Fix: “A Connection Error Occurred – Returning to Your World” in Elden Ring

While being summoned into a friend’s world in Elden Ring, you may encounter an error that reads “A Connection Error Occurred – Returning to your world.” If this error occurs, you’ll be unable to join your friend’s game and will be sent back to your own world. 

While there is no exact cause of this error, there are multiple reasons why you may be facing it. We’ve listed all the possible factors that can make this error occur.

• Weak Internet Connection: The main culprit is the user’s internet status when the connection is taking place. A slow or unstable internet connection can cause various connectivity issues with different programs.
• Server Problems: With games like Elden Ring that have enormous player bases, server problems are not uncommon. Therefore, whenever you encounter such a connectivity issue, you should always check online to see if the game servers are down.
• In-Game Voice Chat: A noticeable number of users online have reported that the in-game voice chat of Elden Ring is one of the reasons why they experience the error.
• Missing Administrator Privileges: If Steam and/or Elden Ring do not have administrator privileges, it can cause errors, such as these connectivity issues.
• DNS Server Issue: Using the default DNS Server setting of Windows 10 can cause problems with online games. You should always use the Google DNS Server for the smoothest internet connection.
• Wrong NAT Type: If your NAT is set to the wrong type, it will interfere with your system’s ability to connect with online servers.

1. Check your Internet Connection

Whenever you encounter a connectivity issue in games like Elden Ring, the first step to solving it is to check your internet connection. You have to ensure your connection is not too slow or unstable.

If it is slow and/or unstable, you should check if you’re downloading or streaming something in the background while playing Elden Ring. To have the smoothest Elden Ring experience, you must pause all downloads and/or streams.

If that doesn’t fix your issue, you’ll have to do some troubleshooting. The first step will be to switch from Wifi to Ethernet. Simply plug your system into your router using an Ethernet cable and turn off Wifi. This should make your internet connection more stable.

You can then try restarting your router. After you turn the router off, wait around a minute before turning it on again.

If your internet connection still isn’t fixed, try switching to another network connection (if available). You can also try connecting your system to your mobile data using the hotspot feature on your phone.

2. Server Problems

Popular games like Elden Ring usually have hundreds of thousands of users trying to connect to their servers simultaneously. This can cause incredible stress on the servers, often making them crash. 

So before you try to troubleshoot on your end, check online to see if the game servers are up and running. If the game servers are down, you’ll see many people online on different forums complaining about it. 

And if this happens, all you can do is wait until the servers come back online. 

3. Turn Off In-Game Voice Chat

The voice chat of Elden Ring seems to be bugged, as some players on online forums have reported that it can be the cause of the connection error in the game. 

Therefore, it is possible to fix the error in Elden Ring by simply disabling the voice chat.

To turn off the Elden Ring voice chat, you’ll need to be connected to the internet first. Once you are, follow the steps we’ve listed below.

1. Open up the Settings menu.
2. Head to the Network category.
3. Set the Voice Chat option to Restricted. 
   

   

If this doesn’t work, don’t worry, as we’ve listed more solutions for this problem below.

4. Run Elden Ring and Steam as Administrator

If you don’t run Steam and its games as an administrator, it can cause problems. This is because running games as administrator grants them complete read and write privileges, allowing them to perform as intended.

To run Steam as an administrator, follow these steps:

1. Press Windows Key and type Steam.
2. Right-click on Steam and click on “Open File Location.”

   

3. In the Window that opens, right-click on Steam.exe and click on Properties.

   

4. In the Compatability tab, check “Run as Administrator” and click Apply.

   

After granting Steam admin privileges, you must also grant them to a specific Elden Ring file. To do so, follow the steps listed below:

1. Head to the following directory.

   C:\Program Files (x86)\EasyAntiCheat_EOS

2. If the file is not stored in this folder, you’ll have to search for it using File Explorer.
3. After finding this file, right-click on it and select Properties.
4. In the Compatability tab, check “Run as Administrator” and click Apply.

   

Now that both Steam and Elden Ring have administrator privileges relaunch Elden Ring and see if the error is fixed or not.

5. Enable a VPN

Since you’re experiencing a connectivity issue, you should try using a VPN to see if the problem gets fixed. This will let you figure out if the connectivity error is due to your locality or not.

A VPN software artificially changes your locality, giving you access to features and content that is otherwise unavailable in your locality. 

There are a ton of different VPN software available online. When looking for a VPN, ensure it offers access to countries like Germany, Switzerland, and Canada, as these countries have amazing online game servers.

Once you’ve downloaded a VPN, turn it on and connect to one of the aforementioned servers. Then, launch Elden Ring and see if the connection error persists.

Here are some of the best VPNs you can try for gaming.

6. Switch to the Google DNS Setting

The default DNS setting of Windows and consoles can often cause problems with online games. So it’s a good idea to switch over to the Google DNS setting as it is much more efficient. 

