Software:Crimson Desert

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Short description: 2026 video game

Crimson Desert
Developer(s)Pearl Abyss
Publisher(s)Pearl Abyss
Platform(s)
ReleaseMarch 19, 2026
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Crimson Desert[lower-alpha 1] is a 2026 action-adventure game developed and published by Pearl Abyss. Originally planned as a prequel to Black Desert Online, the game evolved into a standalone title during development. It was released for macOS, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on March 19, 2026, with a Nintendo Switch 2 version planned for release in early 2027. It received generally positive reviews and sold three million copies within the first week of release.

Gameplay

Crimson Desert is an action-adventure game set in the open-world fictional continent of Pywel, a high fantasy world affected by multiple conflicts and mysterious forces. Players initially control Kliff, a member of the Greymanes, as he navigates a landscape populated by rival factions and dangerous creatures. The game features a dynamic combat system powered by the proprietary BlackSpace Engine, combining combo attacks, environmental traversal, and magic. Players can engage in horseback combat, face large-scale bosses such as dragons, and utilize a wide array of weapons and abilities enhanced with elemental effects. Pywel's open world offers a variety of activities including fishing, cooking, crafting, and hunting, allowing players to engage with the world beyond battles. The developers intended the world to be seamless and immersive, encouraging exploration and interaction with its inhabitants and environments.[1][2][3]

Plot

The narrative of Crimson Desert follows Kliff and his fellow Greymanes—Oongka, Yann, Naira, and others—during a period of conflict on the continent of Pywel. The fragile balance is disrupted by a devastating attack on the Greymanes by their sworn enemies and rival faction, the Black Bears. During the ensuing conflict, many members of the Greymanes are killed, and Kliff, along with the surviving members, are scattered. The story focuses on Kliff's journey to reunite with his comrades, rebuild the fallen Greymanes, and confront the Black Bears' leader, Myurdin.

Development and release

Crimson Desert was developed by Pearl Abyss, the creator of Black Desert Online and Shadow Arena. The development started in early 2018, and like Pearl Abyss' other games, it was developed in the company's proprietary game engine.[4] The game was first unveiled through the developer's earning reports in early 2019 under the codename Project CD. It was officially announced as the current title at G-Star 2019.[5]

The game was originally conceived as a prequel to Black Desert Online; however, during early development, Pearl Abyss gradually reimagined it as a single-player experience set in a separate universe and established as a distinct, non-continuous IP.[6] The game has since been marketed as single-player only, with no plans for multiplayer integration.[7] The Pearl Abyss team took inspiration from Sicily, Italy, to build the game world; the goal was to study the historical architecture and unique natural landscapes to give depth to the continent of Pywel. In December 2020, after the release of the trailer at The Game Awards 2020, Pearl Abyss released commentary videos to explain the development of the game and their vision for it.[8] The game uses an upgraded version of Black Desert Online's proprietary game engine called BlackSpace Engine.[9][10]

The team created a custom XML scripting system to facilitate the pipeline, allowing non-programmers to parse data more quickly than when using scripting language like Python and Lua. The development took 7 years overall.[11]

Pearl Abyss released a free, non-downloadable 20-minute demo for the game on Twitch on September 1, 2026.[12] It is played via Amazon GameLift Streams, a cloud gaming service utilising the servers of Amazon Web Services.[13]

Crimson Desert was released for macOS, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on March 19, 2026.[14]

Downloadable content

During a Sony State of Play live presentation held on September 3, 2026, a DLC expansion titled Charting the Unknown was announced.[15] The expansion follows Kliff as he travels beyond Pywel's shores aboard a ship alongside companions Oongka and Damiane. It adds new content, such as additional mechs, naval combat, underwater exploration, and expanded housing features using the game's base-building system.[16] The expansion is set to be released on October 15, 2026.[17]

Reception

Critical response

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic(PC) 77/100[18]
(PS5) 78/100[19]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Destructoid8.5/10[21]
Eurogamer3/5[22]
Game Informer7/10[23]
GameSpot7/10[24]
GamesRadar+4/5[25]
IGN6/10[26]
PC Gamer (UK)80/100[27]
Shacknews5/10[28]

According to the review aggregator website Metacritic, Crimson Desert received "generally favorable reviews".[18][19]

