Elden Ring: Which Edition to Buy?

Elden Ring: Which Edition to Buy? is a post by Adam Mills from Gotta Be Mobile.

The Elden Ring release date is getting closer and several versions of the game have gone up for pre-order. You’ll want to pick the right Elden Ring edition for your interest level and budget and this guide will help you do just that.

FromSoftware’s latest game is headed to PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam. Assuming it doesn’t get delayed, the game will arrived in late February.

The Elden Ring release date was initially slated for January, 2022 but has since been delayed until February 25th. This date should hold as the game’s official release date.

Initially there was only one version of the game available to pre-order, but now there are several Elden Ring editions: a standard version, a Digital Deluxe Edition, a Collector’s Edition, and a Premium Collector’s Edition. Each comes with a different set of bonuses.

Elden Ring Standard Edition
Elden Ring Digital Deluxe Edition
Elden Ring Collector’s Edition
Elden Ring Premium Collector’s Edition
Elden Ring: Digital vs. Physical

If you decide to pre-order Elden Ring, you’ll want to pick the correct edition for your interest level and budget. Each has its pros and cons.

In this guide we’ll walk you through each edition and we’ll also tell you about the key differences between a physical and digital copy of the game.

Elden Ring Standard Edition

The Elden Ring standard edition is the most basic version of the game. For $59.99, you get a copy of the game. Like most games, it comes with a pre-order bonus, but only if you buy it digitally.

The Elden Ring Digital Standard edition features the following bonuses:

Adventure Guide
Contains useful information for the player’s adventures in the Lands Between.
Bonus Gesture
This is a gesture that can be used in-game.

If you don’t want to pay the full $59.99 for a copy of Elden Ring, keep an eye out for deals as we push toward the game’s release date. We could see some price cuts emerge though don’t expect huge blowout sales.

The standard edition is the most basic version of the game, but it’s also the cheapest version. It’s the edition most people should buy.

Who should buy the standard Elden Ring edition? Newcomers to Soulsborne games who are interested, but aren’t one hundred percent sure they’ll enjoy the game and those who don’t need a ton of extras or collectibles.

You can pre-order it right now at various retailers like Sony.

Elden Ring Digital Deluxe Edition

If you want a little more from your pre-order, consider buying the Elden Ring Digital Deluxe edition.

The Digital Deluxe Edition is more expensive than the Standard Edition ($79.99 vs. $59.99), but you get some additional extras bundled in.

In addition to the pre-order bonuses from the Digital Standard Edition, you get a Digital Artbook and the game’s Original Soundtrack.

If you love FromSoftware’s art direction and music, spending the extra $20 might be worth it. You can find it up for pre-order at retailers like Sony.

Elden Ring Collector’s Edition

Now here’s where things get interesting. There are two other Elden Ring bundles, but they may only appeal to diehard fans of Elden Ring/Soulsborne games.

The first one is the Elden Ring Collector’s Edition. The Collector’s Edition comes with a bunch of extras, but it’s also a whopping $189.99. Here’s what that gets you:

9-inch statue of Malenia – Blade of Miquella.
Exclusive SteelBook featuring the Elden Ring.
40-page hardcover art book.
Digital Soundtrack.
Pre-order bonuses.

Given its hefty price, this edition should, in most cases, only be bought by collectors and huge fans of FromSoftware games.

You can find the Elden Ring Collector’s Edition at retailers like Best Buy.

Elden Ring Premium Collector’s Edition

If that’s not enough, there’s also the Elden Ring Premium Collector’s Edition which comes with even more extras. It’s not up for pre-order yet so we don’t know how much it will cost. That said, it will exclusively be sold from the Bandai Namco Store.

Here’s what it includes:

Official Malenia helmet replica 1:1 scale.
9-inch statue of Malenia – Blade of Miquella.
Exclusive SteelBook featuring the Elden Ring.
40-page hardcover art book.
Digital Soundtrack.
Pre-order bonuses.

This edition should only be bought by collectors or people with kids who would absolutely love wearing a helmet from the game around the house.

Elden Ring: Digital vs. Physical

Elden Ring comes in physical and digital formats. Here are a few things to consider before you pick one or the other.

If you’re sick of discs cluttering up your house, you should go with a digital version. You’ll also want to go digital if discs sometimes go missing or get damaged in your home.

If you play a lot of different games and don’t want to pull the disc out every time you want to play, go digital. Downloading a digital copy means you’ll have easy access to the game every time you start up your console.

If you want to play the game ASAP in February, purchase a digital copy. You can pre-load the game ahead of its release date which lets you to start playing the second it goes live on your platform.

And again, the digital version of Elden Ring comes with some bonuses you apparently won’t get with the standard edition. That said, there are also a few reasons to go with a physical copy of Elden Ring.

If you buy a physical copy you’ll be able to sell it to GameStop or a reseller like Craigslist or eBay if you get tired of it down the road.

You’ll also be able to lend your copy out to friends or family members when you decide to move onto another game.

4 Reasons to Pre-Order Elden Ring & 4 Reasons to Wait

Pre-Order Elden Ring If You Love Soulsborne Games

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If you absolutely love Soulsborne games, pre-ordering Elden Ring is probably a no-brainer.

If you had a great time with Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, Dark Souls 2, Dark Souls 3, Bloodborne, and/or Sekiro, this game will be right up your alley.

From the trailer and information that we have, it looks like Elden Ring pulls in elements from all of FromSoftware's previous titles.

The game features "a vast and seamless landscape with natural weather and time-of-day progression" which you'll be able to traverse on foot or horseback. You can do it alone or with friends.

The developer says Elden Ring's world is filled with "grandeur on a scale never seen before in a FromSoftware title."

Like previous games, there will be action-RPG elements as well. FromSoftware says "role-playing and customization options allow players to define their own unique playstyle."

And then there's the lore. Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin, the author of A Song of Ice and Fire, have teamed up to create the game's characters and stories.

Elden Ring is the next evolution of Souls games so if that's something you're interested in, you might want to put in a pre-order and start counting down the days until February.