If you’re playing Elden Ring on PC, follow the steps listed below to switch to the Google DNS setting:

1. Open Windows Settings by pressing Windows Key + I at the same time.
2. Click on the Network & Internet option.

   

3. Click on Change Adapter Settings.
   

   

4. In the Window that pops up, right-click on the network you’re connected to and select Properties.
   

   

5. In the list of items, click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)
6. Click on Properties.
   

   

7. Click on “Use the following DNS server addresses:” 
8. In the Preferred DNS server option, type 8.8.8.8.
9. In the Alternate DNS server option, type 8.8.4.4.
10. Click on OK and restart your PC.

    

If you’re using a PlayStation 4, follow these steps:

1. From your home screen, head to Settings.
   

   

2. Select Network, then “Set up Internet Connection.”
   

   

    

   

3. You’ll be asked if you want to connect through Wifi or LAN (Ethernet). If your PS4 is plugged into the router, select LAN. If it isn’t, then select Wifi.
4. Select Custom.
5. For IP Address Settings, select Automatic.
6. For DHCP Host Name, select Do Not Specify.
7. For DNS Settings, select Manual.
   
8. In the Primary DNS option, enter 8.8.8.8.
9. In the Secondary DNS option, enter 8.8.4.4.
   

   

10. Press the Next button and then select Automatic for the MTU Settings.
11. For the Proxy Server, select Do Not Use.

Once you’ve done that, the DNS server of your PS4 will be updated. Restart your system so that it can take effect.

If you’re using a PlayStation 5, follow these steps:

1. From your home screen, head to Settings.
   

   

2. Select Network > Settings > Set up Internet Connection.
   

   

   

3. Select the Network you’re connected to and click Advanced Settings. 

   

4. Scroll down to DNS Settings and switch it to Manual; this will show you the Primary and Secondary DNS settings.
   
5. In the Primary DNS option, enter 8.8.8.8.
6. In the Secondary DNS option, enter 8.8.4.4.
   

   

7. Click on OK to save the settings.

If you’re using an Xbox One, follow these steps:

1. From your home screen, press the Xbox button to open the Guide menu.
   
2. Scroll over to the System category.
3. Select Settings and then go down to the Network category.
   

   

4. Select Network Settings.
   

   

5. Select Advanced Settings > DNSSettings > Manual. 
   

   

   

6. In the Primary DNS option, enter 8.8.8.8.
   

   

7. In the Secondary DNS option, enter 8.8.4.4.
   

   

If you’re using an Xbox Series S or Series X, follow these steps:

1. From your home screen, click on Settings. 

   

2. In the General category, click on Network Settings.
   

   

3. Select Advanced Settings > DNS Settings > Manual.
   

   

   

4. In the Primary DNS option, enter 8.8.8.8.
   

   

5. In the Secondary DNS option, enter 8.8.4.4.
   

   

Once your DNS settings are changed, you should flush your DNS to ensure that the built-up Cache from your previous DNS server is cleared. Follow these steps to flush your DNS:

1. Press Windows Key and type cmd. 
2. Open Command Prompt as administrator.

   

3. In Command Prompt, type 

   ipconfig /flushdns

4. Press Enter and wait for the process to finish.

   

5. When it finishes, it will show a message saying, “Windows IP Configuration Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache.”
6. Close Command Prompt and restart your PC.

Now, launch Elden Ring and see if the “Connection Error Occurred – Returning to World” message still appears when you’re trying to get summoned into another world.  

7. Change your NAT Type

If you’re playing Elden Ring on a console, there’s a network setting called “NAT” that needs to be switched to a specific type. The Network Address Translation (NAT) setting allows your console to connect to online servers. 

There are three options for the NAT setting: Strict, Moderate, and Open.

If NAT is set to Strict or Moderate, your console’s ability to connect to different servers will be heavily restricted. This is why you should always ensure it is set to Open.

Head into your console’s Network settings and click on the “Test Internet Connection” option. This will allow you to see what your NAT type is.

The best way to change your NAT type to Open is to head to your router’s setting page using your browser and enable the UPnP option. 

To open your router’s setting page, you’ll need to enter its default gateway (IP Address) in your browser’s search bar. If you don’t know your IP Address, you can easily find it by following the steps we’ve listed below.

1. Press Windows Key and type cmd. 
2. Open Command Prompt as administrator.

   

3. Type the following command and press enter:

   ipconfig

   

4. Scroll down to the Ethernet Adapter section and copy the Default Gateway.

   

Post this address on your browser’s search bar and enter. This will bring you to the login page of your router’s settings, where you’ll have to enter the router’s username and password. If you don’t know your router’s username and password, search “(router model) default Username and Password” on Google. 

Once you’ve opened your router’s settings, look for the UPnP Configuration option and enable it.

After enabling UPnP, go back to your console and click on the Test Internet Connection again. Your NAT type should now be set to Open.