Of course with a huge launch of new content on a game, there are some things that are bound to be a bit buggy. In the case of the Elden Ring DLC Shadow of the Erdtree, some PS5 players are reporting that it’s not working and they can’t access it.
So, to help break down what the issue is, here are some fixes and a checklist to make sure everything is good to go on your end.
How to fix Elden Ring DLC not working on the PS5
First, you should make sure that your game is up-to-date. To do this, hover over your game and press the Options button. A menu should come up. Press “Check for Update”. If your game client is open, it’ll close to check if you have any pending updates. If everything is good here, proceed to the next step.
Make sure you have Shadow of the Erdtree purchased and installed with the correct version of your game. For example, if you are on the PS5 version of Elden Ring, make sure you download the DLC for the PS5 version. Once that’s done, go back into your game and check.
If you are at the Cocoon and there is no NPC or any interactive things around there other than your Site of Grace, then give your console a reset. Weirdly enough, a console reset while having all things prepared was what fixed this problem for me.
Make sure you have completed the DLC prerequisites
That goes without saying, but make sure you have both Mohg and Radahn defeated on your current character’s save file. They are two huge prerequisites for accessing the Shadow of the Erdtree.
You can be at the very end of the game on your save file, having beaten the Elden Beast and getting your proper ending. Just make sure to go back and beat those bosses if you haven’t. You have to defeat Radahn to get to the ending either way, so it may likely be Mohg. Otherwise, the whole console restarting trick actually works.