Those Tough Elden Ring DLC Requirements Didn’t Stop Shadow of the Erdtree Sales — It Sold an Incredible 5 Million in Just 3 Days

Elden Ring DLC Shadow of the Erdtree is off to a flying start, selling five million copies in just three days.

“This milestone is the result of the tremendous support from fans all over the world, to whom we express our heartfelt gratitude,” publisher Bandai Namco said in a note to press. Shadow of the Erdtree launched across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S on Friday June 20.

Bandai Namco had expressed confidence in Shadow of the Erdtree’s sales ahead of launch despite the fact two bosses, including a tough optional boss many players might have missed, must be defeated before the expansion can be accessed. Steam achievement data showed nearly two thirds of Elden Ring PC players had yet to defeat this boss going into the release of Shadow of the Erdtree. (If you’re still hoping to play, check out IGN’s guide on How to Prepare for the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.)

Many would assume this to be an issue for developer FromSoftware and Bandai Namco, given the game itself is essentially stopping more than half its player base from accessing the DLC and therefore wanting to spend more money. But Bandai Namco Europe's chief marketing and sales officer Anthony Macare told GI.biz that Elden Ring sold so many copies that it doesn't matter.

"That statistic does present a unique challenge," he said. "However, with over 25 million units sold, even a fraction of our player base constitutes a substantial audience. Our marketing efforts have been tailored to engage this significant segment effectively."

Five million sales after just three days on sale is an incredible result for Shadow of the Erdtree, and suggests an impressive 20% of Elden Ring base game owners paid another $40 for the DLC. Sales will surely increase over time, as Elden Ring's did over the course of 2022 and 2023.

After an initial ‘mixed’ Steam user review rating for Shadow of the Erdtree, sparked by a feeling its bosses are too hard as well as performance problems, the DLC is now up to ‘mostly positive.’ Shadow of the Erdtree has certainly enjoyed critical acclaim, and has become the highest-rated video game expansion of all-time by overtaking Witcher 3 DLC Blood and Wine on Metacritic. IGN’s Shadow of the Erdtree review returned a 10/10. We said: “Like the base game did before it, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree raises the bar for single-player DLC expansions. It takes everything that made the base game such a landmark RPG, condenses it into a relatively compact 20-25 hour campaign, and provides fantastic new challenges for heavily invested fans to chew on.”

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.