PlayStation 3 · 2012
Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition
The Prepare to Die Edition brings Dark Souls and its Artorias of the Abyss expansion onto a single PS3 disc, making it the most complete physical form of the original release.
- Publisher
- Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Format
- Blu-ray Disc
- Genre
- Action role-playing
- Released
- 2012
01
Overview
This 2012 edition remasters the 2011 Japanese original and folds the Artorias of the Abyss expansion directly into the base game. The world of Lordran retains its interconnected design, demanding combat, and areas that reward backtracking with new discoveries. A dedicated multiplayer layer lets players cooperate in co-op sessions or invade other worlds for PvP duels.
02
Why it matters
Prepare to Die Edition consolidated the base game and its major expansion into one disc, setting a practical standard for how a challenging action RPG could ship as a single complete physical product. Its interconnected world design and persistent difficulty became reference points for the broader soulslike genre that followed.
03
The physical edition
A typical PS3 copy ships as a standard jewel case with the game disc, which carries version 1.06 and includes the Artorias of the Abyss content on-disc. Some regional or limited variants may add extra printed material, but the standard retail package is otherwise straightforward.
04
Playing it today
The game runs natively on PS3 hardware and the Artorias content is playable straight from the disc without any download. Online multiplayer was active while PS3 PlayStation Network was supported; the single-player experience stands fully on its own regardless.