Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen Is Out Today. Are You Heading North?

Arisen, it is time to pack warm. Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen is out today, October 9, 2026, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC through Steam. It also marks the game’s first appearance on Nintendo Switch 2, where the base game and the expansion come together in one package, as Capcom confirmed when it set the date.

If you bounced off Dragon’s Dogma 2 in 2024, or finished it and wished there was more, this is the reason to come back.

What is new in Dark Arisen

The headline addition is Norgan, a long abandoned region in the snowy north. Capcom calls this part of the expansion Forsaken Dominion. You travel with a new companion, Eir, who is trying to uncover the secrets of the undying Fallen Dragon.

Loot works a little differently up there. You dig up forgotten relics and have them appraised, and they turn into new weapons and skills. If that sounds like the original Dark Arisen, it is meant to. Kento Kinoshita, who directed that expansion, is back in the director’s chair.

There is also something for players who never leave the main map. Lost Rites adds 12 dungeon challenges to the existing regions, each holding rare gear that once belonged to earlier Arisen. And the character creator gets new hairstyles and tattoos, for those of us who spend the first hour there anyway.

Where to start, and at what level

You do not need to finish the story first. According to producer Naoto Oyama in a Capcom community post, both parts of the expansion open early in the main story: speak with Brant at the tavern after you arrive in Vernworth.

Capcom recommends level 40 for Forsaken Dominion and level 20 for Lost Rites. Oyama describes those numbers as a starting point only. The difficulty climbs as you go, and nothing stops you from walking in underleveled if you like to live dangerously.

What it costs

If you already own Dragon’s Dogma 2 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S or Steam, you can buy the expansion on its own. The Steam listing prices it at $29.99 in the United States, and it needs the base game to run. New players can pick up a version that includes both. On Switch 2, the single package is the only way it is sold.

The base game has changed too

Coming back after a long break? Capcom has spent the months before launch updating the base game for free. A June update added the reusable Eternal Ferrystone, which makes fast travel far less of a chore. Title Update 3.2 followed with performance improvements, six skill slots where there used to be four, more save slots, and a Dragonsplague that is easier to spot and cure.

Those changes apply whether or not you buy the expansion, so make sure your game is fully updated before you set out.

For the full rundown of the expansion, visit our Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen game page.

So, are you heading north today? Which vocation are you taking into Norgan, and is your main Pawn ready for the cold? Tell us in the comments. Just remember Capcom’s advice before you go: level 40 for Norgan, level 20 for the Lost Rites.