On Sunday, March 31, a somber moment awaits fans of the acclaimed Dark Souls series as the servers for Dark Souls 2 on PS3 and Xbox 360 are set to be deactivated. While the Dark Souls trilogy revolutionized the gaming world and popularized the challenging Soulslike genre, Dark Souls 2 has often been viewed as the outlier in the franchise.

Unlike its predecessors, Dark Souls 2 was not helmed by the renowned director Hidetaka Miyazaki, leading to notable deviations in gameplay mechanics and design choices. Despite receiving mixed reviews, some laud the game for its unique identity within the series.

As the sun sets on Dark Souls 2, March 31 will mark the closure of its servers on the original platforms, PS3 and Xbox 360. This shutdown will render PvP and co-op modes inaccessible on these consoles, although offline gameplay will still be available. The official server closure is scheduled for 5:00 PDT/14:00 CEST/21:00 JST.

When Will the Dark Souls 2 Servers Stop Operating?

• Sunday, March 31 at 5:00 PDT/14:00 CEST/21:00 JST
• Scholar of the First Sin edition will uphold online functionalities

The Dark Souls 2 community need not despair entirely, as the Scholar of the First Sin edition will preserve online capabilities on newer platforms. Originally released as an enhanced version, Scholar of the First Sin brought Dark Souls 2 to PS4 and Xbox One, ensuring continued access to online features.

While the eventual discontinuation of Dark Souls 2 servers across all editions remains a possibility, FromSoftware is known for supporting its titles long after their initial release. Currently, Elden Ring stands as one of the studio's most popular games, with the upcoming Shadow of the Erdtree expansion generating excitement among players. Scheduled for release on June 21, the DLC promises a fresh multiplayer experience for fans of FromSoftware's creations.