The Duskbloods Network Test Results Are Out Now
FromSoftware's Switch 2 exclusive held its closed sign-up period in July, and applicants can now check whether they made the cut. Five four-hour sessions are scheduled for late August.
The Wait Is Over for Hopeful Applicants
If you threw your name into the hat for The Duskbloods Network Test back in July, Friday, August 7th was your moment of truth. As reported by Nintendo Life, FromSoftware and Nintendo began notifying applicants of their status at 2pm UK time, and selected participants can now confirm their spot by heading to the official Network Test campaign page and signing in with their Nintendo Account.
The sign-up window itself was narrow, running from Wednesday, July 22nd through Tuesday, July 28th at 2:59pm BST. Getting in was never guaranteed. This is a closed beta, and even completing the application process only put you in contention. Now that results are live, the next question is what actually happens if you made it.
Getting Your Hands on the Software
Selected players will not have to wait long. According to Nintendo Life, codes will be distributed on Tuesday, August 18th. For players in North America, that means codes land at 6am PDT, 8am CDT, or 9am EDT. UK and Irish players can expect them at 2pm BST, while mainland Europe sees them at 3pm CEST.
The Network Test software itself becomes available at the same time, and Nintendo Life notes it can be downloaded from either the official Nintendo website or directly through the Nintendo eShop. Worth flagging: in some regions, downloading via the website rather than the eShop is not supported, so eShop is likely the safer bet regardless of where you are.
Five Sessions, Four Hours Each
The test itself spans a long weekend, running from Friday, August 21st through Monday, August 24th. There are five separate four-hour sessions scheduled across those days, giving players in different time zones at least a couple of reasonable options.
Here is the full schedule in EDT and PDT for North American players:
- Friday, August 21st: 6am to 10am EDT / 3am to 7am PDT
- Saturday, August 22nd: 10pm to 2am EDT (Friday night into Saturday) / 7pm to 11pm PDT (Friday)
- Saturday, August 22nd: 2pm to 6pm EDT / 11am to 3pm PDT
- Sunday, August 23rd: 6am to 10am EDT / 3am to 7am PDT
- Monday, August 24th: 10pm to 2am EDT (Sunday night) / 7pm to 11pm PDT (Sunday)
That Saturday evening window on the West Coast is probably the most civilized slot for most players, though FromSoftware fans are no strangers to setting alarms at odd hours.
What FromSoftware Is Actually Testing
As for what the test contains, FromSoftware is keeping specifics close to the chest. The official site describes it as a large-scale network load test designed to check different technical aspects of the game’s online systems, per Nintendo Life. In other words, the studio wants to stress-test servers before launch, and the specific content available to participants has not been detailed.
That kind of deliberate vagueness is pretty standard for FromSoftware network tests. Past events for games like Elden Ring gave players a curated slice of the opening area and a handful of encounters, but nothing is confirmed here beyond the connectivity focus.
The Duskbloods is a Switch 2 exclusive from the studio behind Dark Souls and Bloodborne, which makes this a rare and genuinely unusual position for FromSoftware: building a game designed exclusively around Nintendo hardware. The studio also has Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition arriving on Switch 2 in August, which makes this a remarkably busy month for the developer on a single platform.
For anyone who applied and came up empty, there has been no word yet on whether additional spots or open sessions might follow. For now, August 21st belongs to whoever got the nod.
How do I check if I was selected for The Duskbloods Network Test?
According to Nintendo Life, you can check your status by visiting the Duskbloods Network Test campaign page and logging in with your Nintendo Account. Notifications went out on Friday, August 7th, 2026 at 2pm UK time.
When does The Duskbloods Network Test take place?
The test runs across five sessions between Friday, August 21st and Monday, August 24th, 2026. Each session lasts four hours. The first session begins at 6am EDT / 3am PDT on August 21st.
When will Network Test software be available to download?
As reported by Nintendo Life, codes and software will be distributed on Tuesday, August 18th. In North America, codes go out at 6am PDT / 9am EDT. The software itself is available from either the Nintendo website or the Nintendo eShop, depending on your region.
What do you need to participate in The Duskbloods Network Test?
You must own a Nintendo Switch 2 console and hold an active Nintendo Switch Online membership. You also need to have linked a Nintendo Account during the sign-up process.