I love Dragon's Dogma 2. Without question, it's one of the best RPGs of this generation, if not of all time, so you can imagine my excitement at the impending release of Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen. Luckily for me, I had the chance to go hands-on with it, thanks to Capcom.
During my time with the game, I got to play a main demo on the PlayStation 5 Pro as well as a single quest on the Nintendo Switch 2, the latter of which is going to be available to the public at Gamescom. I was able to choose between three quests - being a Dragon's Dogma 2 veteran, I opted for the biggest challenge, which was to fight a big frosty giant, taking the beast down in just over five minutes. However, you can fight a griffon if you prefer an easier opponent.
Naturally, I got to see considerably more of the new location, Norgan, when playing the main demo, which took me roughly one hour, culminating in a boss fight that epitomizes the Dragon's Dogma 2 experience really well, but I'm getting ahead of myself. I started the demo in a village, being able to select which vocation to use - being a strike-first and don't-bother-asking-questions-later kind of girl, I chose the Mystic Spearhand vocation, allowing me to take a highly aggressive approach. Combat is one of my favorite things about the original DD2, as it truly allows you to play your way, thanks to the different vocations and all the weapons available to you.
It took no time at all to slip back into the flow of things, with three trusty pawns at my side, instantly reminding me of the fun banter and camaraderie that you get to experience in DD2. As soon as I had my bearings, I was off to complete a string of quests; some involved tracking down an item and others killing creatures. All of which culminates in you trekking up a cliffside to an epic boss fight that really tests your skills as the Arisen.
The new area clearly has much to offer, and it finally brings us a snowy landscape to go along with the desert and forests from the base game. During my one mission on the Switch 2, I took on that frosty dragon in a snow-laden arena. I have to say, I appreciated seeing the snow fall all around me as I took the fight to that beast, and I relished the opportunity to explore my snowy surroundings while waiting for my 15 minutes to be up. I need to see more of these dank, frozen castles and chilling caves.
Performance-wise, it's no surprise that the game looks fantastic and runs perfectly on the PS5 Pro, though I need to give some credit to the Switch 2 version. I only got to try the game in handheld mode and for a short time, but it ran reasonably well, which makes me think Capcom will give us another showcase in an NS2 port done right when in docked mode.
Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen is clearly shaping up to be another huge, fun experience, with the fresh area and new story offering plenty of intrigue. As soon as I finished the demo, I just wanted to play more; I need to know what happens. I'm fully invested, and the release date can't come soon enough for what I know is going to be one of the best RPGs in 2026 - the base game more than earned its RPG of the Year nomination at The Game Awards in 2026.