Is Elden Ring Worth $80 in 2026? Yes, Absolutely.

As an avid gamer and FromSoftware fanatic who has poured over 130 hours into Elden Ring, I can say with confidence that it is absolutely worth full price at $80. In fact, I‘d argue $80 is a bargain given the sheer scale, quality, and completeness of the gameplay experience. Allow me to elaborate on why Elden Ring is such an incredible value in 2022 even at full retail pricing.

A Direct Answer Before We Dive In

I know what you may be thinking first and foremost – why should I pay $80 for Elden Ring in 2022 when there are sales on older games? Or when I can wait a few months for a discount? I don‘t want to mince words here: at its full $60 asking price (and an assumed $20 more for the truly impatient), Elden Ring is absolutely worth every cent in 2022. I fully believe that and will tell you exactly why over the course of this guide.

For anyone even remotely interested in third-person open world action RPGs, Elden Ring should be an essential purchase at whatever price you can find it for. There is a very good reason it is considered not just one of the best games of 2022, but one of the greatest videogames ever created. The sheer artistry, meticulous design and staggering depth evident in every facet of its open world is second to none.

The Exquisite Open World Design Sets a New Benchmark

Let‘s start by talking about the core of any open world game – the open world itself. FromSoftware‘s first attempt at designing a fully open-ended game world is an absolute triumph. The Lands Between feels less like a artificial amusement park of icons to chase and more like a living, breathing fantasy world. Let me elaborate by comparing Elden Ring to other seminal open world games.

Elden Ring vs Skyrim:

While Skyrim offers more interactable NPCs and questlines, its dungeons grow repetitive quickly. Elden Ring‘s legacy dungeons are handcrafted with challenging enemies and puzzles. The world design encourages exploration organically through visual storytelling cues rather than level gating zones. Fast travel is limited to encourage immersion in the world. Skyrim allows fast travel from anywhere, diminishing immersion.

Elden Ring vs Breath of the Wild:

Both games feature excellent environmental traversal with horses and climbing. Elden Ring‘s world benefits from more handcrafted content and dungeons compared to BOTW‘s procedural design. Elden Ring offers build variety and character progression that encourage replays. Both games capture a wonderful sense of adventure and mystery organically in world design.

Elden Ring World Design Highlights

• Verticality – elaborate multi-tier level design rewards exploration both horizontally and vertically.

• Interconnected – distinct regions seamlessly link together to feel like one cohesive open world.

• Rewarding Exploration – hidden areas, mini-bosses and loot encourage you to explore without map icons.

• Environmental Storytelling – detailed ruins, fallen kingdoms and eccentric NPCs make the world feel alive.

• Puzzle Dungeons – legacy dungeons offer challenging enemies, devious traps and puzzles requiring observation.

The world design standards set by Elden Ring are a benchmark that other open world games will aspire to match for years to come.

Satisfying Combat Gameplay Perfectly Balanced

Of course, world design means nothing without engaging gameplay to accompany your adventures. Here too Elden Ring executes masterfully, offering FromSoftware‘s most accessible but also layered combat system yet.

Accessibility comes from the expanded character building options. Magic builds allow ranged playstyles. Spirit summons help mitigate difficulty. Impressive weapon arts expand your moveset. Stealth empowers cunning assassin builds.

Yet the hardened combat core still remains. Precise timing and pattern recognition is mandatory. Punishing enemies and bosses will quickly flatten reckless players. Stamina management remains crucial. This balancing act between accessibility and challenge is what makes Elden Ring such an enjoyable gameplay experience for veterans and newcomers alike.

Staggering Amount of Content Keeps You Engaged

Open world games live and die by the strength of their content. A pretty open world is pointless without meaningful activities to engage with. Here too Elden Ring delivers in spades, easily providing over 200 hours of highly engaging content to uncover. Let‘s break down the breadth of content available:

• 60-80 hours following critical path to finish the story
• 100+ hours to complete all main and optional dungeons
• Dozens of unique boss fights, both main story and optional
• Hundreds of mini-dungeons like catacombs and caves to explore
• An extraordinary number of secrets – entire hidden zones, talismans, spells and legendary armaments tucked away off the beaten path.

I have sunk 130 hours into one playthrough and still have seen less than 70% of what Elden Ring has to offer. I discover exciting new mini-dungeons and hidden bosses every play session. The density of content is unparalleled.

Unmatched Replayability for Years to Come

And we haven‘t even touched on replayability yet – one of Elden Ring‘s greatest strengths. I am still finding fun new ways to experience the Lands Between, even after 130+ hours with one character. Let‘s examine the various ways Elden Ring incentivizes replay value:

• 10+ fully unique character builds to try – spellswords, assassins, unga bunga bonk builds and more.
• Respec system lets you resample builds on one character.
• Four different ending paths to uncover.
• New Game+ cycles with remixes enemy and item placement.
• Cooperative and competitive multiplayer integration enhances replayability.
• Glitchless speedrunning community will be active for years.

Rather than relying on repetitive grinds or procedural content, Elden Ring‘s replayability stems from handcrafted content. Multiple playthroughs feel fresh and interesting rather than repetitive.

Complete Experience with No Predatory Microtransactions

And in an industry ridden with predatory microtransactions and egregious monetization, Elden Ring stands out as a complete experience right out of the box. No content or mechanics altered to incentivize spending more money. FromSoftware‘s continued stance against nickel-and-diming consumers should be applauded.

In fact, FromSoftware has confirmed all upcoming DLC for Elden Ring will be completely free as well. This approach of rewarding players with meaty post-launch support free of charge has helped previous From games thrive for 3-5 years. This long tail end-game support adds immense value.

Elden Ring Sales Reflect Its Incredible Reception

We‘ve talked a lot about Elden Ring‘s critical reception and quality, but the sales also speak for themselves. As of November 2022, Elden Ring has sold an estimated 17.5 million copies globally. For comparison:

• Dark Souls 3 Lifetime Sales – 10 million
• Sekiro Lifetime Sales – 5 million
• Elden Ring Launch Month Sales – 12 million

Elden Ring has already nearly doubled the lifetime sales of FromSoftware‘s last two major releases in just 9 months. Launching amidst the pandemic and supply constraints makes this even more impressive.

Elden Ring Sales Milestones:

With praise as glowing as Elden Ring has received, these blockbuster sales were inevitable. Elden Ring has succeeded in propelling FromSoftware‘s signature formula into the gaming mainstream.

Conclusion – An Instant Classic Worth Full Price

At the end of my long-winded analysis, my verdict remains clear. Even at the steepest $80 price tag, Elden Ring is an instant classic and an essential play for any RPG fan in 2022. The sheer artistry in world design, meticulousness of its combat systems, absurd hundreds of hours of handcrafted content, and lack of manipulative monetization schemes make Elden Ring one of the greatest entertainment values in recent memory.

Of course, value is subjective. If you demand only the flashiest graphics or dislike challenge, Elden Ring may not suit your tastes. But for any gamer who relishes exploration, mystery, intense battles and builds, Elden Ring is impossible not to recommend. Hidetaka Miyazaki and the team at FromSoftware have honed the open world action RPG formula to sheer perfection with their first attempt.

So yes, even as a premium $80 purchase, you are getting one of the most unforgettable, rewarding gaming experiences possible in 2022. Do not let the steep price tag deter you. Elden Ring truly delivers an unparalleled adventure unlike anything else on the market. Now get out there, Tarnished! The Lands Between await.