Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen is getting a fan-requested hard mode

The highly requested feature is real, though details remain sparse

One of the most requested features in Dragon's Dogma 2 is finally becoming a reality. Ahead of the release of the expanded Dark Arisen version of the game, Capcom has confirmed a hard mode is in development.

Earlier today, July 31, the official Steam page for Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen posted a Q&A with director Kento Kinoshita and producer Naoto Oyama. In response to a question about the expansion content's level of challenge, Kinoshita shared that the team is "working on a hard mode that will provide a satisfying challenge for seasoned players whose stats have reached, or are approaching, the level cap." As for the new content's difficulty, Kinoshita said the expansions are being designed with a greater sense of challenge than the main game. Oyama followed up on the hard mode news and teased information on a release window will be shared at a later date.

Capcom previously teased that hard mode was something the developer would consider for Dark Arisen. Even with confirmation that the long-awaited feature is real, however, details remain very sparse. For one thing, Oyama's teasing of a release window in the future might alarm some fans as it suggests hard mode won't launch alongside Dark Arisen. The glass-half-full perspective on this is that Capcom could release the feature prior to the release of Dark Arisen as a way to help players prepare for the new content. Though that itself remains up in the air, as Kinoshita's answer is vague on whether hard mode will be available for the base game or just Dark Arisen's new expansion content.

Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen brings a number of quality-of-life improvements and new story content to the original 2024 action RPG. Capcom has already announced tweaks to controversial features like Dragonsplague and fast-travel. The main event, however, is the introduction of a new region, Norgan, and the Forsaken Dominion storyline that will play out there.

Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen launches on Oct. 9, 2026, for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X/S.