Destructoid found the game addictive, albeit with some rough edges, calling it "impossible to put down once you get going".[21] Press Start was pleasantly surprised, acknowledging it as "imperfect" yet "impressive enough to be within striking distance of the juggernauts of [the] genre."[30] Finding it a "fascinating journey" and a "jack of all trades", PC Gamer praised the game's scale, though acknowledged an imbalance of quality in some areas.[27] Some critics were able to find enjoyment in some aspects but were let down by others, labelled as "laser-targeted at the current demands of the attention economy" by Eurogamer.[22] While Shacknews remained able to find a lot to like, they ultimately felt that it was too large and ambitious for its own good.[28]

Combat in the game was often seen as Crimson Desert's most interesting and impressive feature. Checkpoint Gaming noticed a "huge amount of player expression" in each playable character's moveset, enjoying subtle contextual differences in animations, but finding the initial learning curve rough.[31] Combat was also praised for its freedom of expression by GameSpot and they were pleased by the absence of basic stat upgrades in the skill tree in favor of new attacks.[24] Despite finding a lot of flaws with the game overall, Eurogamer generally appreciated the "killer combat", aside from the lock-on system.[22] IGN took issue with the average fight length, finding that combat dragged on for too long with too many enemies, particularly outside of major story quests where it felt unwarranted.[26] GamesRadar+ took a different stance, believing that large groups were where combat was at its best, due to the amount of variety and options.[25]

Story

Reviewers usually found faults with the game's story. IGN and Eurogamer both criticised the narrative, along with its characters, with the former calling the story "aimless" and the dialogue "hard to listen to",[26] while the latter saw it as an underdeveloped afterthought.[22] GamesRadar+ suggested that the game was "better as a sandbox than as a story",[25] a similar sentiment to the one shared by Checkpoint Gaming, who warned against player expectations of a deep RPG with a cohesive story.[31] Windows Central said the story shined through set-pieces, yet was a "jumbled mess" overall.[32] On the other hand, TechRadar thought the story was engaging, with characters they were able to grow attached to and a plot that left them wondering how it would continue,[29] and ComicBook.com called the game a "masterclass in layered storytelling".[33]

The game's world was praised by most critics for its beauty and scale, along with the technical work behind it. Digital Spy said the world was beautiful visually, and praised the tempting exploration,[34] which Gamereactor wrote was almost unparallelled, comparing it to Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and the Legend of Zelda series.[35] From a technical perspective, Game Informer was impressed by how the entire world was rendered as a whole, and could be seen all at once from high points.[23] PC Gamer mentioned the lack of performance issues, which surprised them, considering how much seemed to happen in the world at once.[27] When discussing the immersion, IGN found the world to feel somewhat flat and not reactive enough, despite it being "absolutely gorgeous" visually and one of the most impressive parts of the game.[26]

A few critics noted frustrations with the game's controls, with them being called "wonky",[23] "overloaded",[31] and "clunky".[27][33][36] Checkpoint Gaming noted in particular that they often felt lacking in precision, feeling like the main reason for a lot of their mistakes in gameplay.[31] While Digital Spy agreed that it can take time to adjust to, they cite the controls as a strength, allowing for freedom in movement.[34]

Also a subject of criticism was the inventory system at launch, with Gamereactor saying it "may be the worst inventory system in the history of video games".[35] Several critics complained about the lack of slots to carry things in, compounded by the large number of different items they found themselves encouraged to carry, especially at the start of the game before more inventory slots are gained.[25][29][35][36] IGN noted that the game received a storage box mechanic in a post-launch update to help ease the issue.[26]

Sales

On March 20, 2026, Pearl Abyss announced that Crimson Desert had surpassed 2 million units sold within its first 24 hours.[37] Less than 3 months after its release, Crimson Desert surpassed 6 million copies sold worldwide.[38]

Controversies

Template:Controversy section

Intel GPU support

Immediately after the game's release, many gamers and media outlets noted that Crimson Desert explicitly does not support Intel Arc GPUs.[39][40] The title's developer, Pearl Abyss, suggests that affected users refund the game at the place of purchase.[41] After the issue became publicized, Intel commented on the situation, stating that they had contacted Pearl Abyss multiple times and offered access to early hardware, software, and drivers, as well as help optimizing the game so it would support Intel's GPUs at launch. Intel also suggested contacting Pearl Abyss directly for details on their decision not to support Arc.[42][43]

After initial backlash, Pearl Abyss changed FAQ page on game's website, stating that they are "working on compatibility and optimization support so that Crimson Desert can also be enjoyed on Intel Arc GPU systems".[44] The developer also apologized "for any confusion our FAQ wording from several hours ago regarding playability on Intel Arc GPUs may have caused"[45] and provided a patch which allowed the game to launch on some Intel Arc GPUs in an unoptimized state, with players mentioning frequent graphical issues and general instability.[44] Pearl Abyss provided no information regarding when they will introduce full support for the platform.[46]

