- FromSoftware has taken Dark Souls 2 and Dark Souls 3 servers offline across all platforms.
- No return date has been given — FromSoftware only promised updates “once they have information.”
- PvP invasions, summon signs, and in-game player messages are all unavailable during the outage.
- This brings back painful memories of the 2022 server crisis that kept games offline for months.
- The Duskbloods, FromSoftware’s next big title, has also been delayed to 2027.
Alright Undead, time to go fully hollow — because FromSoftware just pulled the plug on Dark Souls 2 and Dark Souls 3 servers across every single platform, and they haven’t told us when they’re coming back. No date. No ETA. Nothing. Just a vague “server issue” and an apology. Classic.
What Exactly Happened?
On October 30, 2026, FromSoftware dropped the news on Twitter that hit the community harder than a Pursuer ambush. They announced that game servers for Dark Souls 2 and Dark Souls 3 are “temporarily unavailable on all platforms” due to an unspecified server issue. That’s it. That’s the whole explanation.
“Due to a server issue, the game servers for the following titles will be temporarily unavailable on all platforms,” the studio posted, naming Dark Souls 2 and Dark Souls 3. They followed it up with the classic FromSoftware two-liner: “We will provide updates once we have information regarding the server restoration time. We apologize for the inconvenience.”
Bonfires are lit. Estus Flasks are full. But there’s nobody to invade you, no one dropping summon signs, and definitely no trolling messages pointing you off a ledge. The multiplayer side of both games is just… dead right now.
What’s Actually Offline Right Now?
With the servers down, here’s what you’re losing access to in both DS2 and DS3:
- PvP invasions — No red phantoms crashing your run
- Co-op summon signs — You’re going at it solo, no golden phantoms allowed
- Player messages — No more “try fingers, but hole” or “hidden path ahead” scrawled on the ground
- Bloodstains — Can’t watch other players make the same stupid mistakes you did
- Covenants that require online — Blue Sentinels, Rat King crew, all sitting on the bench
The offline experience is still there, obviously. But a huge chunk of what makes Dark Souls Dark Souls — that constant feeling that you’re not truly alone — is completely stripped away until FromSoftware sorts this out.
Should We Be Worried? Because 2022 Is Right There Staring at Us
Here’s the thing that’s making everyone a little anxious — we’ve been here before, and last time it wasn’t pretty at all.
Back in January 2022, Bandai Namco took down servers for all three Dark Souls games after a serious security exploit was discovered in Dark Souls 3’s online mode. A vulnerability that let hackers remotely execute code on other players’ machines — yeah, that kind of nasty. The PC servers went dark first, and console servers for Dark Souls 1 got pulled too. And then the wait began.
Dark Souls 3 didn’t come back online until August 2022 — over seven months later. Dark Souls 2 took even longer. The first game’s PC servers were offline for nearly the entire year. It was a brutal wait for the community, and FromSoftware’s slow communication made it worse every step of the way.
Now here we are in late 2026, and FromSoftware has once again gone with the “unspecified issue, no ETA” routine for DS2 and DS3. You can understand why fans are already getting nervous. The wording feels eerily similar. The timing feels off. And the silence says a lot.
That said, FromSoftware hasn’t confirmed this is anything like the 2022 security situation — so let’s not spiral too hard just yet. It could genuinely be routine maintenance gone sideways. But given the studio’s track record, the community has every right to be on edge.
The Duskbloods Is Already Having a Rough Time Too
If you thought the Dark Souls server drama was the only bad news coming out of FromSoftware lately, buckle up. Their upcoming title The Duskbloods — the wild multiplayer game with jetpacks, vampires, and that adorable little bird creature — is also going through it.
The game’s first ever network test had to be shut down early, and yes, you guessed it — “server issues” were the stated reason. And just this week, FromSoftware officially delayed The Duskbloods from its 2026 window all the way into 2027.
“While development of The Duskbloods is at the final adjustment stage, we have made the decision to move the launch window to 2027,” FromSoftware said. “We apologise to players who have been kindly awaiting the release of this title and thank you for your patience and support.”
For a studio whose next big bet is a multiplayer-heavy experience, the fact that they’re struggling with server infrastructure across multiple games simultaneously is… not a great look. Players are going to be watching The Duskbloods’ online stability very closely when it finally does launch.
What Should Dark Souls Players Do Right Now?
Honestly? Play offline. This is actually a solid opportunity to revisit the single-player experience on your own terms — no invasions, no pressure, just pure exploration and suffering as the game intended for your first playthrough. It’s almost peaceful in a twisted way.
Keep an eye on FromSoftware’s official Twitter/X account for any server restoration updates. That’s where the original announcement came from, and any news about when servers are back will likely drop there first.
And if you’re in the mood for some online action in the meantime, Dark Souls Remastered and Elden Ring servers are reportedly unaffected by this particular outage, so you can get your fix of jolly cooperation elsewhere while you wait.
Speaking of games going through weird service issues, if you’re also following the WoW scene, Blizzard has been dealing with its own housing controversy that’s been frustrating longtime players. And on a lighter note, there’s actually some great news on the gaming side too — Yacht Club Games just had a big win with Mina the Hollower that’s worth celebrating while we wait for Lordran’s servers to come back.
How Long Could This Actually Last?
That’s the million-soul question, isn’t it. If this is a straightforward technical issue on the server side — bad configuration, hardware failure, routine infrastructure problem — it could be resolved in a matter of days. Studios deal with this stuff all the time.
But if this is something more serious, like a security vulnerability similar to what we saw in 2022, then we’re potentially looking at weeks or even months. The 2022 outage dragged on so long partly because FromSoftware had to audit the entire network infrastructure before they felt safe bringing things back online.
Until FromSoftware says more, we genuinely don’t know which scenario we’re looking at. And that ambiguity is exactly why the community is stressed right now.
The Bottom Line
Dark Souls 2 and Dark Souls 3 are offline. No one knows for how long. FromSoftware is staying tight-lipped about the cause, and the timing — right after The Duskbloods delay — makes the whole situation feel a little grim even by Soulsborne standards.
The Chosen Undead has faced worse odds. Hang tight, stock up on your Estus, and keep watching for updates. Lordran will come back online eventually. It always does. Hopefully without a seven-month wait this time.
