Elden Ring Delay Note
Despite preorders, outlets report the Switch 2 Tarnished Edition has been pushed to sometime in 2026 rather than a concrete launch window. ( ).
Amazon started taking preorders for Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition on Switch 2 at $79.99, but the listing still does not give buyers a real launch date, only a placeholder while Bandai Namco’s own page says 2026. (ign.com) (en.bandainamcoent.eu) That is a shift from the original plan. When Bandai Namco announced the Switch 2 version in April 2025, it said the package was coming in 2025, and later reports said the release moved to 2026 to allow more time for performance adjustments. (bandainamcoent.com) (ign.com) The package itself is not just the 2022 base game copied onto a new box. Tarnished Edition bundles Elden Ring with the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion and adds new armor, new weapons, new starting classes, and new looks for the horse Torrent. (ign.com) (nintendo.com) The other surprise is the format. Retail listings say the Switch 2 version is a Game-Key Card release, which means the card works more like a key that downloads the game than a cartridge that stores the full game on it. (gonintendo.com) (ign.com) Nintendo’s own support page says a Game-Key Card lets you start the download after inserting the card, and it still requires enough free storage on the system or microSD Express card. Nintendo also says the card must be inserted to play after the download is finished. (nintendo.com) That setup matters more for a game like Elden Ring than for a small platformer. Kadokawa said in April 2025 that Elden Ring had shipped more than 28.6 million units worldwide, and the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion added a huge late-game area on top of the original open world. (group.kadokawa.co.jp) (en.bandainamcoent.eu) The likely reason for the extra wait is technical, not marketing. IGN reported in November 2025 that the Switch 2 port slipped to 2026 specifically for performance work after concerns from people who had seen the game before launch. (ign.com) So the current picture is simple but awkward: Bandai Namco is confident enough to open preorders and lock in an $80 price, but not confident enough to name a day on the calendar. Until that changes, Switch 2 owners are being asked to reserve a download-based version of a delayed port with “2026” doing all the work. (ign.com) (en.bandainamcoent.eu)
