| Crimson Desert | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
Crimson Desert is Pearl Abyss’ open-world action-adventure game, set in the vast wilderness, cities, and ruins of the continent of Pywel. Read on to learn about the game's latest news and developments!
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Crimson Desert News
2026
March 12
⚫︎ Crimson Desert supports FSR 4 and DLSS on PC, with Denoiser, MetalFX Upscaler, and Frame Generation available to Mac users. The developers also confirmed that players will need an internet connection for the initial setup of the game's day 1 patch. Subsequent bootups will be offline.
Support for Xbox and USB DualSense controllers was also confirmed, along with deconfirming cross-save between different platforms.
⚫︎ Crimson Desert is available for pre-load this March 17th for those who pre-ordered on PlayStation, Xbox / Microsoft, and Steam stores. This pre-load starts 48 hours ahead of the official release on the 19th. Pre-load will begin on March 18th for those in the Eastern hemisphere, due to differing time zones.
⚫︎ Crimson Desert released its official launch trailer a week before the game's release. The trailer showcased Kliff shooting a grappling hook at a running train, flying with a jetpack, using a Japanese war fan, and more. The footage shown in the trailer was captured using the PC version.
⚫︎ Pearl Abyss quietly added the Denuvo DRM, which is an anti-tampering software, to the PC version of Crimson Desert. The implementation of Denuvo DRM often caused performance issues, lowering FPS and increasing CPU usage, on top of its previous controversy of performing online checks.
⚫︎ Crimson Desert developer Pearl Abyss responded to criticism over the lack of console gameplay footage, with PR director Will Powers saying console footage will be shown before the game’s March 19, 2026, launch. "But people demanding information on their timeline is entitlement, and that needs to end," he added.March 10
March 9
⚫︎ Crimson Desert reports show potential for better performance on the PS5. While the hands-on preview event did not specify the FPS details, Korean content creator Game Tong claimed that the game appeared to be running above the traditional 30 FPS at 4K on the base PlayStation 5, possibly around 40. Unfortunately, Pearl Abyss has yet to unveil the full details of the game’s PS5 performance.
February 26
⚫︎ Crimson Desert announced their star-studded voice cast, featuring actors from Baldur's Gate 3, Arcane, and Cyberpunk 2077: Alec Newman as the protagonist Kliff, Rebecca Hansen as Damiane, and Stewart Scudamore as Oongka.
Newman revealed that he drew on his Scottish heritage to bring out "a natural skepticism and watchfulness", and adopted the mannerisms of his wife’s late stepfather, Graham Fleck, hoping that the spirit of his voice would live on in Kliff somehow.
February 16
⚫︎ Pearl Abyss says Crimson Desert will launch as a full-priced, buy-once title with no microtransactions or cosmetic cash shop at release. PR director Will Powers emphasizes that the premium upfront cost does not warrant the inclusion of microtransactions, saying that there is definitely no "cosmetic shop".
