From Software has announced that the Dark Souls 3 PC servers are back online after a period of seven months of inactivity. The studio says it's working on reactivating servers for the other two Dark Souls games as well, but for now, you can head back into the world of Lothric and battle with your friends once more.
Why were the Dark Souls 3 PC servers originally deactivated?
Back in January, From Software took the Dark Souls 3 PC servers, along with servers for Dark Souls and Dark Souls 2, down owing to an RCE exploit that had been discovered. This exploit allowed hackers to gain access to other players' machines, brick them, and execute malware, among other things. From Software subsequently announced that servers for the games would remain offline beyond the launch of February's Elden Ring, partly so that the studio could investigate that game's servers as well.
Now, however, From Software has announced that Dark Souls 3 PC servers have been reactivated, so it's once again possible to engage in cooperative and competitive multiplayer on the PC version of the game. The studio says it's currently working to restore online functionality to the other games in the Dark Souls series; servers for Dark Souls and Dark Souls 2 remain inactive for the moment, but From Software says it will inform players when they are back online.
Is online play on Elden Ring affected by this issue?
Nope. You can freely play online alongside other players in Elden Ring, so the Dark Souls PC server issue hasn't affected that game. However, there have been murmurs that Elden Ring RCE exploits do exist, despite From Software's claims that it has patched out any potential breaches. If you're playing the game on consoles, this problem is unlikely to affect you, but if you are engaging in Elden Ring multiplayer on PC, make sure to exercise as much caution as you can.
You can pick up Dark Souls 3 on PC right now via Steam, and it's also available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One (and current-gen machines via backward compatibility). If you haven't taken the trip into Lothric yet, it's worth doing so if you're a fan of the series, especially now that the PC servers are back online. If you'd prefer to play a more open-ended version of the classic From Software RPG formula, then Elden Ring is also available right now on PC and consoles.
