Applications open at 7am PDT and 4pm CEST on July 22
The Duskbloods was announced more than a year ago, and FromSoftware has shown surprisingly little since. Hidetaka Miyazaki's next game is not another solitary action RPG: it puts as many as eight people into matches that also contain computer-controlled enemies. It is also exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2. August's network test announced by Nintendo will be the first opportunity for players outside the studio to find out how that combination feels.
Applications open on Wednesday, July 22 at 7am PDT, 10am EDT, 3pm BST and 4pm CEST through the official Duskbloods test website. The window closes on Tuesday, July 28 at 6:59am PDT, 9:59am EDT, 2:59pm BST and 3:59pm CEST. The list of eligible regions includes the United States, Canada, much of Latin America, the UK, Spain and most of Europe, as well as Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand and several Southeast Asian markets.
FromSoftware says capacity is limited and applications will be accepted in the order received. Registering does not guarantee access, but waiting until the final day is clearly unwise. Successful applicants are due to be notified on August 7 at 6am PDT / 3pm CEST. Download codes will become available through the test website from August 18 at the same time.
What you need—and what the test does not allow
The requirements are specific: a Nintendo Switch 2, a Nintendo Account, an active Nintendo Switch Online membership and a persistent internet connection. The membership is sold separately. There is no test for the original Switch, PlayStation, Xbox or PC, and a Nintendo Account without an active online subscription is not enough.
Check the country attached to your account, your password and your subscription before registration begins. The application process asks users to select their actual country or region, and the organisers warn that some markets only support downloading the client through Nintendo eShop. Having those details ready should make the application itself quick.
There is also an unusually strict media rule. The official FAQ prohibits posting or streaming video and screenshots from this in-development build. The Switch 2 Capture Button will be disabled. Do not plan a livestream or image gallery if you receive access: FromSoftware has ruled both out explicitly.
All five sessions in Pacific and Central European time
The first session runs on Friday, August 21 from 3am to 7am PDT, which is noon to 4pm CEST. Session two follows from 7pm to 11pm PDT on August 21; in Central Europe, that is Saturday, August 22 from 4am to 8am. TechRadar independently checked the European conversion.
The third and most convenient European slot runs on Saturday, August 22 from 11am to 3pm PDT, or 8pm to midnight CEST. Session four is Sunday, August 23 from 3am to 7am PDT / noon to 4pm CEST. The final session is August 23 from 7pm to 11pm PDT, becoming Monday, August 24 from 4am to 8am in Central Europe.
Dates and times can change or be cancelled without notice. The public page does not yet say whether an invitation covers all five sessions or asks players to choose one. Nor has FromSoftware announced a preload for people who are not selected. Each round is a closed window, so keeping the client installed will not provide access outside the scheduled hours.
This is a technical test, not an early demo
FromSoftware describes the programme as a server-load, multiplayer and balance test. It uses unfinished code, bugs are expected and only part of the full game will be available. The studio wants to learn what happens when large numbers of people connect at once, when players with different network conditions meet and when real strategies push its balance beyond internal testing.
Participants are there to play and to expose problems. If one weapon dominates every encounter or a connection breaks when eight people join, finding that issue is part of the purpose. The FAQ warns that the build may not be enjoyable in the same way as the final product and that some specifications will differ at release.
The test does not provide a release date. The Duskbloods remains listed for 2026 and the Nintendo store page still calls it a Switch 2 exclusive, but gives no month or day. A playable build will exist in August; predicting an October, November or December launch from that fact alone would be speculation.
What kind of game successful applicants should expect
The Duskbloods is a PvPvE game, combining combat against other players with enemies inside the same match. In Nintendo's Creator's Voice interview with Miyazaki, the director said the full game has more than a dozen selectable Bloodsworn. Each carries distinct weapons and abilities, including a ranged attack, while movement includes fast sprinting, a high jump and a double jump. Players return to a hub after each match and receive rewards even after losing, then use them to customise a character.
Last person standing is the common victory condition, but it is not the only one. Some matches revolve around defeating a boss, while events can change objectives and rewards. Victory Points can also be earned without constantly seeking a fight. Miyazaki says he is not much of a PvP player himself and wants observation, opportunism and PvE combat to remain useful ways to play.
Roles are the most unusual idea. A Bloodsworn may enter a match with a Destined Rival and receive a personal reward for finding and defeating that player. Another may be assigned a Destined Companion and gain something by forming a bond. Miyazaki compares these roles with a tabletop game: those private duties sit alongside the overall result, so a useful alliance may end when two objectives stop aligning.
None of that tells us which characters, maps, bosses or roles will appear in the test. The registration page confirms matches for up to eight players and its technical goals. Miyazaki's interview describes the complete design, not a guaranteed list of content for August.
The first public check on an unusual Nintendo partnership
The Duskbloods began as a small original-Switch project. Nintendo backed the concept and later introduced FromSoftware to Switch 2, prompting the team to rebuild development around the new hardware and its online features. Miyazaki described how the partnership began. The result is directed by him, published by Nintendo and designed around competitive and cooperative online play.
That exclusivity gives the test a second purpose for observers. Switch 2 must show that it can support demanding online games beyond Nintendo's established multiplayer series and ports of major releases. FromSoftware, meanwhile, has to make its combat, bosses and fragmented storytelling work when eight people pursue different goals in the same match. August should provide early technical and design evidence, with the important caveat that this is unfinished software.
Anyone merely curious should remember the cost of entry: one specific console, a subscription, fixed hours and a tolerance for bugs. If you already own Switch 2 and subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online, prepare your account and open the official website when applications begin. There is no announced advantage to applying in the first minute, but capacity is limited and applications are processed in order. We will follow the results and the eventual release date in INSERT FUTURE's gaming channel.
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