Elden Ring is a challenging game that thrusts players into an unforgiving open world. Whether users play online or offline, pausing has been a feature withheld from users when venturing into Soulsborne territory. There is, however, a workaround in Elden Ring that allows players to pause their game, should they need a breather.

There are several steps players need to follow to get the pause feature functioning in Elden Ring, which we’ve listed below:

Pausing in Elden Ring

Open the Menu

Open the Main Menu in the game’s overworld, pressing the Options button on PlayStation controllers and the Menu button on Xbox controllers. You’ll see the interface above when you do.

Head to the Equipment Tab

Venture to the Equipment Interface. Once you’ve moved the menu up, you’ll see your character stats on the right side and your gear on the left. Look at the bottom of this menu to see a list of options. You’ll want to select the Help option.

Open the Help Menu and Select Menu Explanation

Once you’ve opened the Help menu, scroll down to Menu Explanation and select it using either the X button on PlayStation controllers or the A button on Xbox controllers. After you’ve opened this menu, the game will effectively pause for as long as you leave this menu up. Getting the timing down to make a quick pause may take some time, but once you’ve learned it, you’re sure to save yourself from a challenging situation with ease.

The revelation of a pause button comes directly from Iron Pineapple, a Soulsborne YouTuber who tested the method and revealed his success online via the Twitter post shown below:

For more on Elden Ring, be sure to visit some of our other articles here on Pro Game Guides.