Is Elden Ring connected to Dark Souls?

No. Elden Ring is not connected to Dark Souls: they are different games set in different worlds with no shared story, but they come from the same studio, FromSoftware, and the same director, Hidetaka Miyazaki. Elden Ring (2022) builds on the Dark Souls formula — stamina-based combat, tough bosses, checkpoints and lost currency on death — and puts it in a large open world.

What they share

• Core combat: dodging, blocking, stamina management and learning boss patterns.
• Death and recovery: you drop your currency (souls in Dark Souls, runes in Elden Ring) and must retrieve it.
• Checkpoints: bonfires in Dark Souls, Sites of Grace in Elden Ring.
• Storytelling: told mostly through item descriptions, environments and brief dialogue.
• Online features: summoning, invasions and player messages.

What is different

• Open world: Elden Ring's Lands Between are open, with a horse (Torrent) and the ability to jump; Dark Souls has interconnected but linear areas.
• Difficulty options: Elden Ring lets you skip or return to hard bosses, summon Spirit Ashes and over-level, so many players find it more approachable.
• Story: Elden Ring's world mythology was written with George R. R. Martin. It is not a sequel or prequel to Dark Souls.
• Scale: Elden Ring is far larger, and its 2024 expansion Shadow of the Erdtree adds another big region. The 2025 co-op spin-off Elden Ring Nightreign is set in the Elden Ring universe, not Dark Souls.

FAQ

Is Elden Ring a sequel or prequel to Dark Souls?

No. Elden Ring is not a sequel to Dark Souls 3 or a prequel to Dark Souls. There is no story connection, only shared themes and design ideas.

Are Dark Souls and Elden Ring in the same universe?

No. Dark Souls takes place in Lordran, Drangleic and Lothric; Elden Ring takes place in the Lands Between. Similar weapons, enemy types and themes are design homages, not a shared setting.

Is Elden Ring as hard as Dark Souls?

Its bosses are just as demanding, but open exploration, Spirit Ashes and summons give you more ways to make fights easier.

What engine does Elden Ring use?

FromSoftware's own in-house engine, an evolution of the technology behind its earlier games.

How many endings does Elden Ring have?

The base game has six endings, depending on the choices you make before the final boss.