to respond to a roadblock. Choose Elden Ring if leaving, exploring, changing your approach, or summoning a spirit sounds appealing. Choose Dark Souls III if you would rather stay with the current area and refine your play.
3. Decide whether trilogy context matters. Choose Dark Souls III if being the latest Dark Souls chapter is a major draw. Choose Elden Ring if you want to enter a separate world without treating earlier games as required preparation.
4. Check your hardware and edition. Match the platform list above to your console or PC, then verify the regional product page and included expansions.
5. Set expectations about difficulty. Do not buy either game expecting an objectively easy mode. Buy the one whose structure gives you the kind of problem-solving you enjoy.

What the sales figure does—and does not—tell you

Bandai Namco Entertainment America reported more than 30 million Elden Ring units in an announcement dated August 28, 2026, referring to the original Elden Ring. That is the publisher’s sales claim. It demonstrates broad commercial reach, but it is not evidence that Elden Ring is inherently better or easier for every newcomer, and there is no comparable Dark Souls III sales figure established here.

Publisher descriptions in context

In Bandai Namco’s February 25, 2022 release announcement, Senior Director of Digital Marketing and Business Mike Chang said: “ELDEN RING brings FromSoftware’s unique perspective on action-RPG gameplay and fantasy storytelling into its biggest title to date,” The statement explains the publisher’s positioning; it is not independent proof of superiority.

For current feature, platform, and edition details, consult the official pages for Elden Ring and Dark Souls III. The launch and Switch 2 announcements provide dated context for release and later availability: February 25, 2022 release announcement and August 28, 2026 Tarnished Edition announcement.

Final recommendation

For most people choosing their first FromSoftware game, start with Elden Ring if the appeal is freedom: a broad world, multiple ways to adapt a build, and optional spirit support when a fight becomes a wall. Start with Dark Souls III if the appeal is focus: connected locations, a more directed journey, and the chance to play the Dark Souls trilogy’s concluding chapter. Choose the structure you are most likely to enjoy learning, not the title that someone else labels universally easier.

Quick Recap

Bestseller No. 1

ELDEN RING: Tarnished Edition - Nintendo Switch 2

MASSIVE OPEN WORLD; DEEP, CUSTOMIZABLE COMBAT; NEW STARTING CLASSES; NEW PLAYER-FRIENDLY ENHANCEMENTS

$79.00

Bestseller No. 2

Elden Ring (PS5) (European Version)

$34.00

Bestseller No. 3

Bandai Namco Entertainment Elden Ring (PS4)

$47.44

Bestseller No. 4

ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition | Digital | Nintendo Switch 2 Digital Code

ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition

$79.99

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