Dark Souls 3 Servers Down: What Still Works and When They’re Back

Yes, the Dark Souls 3 servers are down on every platform, along with Dark Souls 2, after FromSoftware found security vulnerabilities on October 30. There’s no date for their return. You can still play both games offline. And who’s buying Dark Souls 3 for the online component? Nobody.

Key takeaways

• Online play for Dark Souls 2 and Dark Souls 3 has been suspended on all platforms since 7am GMT on October 30.
• FromSoftware’s notice blames “identified security vulnerabilities” and runs “until further notice”.
• Offline play still works. Co-op, invasions, messages and everything else online is off.
• In 2022 a similar shutdown kept the PC servers offline for about seven months.

Are the Dark Souls 3 servers down right now?

Yes. FromSoftware’s support account posted on X at 8:45am GMT on October 30. It said “the game servers for the following titles will be temporarily unavailable on all platforms”, and listed Dark Souls II and Dark Souls III. At that point it only called it “a server issue”.

The detail came on November 2, in a notice on the Japanese Dark Souls series site with an English version underneath. It says the servers “have been temporarily suspended for all platforms due to identified security vulnerabilities”. The suspension started at 16:00 Japan time on October 30, which is 7am GMT, and the end time is listed as “until further notice”.

So this isn’t a PC-only problem, and it isn’t scheduled maintenance. Both games had short maintenance windows the week before, but the notice doesn’t link either of them to the shutdown.

What still works in Dark Souls 3 offline?

All of the single-player game. FromSoftware’s notice is clear on that: “During suspension, titles above cannot be played in Online mode. (Offline play is still possible.)” You can start a new character, play the whole campaign and finish it with the servers down.

What you lose is everything that comes from other players. That means summoning help for a boss, being summoned, invasions, and the messages and bloodstains other players leave on the ground.

I saw the messages when I played. I don’t think co-op ever came into it, but I was also a complete mess and noob while I was trying to do it, because I was trying to stream Dark Souls 3 whilst learning how to play it. I remember the red ghosts, but I think the red ghosts were Elden Ring and not Dark Souls 3. Dark Souls 3 does use red phantoms for invaders, so it could have been either.

If you’re mainly in it for co-op, that’s the part that’s gone for now. There are plenty of other games to play with friends while you wait.

When are the Dark Souls 3 servers coming back?

There’s no date. FromSoftware’s October 30 post says it will share updates once it has information on when the servers will be restored, and the November 2 notice still says “until further notice”.

The last time this happened, it took months. In January 2022, the PC servers for Dark Souls Remastered, Dark Souls 2 and Dark Souls 3 were switched off after a remote code execution flaw turned up. VGC reported it could let attackers take control of other players’ PCs. Here’s how long each game was offline, using Beebom’s count:

Even when Dark Souls 2 came back, only its DirectX 11 version did at first. The original Prepare to Die Edition never got its online back, because FromSoftware said it couldn’t support it “due to an aging system”.

That doesn’t mean this one will take seven months. This time it’s every platform at once, not just PC, and FromSoftware’s notices don’t say whether it’s the same kind of flaw.

How will you know when the servers are back?

FromSoftware posts server notices on its support account on X, @fromsoftware_sp. It also posts them on the news page of the Dark Souls series site, where the November 2 notice went up. In 2022, the return of the PC servers was announced on the @DarkSoulsGame account. Those three are the places to watch. If you see a return date anywhere else, check that it traces back to one of them.

Does the shutdown worry me?

No, no. There’s so many security issues that have been happening on the internet as of late. I would believe that this is a genuine vulnerability concern that they’re being proactive about, instead of everyone else that is reactive.

It’s not happening in isolation either. Beebom points out that Bandai Namco, which publishes the Dark Souls games, confirmed a data breach on October 28, and Capcom confirmed one a few days before that. Nothing links those to the Dark Souls servers, and FromSoftware hasn’t said they’re connected.

Should you still buy Dark Souls 3 with the servers off?

Yeah. Who’s buying Dark Souls 3 for the online component? Nobody. I mean, if you’re into that, sure, maybe hold out a little bit, but you would have already had to have played Dark Souls 3 to benefit from the online component in the first place. Otherwise, invasions are just going to clap you.

The whole campaign of Dark Souls 3 is there offline, which is how most people play it the first time anyway. If you’ve finished it and want something else in the same vein, our list of the best soulslike games has plenty that are still fully online.

Are Elden Ring and Dark Souls Remastered affected?

FromSoftware’s notice only lists Dark Souls II and Dark Souls III. Elden Ring and Dark Souls Remastered aren’t named, so their online modes aren’t part of this suspension.

Elden Ring isn’t part of this suspension, and its invasions are what the White Mask Varré questline is built around.

FAQ

Are the Dark Souls 3 servers down?

Yes. They’ve been suspended on all platforms since 7am GMT on October 30, along with the Dark Souls 2 servers.

Can you play Dark Souls 3 offline?

Yes. FromSoftware says offline play is still possible. Only online features are off.

Why are the Dark Souls servers down?

FromSoftware’s November 2 notice says it found security vulnerabilities in the game servers.

When will the Dark Souls 3 servers be back?

FromSoftware hasn’t given a date. Its notice says the suspension runs until further notice, and it will post an update once it knows when the servers will return.

Is it only on PC?

No. The 2022 shutdown was on PC, but this one covers every platform.