Generative AI use

Following the game's release, players identified several in-game assets—specifically paintings and signs—that appeared to be created using generative AI. This led to criticism regarding Pearl Abyss's failure to disclose the use of AI on the game's Steam page, which requires such disclosures under Valve's content policies.[47] In response, Pearl Abyss issued an apology for what it termed "oversights", stating that the assets were "unintentionally included" in the final release build. Pearl Abyss claimed that they used generative AI "as part of early-stage iteration" to "explore tone and atmosphere in the earlier phases of production".[48] The studio announced it would conduct a "comprehensive audit" of the game's assets and pledged to replace any generative AI content with human-made artwork in a future update.[47]

Accolades

Awards and nominations

Award Year Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
China Game Innovation Awards 2026 Best International Game Award Crimson Desert Won [49]
Develop:Star Awards 2026 Best Technical Innovation Won [50]
Gamescom Awards 2026 Most Epic Nominated [51]
Best PC Game Nominated
World Soundtrack Awards 2026 Game music award Hwiman Ryu, Inro Joo, Hyoung Woo Roh, Jiyoon Kim, Dongjune Oh Pending [52]

Notes

  1. ↑ Template:Korean/auto
  2. ↑ Based on 134 reviews

References

  1. ↑ Randall, Harvey (21 August 2024). "Crimson Desert, the first single-player game from the Black Desert devs, is shaping up to be an absolute riot to play so far" (in en). https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/crimson-desert-the-first-single-player-effort-from-the-black-desert-devs-is-shaping-up-to-be-an-absolute-riot-to-play-so-far/. 
  2. ↑ Sheehan, Gavin (2020-12-22). "Pearl Abyss Reveals New Crimson Desert Videos With Commentary" (in en). https://bleedingcool.com/games/pearl-abyss-reveals-new-crimson-desert-videos-with-commentary/. 
  3. ↑ Purslow, Matt (2025-10-27). "What Is Crimson Desert? This Fantasy-Steampunk Open World Isn’t As Strange as You May Think". https://www.ign.com/articles/what-is-crimson-desert-hands-on-preview. 
  4. ↑ Jeong, Hyeokjin (21 September 2020). "목표는 글로벌 게임사! 펄어비스의 향후 10년 이끌 성장동력". https://www.thisisgame.com/articles/109758. 
  5. ↑ Jeong, Hyeokjin (13 November 2019). "신작 4종 공개, 게임사 최대 부스규모! 펄어비스 지스타 부스". https://www.thisisgame.com/articles/99458. 
  6. ↑ Saunders, Toby (March 18, 2026). "Is Crimson Desert multiplayer? Your options explained". https://www.radiotimes.com/technology/gaming/crimson-desert-multiplayer/. 
  7. ↑ Henley, Stacey (December 16, 2020). "Everything we know about Crimson Desert". https://www.pcgamer.com/crimson-desert-release-date-trailer-online-gameplay/. 
  8. ↑ "Pearl Abyss Unveils Crimson Desert Trailer Commentary Featuring Executive Producer and Founder Daeil Kim" (Press release). Pearl Abyss. December 18, 2020.
  9. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (2020-12-11). "Pearl Abyss' Crimson Desert will debut in the winter of 2021" (in en-US). https://venturebeat.com/business/pearl-abysss-crimson-desert-will-debut-in-the-winter-of-2021/. 
  10. ↑ Kim, Matt (2021-11-18). "Pearl Abyss Interview: Behind the Engine Powering Visually-Stunning Games Like DokeV" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/pearl-abyss-dokev-graphics-blackspace-engine. 
  11. ↑ Kim, Seungjun (22 July 2026). "일본서 붉은사막 노하우 공유한 펄어비스, 7년 개발 이면의 핵심은". ThisIsGame. https://www.thisisgame.com/articles/428091. 
  12. ↑ Claudino, Ashley. "Crimson Desert offers a download-free game demo". Valnet, Inc.. https://www.polygon.com/crimson-desert-free-demo-twitch/. 
  13. ↑ Mitul, Manas. "Crimson Desert Has a New Playable Demo That Can Be Directly Streamed on a Desktop Browser". New Delhi Television Ltd. (NDTV). https://www.gadgets360.com/games/news/crimson-desert-new-playable-demo-cloud-steaming-browser-twitch-pearl-abyss-11992659. 
  14. ↑ Romano, Sal (12 August 2025). "Crimson Desert delayed to Q1 2026". Gematsu. https://www.gematsu.com/2025/08/crimson-desert-delayed-to-q1-2026. 
  15. ↑ Onder, Cade. "Crimson Desert's First Expansion Is Releasing Next Month". Ziff Davis, Inc.. https://www.ign.com/articles/crimson-deserts-first-expansion-is-releasing-next-month. 
  16. ↑ Gonzales, Elijah. "Crimson Desert DLC's wacky first trailer takes the RPG to unexpected new places". Valnet, Inc.. https://www.polygon.com/crimson-desert-dlc-charting-the-unknown-trailer-release-date/. 
