Dark Souls dev apologises for seven-month outage as PC servers come back online

News
By
Contributions from
published

FromSoftware is still working at restoring multiplayer for the rest of the series

Dark Souls
(Image credit: FromSoftware)

As Dark Souls 3 PC servers come back online after more than 200 days of downtime, a senior FromSoftware developer has apologised for the lengthy outage.

Earlier today, FromSoftware and Dark Souls publisher Bandai Namco announced that the multiplayer features for the PC version of Dark Souls 3 are now back online, having been taken down back in January. PC players of the final game in the Dark Souls trilogy will now be able to invade other worlds, see messages from other players, and be invaded by others in turn.

In his own tweet, long-standing FromSoftware employee Yasuhiro Kitao said that the developer was "sorry to have kept you waiting for so long," and asked players to "please accept our humble appreciation for those still waiting as we work to restore servers for other games in the series."

FromSoftware also confirmed that it's hard at work restoring the online functions of Dark Souls and Dark Souls 2 for PC players. There's no time frame yet for the PC servers for both games to be back up and running, but it's good news nonetheless to know a fix is on the way.

In January of this year, PC servers for all three Dark Souls games were turned off with immediate effect. According to FromSoftware at the time, this was so the development team could investigate "recent reports of an issue with online services," which saw some players' PCs left open to hacking.

Shortly before the PC servers were taken offline, rumours were doing the rounds among the Dark Souls community. Some claimed that hackers were using the game to run code on other players' PCs, effectively taking over their machines through in-game exploits. 

In fact, one hacker even tried raising awareness of the issue, hoping that FromSoftware would take notice and fix the exploit. Over half a year later, PC servers for only one Dark Souls game have returned, so it seems FromSoftware is really putting time into fixing the issue for good. 

Elsewhere in FromSoftware news, rumours of an Armored Core game still haven't borne any fruit. 

See more PC Gaming News
CATEGORIES
Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

With contributions from
Read more
Elden Ring Nightreign screenshot showing a monstrous, terrifyingly large enemy
The first Elden Ring Nightreign network test "has ended" after a few disastrous hours, and "an additional network test is being considered" to make up for it
Elden Ring's seamless co-op modder takes their talents to Dark Souls 3, letting you "play with friends" from start to finish with "no resummoning or interruptions"
Elden Ring Nightreign
Elden Ring Nightreign network test starts with a stumble as PlayStation servers go down for maintenance just as it begins
One of Elden Ring's best mods comes to Dark Souls 3 as a prolific FromSoftware modder gets seamless co-op up and running
Demon's Souls tips
FromSoftware didn't work with Sony on Dark Souls because of how the company failed Demon's Souls, says ex-PlayStation boss: "We definitely dropped the ball"
Elden Ring Nightreign screenshot showing a monstrous, terrifyingly large enemy
Elden Ring Nightreign is saying goodbye to FromSoftware's beloved messaging system
Latest in Dark Souls
Love Nikki character wearing Dark Souls 3 helmet
There's a whole world of Dark Souls-style lore hidden in this series of dress-up games, and I bet you can't tell which is which
Elden Ring screenshot showing Ranni, a young woman with pale ice-y blue skin and a large brimmed witch-like hat
The Elden Ring anime made entirely by fans of the RPG is almost here, and even Let Me Solo Her can't wait: "They're honestly cooking up something amazing"
One of Elden Ring's best mods comes to Dark Souls 3 as a prolific FromSoftware modder gets seamless co-op up and running
Elden Ring screenshot showing Ranni, a young woman with pale ice-y blue skin and a large brimmed witch-like hat
Elden Ring and Dark Souls dataminer "overwhelmed" as community clubs together to cover "a looming $15,000 in medical expenses" in a single afternoon
Dark Souls 3
After almost 2 years of attempts, Dark Souls legend completes his brutal 7-game "God Run 3": Demon's Souls to Elden Ring without taking a single hit, all at level 1
Elden Ring Nightreign Wylder warrior
Rejoice! Elden Ring Nightreign has a feature that FromSoftware fans have wanted for years: a DPS test dummy in the hub
Latest in News
Balatro
Balatro creator started "properly playing the game myself about a week before launch" and had "a pretty emotional moment" where he realized it's "actually fun"
Death Stranding 2 Collector's Edition
Hideo Kojima reveals Death Stranding 2: On the Beach release date, and the Collector's Edition includes exactly what I predicted it would
Kingmakers
Kingmakers is a strategy game about taking on medieval armies with a gun, but its devs thought the giant mech was too much
The Witcher 3 lead says "not many games" were trying to match the RPG back in 2015, and that meant "there was a risk" to making it in the first place
The Blood of Dawnwalker
The Witcher 3 dev says his new vampire RPG Blood of Dawnwalker wants to challenge genre conventions, but only if "we're changing them to actually achieve some goal"
Daredevil recap: The Defenders
Marvel fans are discussing which of the Netflix series characters would have survived the Blip
More about dark souls
Love Nikki character wearing Dark Souls 3 helmet

There's a whole world of Dark Souls-style lore hidden in this series of dress-up games, and I bet you can't tell which is which
Elden Ring screenshot showing Ranni, a young woman with pale ice-y blue skin and a large brimmed witch-like hat

The Elden Ring anime made entirely by fans of the RPG is almost here, and even Let Me Solo Her can't wait: "They're honestly cooking up something amazing"
Balatro

Balatro creator started "properly playing the game myself about a week before launch" and had "a pretty emotional moment" where he realized it's "actually fun"
See more latest
Most Popular
Balatro
Balatro creator started "properly playing the game myself about a week before launch" and had "a pretty emotional moment" where he realized it's "actually fun"
Death Stranding 2 Collector's Edition
Hideo Kojima reveals Death Stranding 2: On the Beach release date, and the Collector's Edition includes exactly what I predicted it would
Kingmakers
Kingmakers is a strategy game about taking on medieval armies with a gun, but its devs thought the giant mech was too much
The Witcher 3 lead says "not many games" were trying to match the RPG back in 2015, and that meant "there was a risk" to making it in the first place
The Blood of Dawnwalker
The Witcher 3 dev says his new vampire RPG Blood of Dawnwalker wants to challenge genre conventions, but only if "we're changing them to actually achieve some goal"
Daredevil recap: The Defenders
Marvel fans are discussing which of the Netflix series characters would have survived the Blip
A misty, forested mountainside in Prologue: Go Wayback!
PUBG creator's wilderness survival game actually draws inspiration from an unexpected place - a whole raft of zombie games like DayZ, Project Zomboid, and Left 4 Dead
The Blood of Dawnwalker: A screenshot of the vampire Brencis holding up a crown during the trailer for the upcoming game.
The Witcher 3 devs created a Jekyll & Hyde-style character for their new vampire RPG "because nobody yet has done that"
Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock in Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil fans are wondering if Born Again season 2 will set up a darker comic book arc for Matt Murdock
Theo James as Hal in Osgood Perkins' The Monkey
It might only be March, but Stephen King adaptation The Monkey is now the highest grossing horror movie of 2025