Summary
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreemanaged to sell over five million copies within three days of its global release. It didn’t take long for FromSoftware’s beloved open-world action RPG to exceed sales expectations when the base game was initially released back in 2022, with publisher Bandai Namco reporting thatElden Ringreached over 13 million units sold in the first month after its debut. Now, the highly anticipatedElden Ring: Shadow of the ErdtreeDLC expansion is set to repeat history and possibly propel the critically acclaimed title to even greater heights.
Since its announcement in 2023,Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreehas been a topic of interest for the game’s community, who have long wondered how FromSoftware might further evolve the iconic Soulslike formula with the addition of the first and onlyElden RingDLC. Interest in the expansion only grew in the weeks leading up to its release, which subsequentlypushedElden Ring’s concurrent player countback up to a level of popularity comparable to the weeks following its release.
Though expectations for the expansion were high, it doesn’t seem likeShadow of the Erdtreewill have trouble meeting or exceeding them. Bandai Namco has announced thatElden Ring:Shadow of the Erdtreehas already proven to be a major success, with the expansion selling over five million units less than a week after launch. The publisher is celebrating the notable sales milestone by thanking the DLC’s many players for their continued support ofElden Ring. For context, a previous report from FromSoftware announced thatElden Ringhad sold over 25 million unitsat the time of writing, meaning around one in fiveElden Ringplayers purchased the DLC.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Players Are Having Some Issues
While the DLC has been nothing short of a phenomenal success, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing for the developers.Shadow of the Erdtreerecently came under firedue to its overwhelming difficulty, with many players claiming the expansion posed an unfair challenge. Furthermore, the PC release of theElden RingDLC was hampered by severe technical issues, as a sizable group of Steam reviewers also reported experiencing frame drops and audio issues throughout their playthroughs.
Despite its issues,Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreeremains one of the most impactful expansions in recent memory, earning praise for the expansive size of its overworld, the depth of its content, and its elevation of FromSoftware’s Soulslike gameplay. Theglowing reviews forShadow of the Erdtreecemented its status as the most highly-rated DLC in history, topping other beloved expansions such asCyberpunk 2077: Phantom LibertyandDestiny 2: The Final Shape.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
WHERE TO PLAY
Shadow of the Erdtree is the first and only DLC expansion for FromSoftware’s groundbreaking Elden Ring. It takes players to a whole new region, the Land of Shadow, where a new story awaits the Tarnished.