  17. ↑ LeBlanc, Wesley. "Crimson Desert: Charting The Unknown DLC Introduces Underwater Diving, Naval Combat, And More Next Month". Gunzilla Games. https://gameinformer.com/state-of-play/2026/09/03/crimson-desert-charting-the-unknown-dlc-introduces-underwater-diving-naval. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Crimson Desert (PC Critic Reviews)". https://www.metacritic.com/game/crimson-desert/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Crimson Desert (PS5 Critic Reviews)". https://www.metacritic.com/game/crimson-desert/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-5. 
  20. ↑ "Crimson Desert Reviews". https://opencritic.com/game/19373/crimson-desert. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Barovic, Andrej (March 20, 2026). "Crimson Desert Review - Vast, violent, and impossible to put down". https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/crimson-desert-review/. 
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 Gordon, Lewis (March 18, 2026). "Crimson Desert review - it's a bit like prestige Candy Crush". https://www.eurogamer.net/crimson-desert-review. 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Madsen, Hayes (March 18, 2026). "Crimson Desert Review - Open-World Overload". https://gameinformer.com/review/crimson-desert/open-world-overload. 
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Wakeling, Richard (March 18, 2026). "Crimson Desert Review - Highest Fantasy". https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/crimson-desert-review-highest-fantasy/1900-6418474/. 
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 Franey, Joel (March 18, 2026). "Crimson Desert review: "Take time to leave the beaten path and you'll find a game that's far better as a sandbox than as a story"". https://www.gamesradar.com/games/rpg/crimson-desert-review/. 
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 26.4 Northup, Travis. "Crimson Desert Review". https://www.ign.com/articles/crimson-desert-review. 
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 Taylor, Mollie (March 18, 2026). "Crimson Desert review". https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/crimson-desert-review/. 
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Borger, Will (March 18, 2026). "Crimson Desert review: Sometimes more is less". https://www.shacknews.com/article/148346/crimson-desert-review-sometimes-more-is-less. 
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 Williams, Isaiah (March 18, 2026). "Crimson Desert review: the open-world epic sandbox lovers have been waiting for". https://www.techradar.com/gaming/crimson-desert-review. 
  30. ↑ Mathew, Adam. "Crimson Desert Review - Mostly Worth The Wait". https://press-start.com.au/reviews/ps5-reviews/2026/03/19/crimson-desert-review-mostly-worth-the-wait/. 
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 Gallagher, Austin (March 19, 2026). "Crimson Desert Review - Great expectations". https://checkpointgaming.net/reviews/2026/03/crimson-desert-review-great-expectations/. 
  32. ↑ Hoglund, Michael (March 18, 2026). "Crimson Desert PC review: An overwhelming epic of discovery". https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/crimson-desert-is-too-much-in-the-best-and-worst-ways-and-thats-exactly-why-its-unforgettable. 
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Myles, Darrus (March 18, 2026). "Crimson Desert Review: After 200 Hours, I Can Say This is Ambition on an Unbelievable Scale". https://comicbook.com/gaming/review/crimson-desert-review-pc/. 
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Draper, Joe (March 18, 2026). "Crimson Desert review after 150 hours playing the game". https://www.digitalspy.com/tech/a70775308/crimson-desert-review/. 
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 Garrido, Alberto (March 18, 2026). "Crimson Desert: A majestic giant with feet of clay Review". https://www.gamereactor.eu/crimson-desert-a-majestic-giant-with-feet-of-clay-1691213/. 
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 Alston, Harry (March 18, 2026). "After 150 Hours With Crimson Desert It Feels Like A Deeply Flawed Diamond". https://www.thegamer.com/crimson-desert-review/. 
