PSA: You Can Kinda Sorta Pause Elden Ring

As good as Elden Ring is, it’s so vast and time-consuming that most will probably want a breather at some point. FromSoftware’s action RPGs — save for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice — do not have the option to pause the game. If you spend time faffing about in the menus, rearranging your equipment, the action around you continues, and it may cause an untimely death or two for the unaware. Elden Ring is the same, not freezing the game world while in menus, meaning you’d have to quit out if you want to keep your Runes safe.

However, someone has found a roundabout way to pause Elden Ring. If you really do need to call a time out, YouTuber Iron Pineapple has discovered a trick you can use to effectively pause the action:

So, to lay it all out, here are the steps required to “pause” Elden Ring.

1. Press Options and open the Inventory
2. Press the Touch Pad to open Help
3. Select ‘Menu Explanation’

We’ve tested this and it does work as shown in the above tweet. The action continues to roll until you select Menu Explanation from the Help screen, but after that point, the game acts as though it’s paused, meaning you have plenty of time to pop to the loo, stretch your legs, or scream into a pillow after your 27th go at a boss. If you are struggling with the game and could use a pause screen, maybe give our Elden Ring guide a look to help you conquer your foes.

Will you use this workaround to pause Elden Ring? Does the lack of a regular pause option bother you, or is it just par for the course at this stage? Tell us in the comments section below.