It’s been almost a year since the Japanese release of theElden RingTRPG, and there still appears to be no English translation in the works. With TRPGs and board games currently more popular than ever, many fans are understandably questioning why theElden RingTRPGis being left untranslated.
Released on June 28, 2025, theElden Ring TRPGis a 624-page labor of love from author Hironori Kato—a renowned RPG systems designer whose work unfortunately remains mostly obscure in the West. Featuring art by Jun Suemi, theElden Ring TRPG’s three rulebooks allow a team of players—guided by a DM—to explore the Lands Between as never before. Featuring four new classes created exclusively for the game, theElden Ring TRPG’s intricate design, unique mechanics, and expansive scope make for a truly one of a kindpen and paper tabletop game.
The Elden Ring TRPG is Currently Japan Exclusive
Much like theDark Souls TRPGbefore it, at the moment theElden Ring TRPGis only available in Japan. With the game not yet translated into any other language, fans are currently only able to embark on a pen and paper journey intoThe Lands Betweenif they speak Japanese. Unfortunately, the business of translating game-books means it’s unlikely this situation will change any time soon.
AnEnglish-languageDark Souls TRPGwas released by Steamforged Games in 2022. Built upon theDungeons & Dragons5th edition ruleset, the game was met with middling reviews from fans and critics.
Translating the Elden Ring TRPG Would Be a Difficult Task
Hironori Kato’sElden Ring TRPGis a big game. At over 600 pages—and featuring footnotes, lists, tables, annotations, and long passages explainingElden Ring’s loreand the TRPG’s mechanics—theElden Ring TRPGwould be both time-consuming and expensive to translate. In addition to this, finding the right translator would be an undertaking of its own.
Translation is an art, and translating pen and paper rulebooks brings with it the problem of finding a translator able to effectively and clearly translate technical and highly complex systems of rules, while also being able to accurately translate the original writer’s prose style and localize the lore and enemy descriptions without missing specific cultural and literary references particular to the genre and/or IP. The notoriously terrible French translation of theDark Souls TRPGis a perfect example of how difficult this can be.
An English-Language Release of the Japanese Elden Ring TRPG Might Not Make Sense Financially
Translating and republishing a book is a lot of work, involving a lot of people. Before even attempting the translation, a publisher would need to secure distribution rights, liaise copyright contracts with a massively successful video game publisher, and establish royalty agreements with bothFromSoftware and the TRPG’s creative team. This would require lawyers working with translators, all of whom would have to be paid. Translation of the work itself would then be costly, as would marketing and the production of the books themselves. None of this is factoring in other costs, like project managers.
While there is certainly money to be made translating and republishingtheElden Ring TRPG, it’s unclear whether that money would justify the costs incurred acquiring, translating and republishing the work itself—especially as theElden Ring TRPGrulebooks would likely be sold to distributors at wholesale prices, and both FromSoft and Bandai Namco would take a significant cut of the profits. With all the resources required to translate and reprint it, and relatively small profit margins when finally published, TheElden Ring TRPGwould need to be a significant success to justify its production costs.
A Fan Translation Might Save the Elden Ring TRPG From Total Obscurity
While official releases require lawyers and professional translators, fan-projects are driven primarily by passion, hard work, and a desire to engage with the product. Coming from passionate people intimately acquainted with the source material, fan-translations are also generally less likely to miss intricacies a translator unfamiliar with the source material might.
While there aren’t anyElden Ring TRPGfan-translations currently in the works, there’s also no sign of an official English release. It’s likely only a matter of time before an intrepid team ofElden Ringfans decide to take on thisGreyoll-sized challenge.
Elden Ring
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ELDEN RING, developed by FromSoftware, Inc. and BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc., is a fantasy action-RPG adventure set within a world created by Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin. Danger and discovery lurk around every corner in FromSoftware’s largest game to date. Hidetaka Miyazaki - President and Game Director of FromSoftware Inc. Known for directing critically-acclaimed games in beloved franchises including Armored Core and Dark Souls.George R.R. Martin is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including the acclaimed series A Song of Ice and Fire - A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast For Crows, and A Dance with Dragons. As a writer-producer, he has worked on The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, and various feature films and pilots that were never made. He lives with the lovely Parris in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