  37. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (2026-03-20). "Crimson Desert Dev Says It Will 'Work to Make Improvements Quickly,' as Sales Hit 2 Million in Just a Day". https://www.ign.com/articles/crimson-desert-dev-says-it-will-work-to-make-improvements-quickly-as-sales-hit-2-million-in-just-a-day. 
  38. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (2026-06-11). "'Thank You to Every Greymane Who Has Stepped Into Pywel' — Crimson Desert Just Keeps on Selling, Now Up to a Huge 6 Million" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/crimson-desert-hits-new-huge-sales-milestone-less-than-3-months-after-launch. 
  39. ↑ Killian, Zak (20 March 2026). "Crimson Desert offers no support for Intel GPUs — developer Pearl Abyss says 'please refer to the refund policy'" (in en-US). https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/pc-gaming/crimson-desert-offers-no-support-for-intel-gpus-developer-pearl-abyss-says-please-refer-to-the-refund-policy. 
  40. ↑ "Crimson Desert Lacks Intel Arc Support, Developer Tells Arc Gamers to Seek Refunds for the Game" (in en-US). TechPowerUp. https://www.techpowerup.com/347576/crimson-desert-lacks-intel-arc-support-developer-tells-arc-gamers-to-seek-refunds-for-the-game. 
  41. ↑ Bentley, James (20 March 2026). "Players who bought Crimson Desert 'expecting Intel Arc support' should request a refund" (in en-US). PC Gamer. https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/graphics-cards/crimson-desert-will-not-boot-on-intel-arc-graphics-cards-and-users-are-being-encouraged-to-refund-the-game/. 
  42. ↑ Moon, Mariella (21 March 2026). "Intel says Crimson Desert devs ignored offers of help to support Arc GPUs" (in en-US). https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/intel-says-crimson-desert-devs-ignored-offers-of-help-to-support-arc-gpus-155514896.html. 
  43. ↑ Roach, Jake (20 March 2026). "Intel suggests it was snubbed by Crimson Desert dev after reaching out "many times" about Arc GPUs – company says it provided "early hardware, drivers, and engineering resources" to studio" (in en-US). https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/intel-suggests-it-was-snubbed-by-crimson-desert-dev-after-reaching-out-many-times-about-arc-gpus-company-says-it-provided-early-hardware-drivers-and-engineering-resources-to-studio. 
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 "Crimson Desert now launches on Intel Arc, Pearl Abyss changes course" (in en-US). https://videocardz.com/newz/crimson-desert-now-launches-on-intel-arc-pearl-abyss-changes-course. 
  45. ↑ Tyson, Mark (2026-03-23). "Crimson Desert devs apologize for ‘confusion’ over Intel GPU FAQ — backtracks over prior dismissive language regarding Arc graphics support" (in en). https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/crimson-desert-devs-apologize-for-confusion-over-intel-gpu-faq-backtracks-over-prior-dismissive-language-regarding-arc-graphics-support. 
  46. ↑ Thomas, Jacqueline (2026-03-23). "Crimson Desert Doesn't Work on Intel GPUs, But Pearl Abyss Is Working On It" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/crimson-desert-doesnt-work-on-intel-gpus-but-pearl-abyss-is-working-on-it. 
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 O'Brien, Terence (22 March 2026). "Crimson Desert dev apologizes for use of AI art" (in en-US). https://www.theverge.com/games/898771/crimson-desert-dev-apologizes-ai-art. 
  48. ↑ Wagner, Justin (22 March 2026). "Crimson Desert team apologizes after players find AI art in the game: 'Our intention has always been for any such assets to be replaced'" (in en-US). https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/crimson-desert-team-apologizes-after-players-find-ai-art-in-the-game-our-intention-has-always-been-for-any-such-assets-to-be-replaced/. 
  49. ↑ "펄어비스 붉은사막, 중국 혁신 어워드 수상". August 3, 2026. https://www.mt.co.kr/tech/2026/08/03/2026080309475765571. 
  50. ↑ "Pearl Abyss’ Crimson Desert wins tech innovation award at UK Develop:Star Awards - 매일경제 영문뉴스 펄스(Pulse)" (in ko). Pulse. 16 July 2026. https://pulse.mk.co.kr/news/english/12100178. 
  51. ↑ "K-게임, 게임스컴 출격…'붉은사막' 수상 후보". August 26, 2026. https://www.mk.co.kr/news/it/12136023. 
  52. ↑ "Charli xcx Nominated for Best Original Song at 2026 World Soundtrack Awards: Will Oscar Nod Follow?". August 26, 2026. https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/2026-world-soundtrack-awards-nominations-list-charli-xcx-1236308817/. 



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