Elden Ring is hard. Almost every enemy will test your skills, and the bosses often take multiple tries to defeat. The game also doesn’t have a dedicated pause feature, meaning you can’t safely escape danger at the push of the button. This can be frustrating when you need to step away from your setup or you want to catch your breath in an intense situation. But some players have found other ways to pause Elden Ring, and PC players have a useful mod available.
YouTuber Iron Pineapple recently highlighted an easy way to pause Elden Ring by opening the Menu Explanation option in the inventory screen. This pauses the game, but with a few extra steps. Players must open the inventory screen, bring up another set of options, and finally select Menu Explanation. This can be tough when in an intense fight, especially when dealing with multiple enemies. A bit of practice can likely shorten the time needed to use this method, but don’t expect to save you from an impending attack.
Alternatively, PC players can download a mod called “Pause The Game,” which adds the highly requested feature to Elden Ring. But you will have to disable Elden Ring’s anti-cheat to install the mod, meaning you can’t enjoy the online portions of the game. It’s also not an officially supported mod, which can introduce unforeseen issues and consequences. If you have experience with mods, consider this an option.
The lack of a pause feature increases the difficulty of Elden Ring but also adds to the immersion. Life often requires our attention elsewhere, though, so consider these two options if pausing is a feature you desire.
