During Capcom’s Gamescom 2026 preview event in New York, I got hands-on with several of the publisher’s upcoming games, including Mega Man: Dual Override and the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen. But the Switch 2 wasn’t the only place I played Capcom’s expanded action RPG, as I also spent nearly an hour with Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen running on the base PlayStation 5.
Unlike my shorter, combat-focused Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen Switch 2 session, the PS5 demo gave me more time to explore what Dark Arisen adds to the original game. Instead of dropping me straight into battle, it was split into two parts. The first let me pick up several quests, explore part of the new area, and get acquainted with the dangers waiting there.
That new area is Norgan, a long-abandoned region in the snowy north. While exploring, I ran into plenty of enemies I hadn’t seen before; new humanoid foes, wolves, and even an electrified reptile, and even stormed into an encampment along the way. Eventually I came across a massive yeti wielding a fully grown tree as a weapon. Of course, that meant I had to take it on, and I wasn’t backing down, even though I wasn’t exactly prepared for the fight.
Afterward, I kept pushing through the region until I reached a structure that kicked off part two of the demo. One of the first imposing creatures shown off from Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen was a massive undead dragon, and sure enough, that’s exactly what was waiting for me. That fight took forever, and no matter what my pawns and I threw at it, nothing stuck. Even when we managed to take off its limbs, the dragon just shrugged it off, grew new ones, and kept coming. It felt like there was nothing I could do to stop it.
Just when I thought it was game over, a new character appeared out of nowhere. As my Arisen watched from the ground, she turned toward the dragon and said it was her burden to bear, then started walking toward it as the demo ended. Damn, that was a fun fight, and it was just a taste of what’s coming. Now I need to get back to my own Dragon’s Dogma 2 save and start leveling up my character and pawns. Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen looks like it’s shaping up to be an epic adventure.
Performance-wise, the game ran great, similar to the current game does. I don’t have any specifics in regard to resolution or frame rate. Still, I’d imagine (hope) that Capcom worked some of that magic they’re being sprinkling on its games as of late to make the game perform even better.
Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen releases on October 9, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. Curious how the Switch 2 version stacks up? Check out my Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen Switch 2 hands-on preview.
