Pearl Abyss announce that the global launch for their open-world action-adventure game, Crimson Desert, will take place at 3 PM PT later today (March 19). This simultaneous global release will be for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, Mac, Epic, and ROG Xbox Ally.
Crimson desert is powered by Pearl Abyss' BlackSpace Engine. This engine allows games like Crimson Desert to deliver "seamless open world with detailed environments, from sprawling wilderness, bustling cities, ancient ruins, and diverse cultures, that create a living world."
Combat in Crimson Desert is certainly more action focused. Players can chain combos using weapons such as swords, axes, spears, ranged weapons, punches, kicks, and grapples. Players will also build up their character through exploration and boss encounters.
Players will be able to navigate around the large environments by foot, climbing, gliding, flying, and more.
About Crimson Desert
Crimson Desert is an open-world action-adventure game developed by Pearl Abyss, aiming for a global release on console and PC platforms. A devastating ambush in the deep of night by their sworn enemies, the Black Bears, leaves members of the Greymanes dead or scattered across the continent. The Greymane Kliff is determined to reunite with his surviving comrades and rebuild what was lost. On a journey where alliances are forged, dangers abound, and mysterious factions are uncovered, Kliff comes to realize that an unprecedented threat and a destiny greater than he imagined await him.
Crimson Desert is an open-world action-adventure game developed by Pearl Abyss, aiming for a global release on console and PC platforms. A devastating ambush in the deep of night by their sworn enemies, the Black Bears, leaves members of the Greymanes dead or scattered across the continent. The Greymane Kliff is determined to reunite with his surviving comrades and rebuild what was lost. On a journey where alliances are forged, dangers abound, and mysterious factions are uncovered, Kliff comes to realize that an unprecedented threat and a destiny greater than he imagined await him.
A summary of reviews from OpenCritic can be found below.
Game Information
Game Title: Crimson Desert
Platforms:
Trailer:
Developer: Pearl Abyss
Review Aggregator:
OpenCritic - 80 average - 81% recommended
Critic Reviews
ACG - Jeremy Penter - Wait for Sale
But Why Tho? - Kate Sanchez - 9 / 10
CBR - Mark O'Callaghan - 9 / 10
COGconnected - Mark Steighner - 84 / 100
Cloud Dosage - Jon Scarr - 3.5 / 5
Daily Mirror - Aaron Potter - 3 / 5
DayOne - Jesse Norris - 8.5 / 10
Digital Spy - Joe Draper - 4 / 5
Digitec Magazine - Philipp Rüegg - German - 5 / 5
DualShockers - Christian Bognar - 9.5 / 10
Eurogamer - Lewis Gordon - 3 / 5
Eurogamer.pt - Adolfo Soares - Portuguese - 3 / 5
GAMES.CH - Joel Kogler - German - 80%
GAMINGbible - Kate Harrold - 8 / 10
GRYOnline.pl - Dariusz Matusiak - Polish - Unscored
Game8 - Allisandra Reyes - 88 / 100
GameMAG - Russian - 8 / 10
GamePro - Kevin Itzinger - German - Unscored
GameRant - Josh Cotts - 8 / 10
GameSpot - Richard Wakeling - 7 / 10
Gameblog - French - 8 / 10
Gameliner - Anita van Beugen - Dutch - 5 / 5
Gamers Heroes - Blaine Smith - 100 / 100
Gamersky - 心灵奇兵 - Chinese - 8.6 / 10
GamingBolt - Ravi Sinha - 8 / 10
Generación Xbox - Adrián Fuentes - Spanish - 94 / 100
Hobby Consolas - Spanish - 80 / 100
IGN India - Rayan Sayyed - 8 / 10
IGN Italy - Francesco Destri - Italian - 8.5 / 10
IGN Spain - Mario Sánchez - Spanish - 7 / 10
INVEN - Jaihoon Jeong - Korean - 8.3 / 10
LevelUp - Spanish - 9 / 10
Loot Level Chill - Mick Fraser - 9 / 10
MMORPG.com - Joseph Bradford - 9 / 10
Merlin'in Kazanı - Samet Basri Taşlı - Turkish - 85 / 100
PC Gamer - Mollie Taylor - 80 / 100
PCGamesN - Paul Kelly - 6 / 10
PPE.pl - Mateusz Wróbel - Polish - 6.5 / 10
PowerUp! - Clint McCreadie - 8.5 / 10
RageQuit.GR - Kostas Kallianiotis - 85%
SECTOR.sk - Jakub Pokorný - Slovak - 7 / 10
SteamDeckHQ - Noah Kupetsky - 4.5 / 5
The GameSlayer - Callum Marshall - 9 / 10
The Games Machine - Claudio Magistrelli - Italian - 9 / 10
The Nerd Stash - Julio La Pine - 9.5 / 10
The Outerhaven Productions - Jordan Andow - 5 / 5
TheGamer - Harry Alston - 4 / 5
Tom's Guide - 4 / 5
VG247 - James Billcliffe - 3 / 5
WellPlayed - Nathan Hennessy - 5.5 / 10
Game Title: Crimson Desert
Platforms:
- PlayStation 4 (Mar 19, 2026)
- PlayStation 5 (Mar 19, 2026)
- Xbox One (Mar 19, 2026)
- PC (Mar 19, 2026)
- Xbox Series X/S (Mar 19, 2026)
Trailer:
- 'Welcome To Crimson Desert' Final Trailer (4K)
- Crimson Desert - Official Launch Trailer
- Crimson Desert - Launch Trailer | PS5 Games
Developer: Pearl Abyss
Review Aggregator:
OpenCritic - 80 average - 81% recommended
Critic Reviews
ACG - Jeremy Penter - Wait for Sale
"Fantastic exploration, amazing systems, but ultimately bugs and lots of idiosyncrasies bring this one down a peg or two. ":
But Why Tho? - Kate Sanchez - 9 / 10
This is a massive undertaking for any development team. It's ambitious to a point that it becomes curious that it was attempted. But unlike Captain Ahab, this is a level of investment and ambition that ultimately pays off in the highest order. The level of detail in Crimson Desert is unlike anything we have seen in this console generation.
CBR - Mark O'Callaghan - 9 / 10
Crimson Desert is everything I hoped it would be, and it has the potential to be one of the biggest titles of this generation of gaming.
COGconnected - Mark Steighner - 84 / 100
By both accident and design, there are times when clarity and user-friendliness temporarily disappear, and the game’s rough edges and opaque mechanics overshadow the fun. A lot of games over-promise and under-deliver. Crimson Desert is not one of them.
Cloud Dosage - Jon Scarr - 3.5 / 5
Pearl Abyss built something massive with Crimson Desert, and the cracks show alongside the ambition. The visuals are the best I’ve seen in an open world, the combat is one-of-a-kind, and I never ran out of reasons to keep exploring. But the story lets the whole thing down, Kliff is too blank to carry a game this long, and a lot of the side content just doesn’t hold up. It’s worth playing, but go in with your eyes open.
Daily Mirror - Aaron Potter - 3 / 5
If you hadn’t already guessed, Crimson Desert is a behemoth of an RPG that threatens to eat up all your time. If only it wasn’t primed to frustrate and test your patience as much while doing so.
DayOne - Jesse Norris - 8.5 / 10
A mediocre plot and bland writing can't hold back one of the most ambitious games ever made.
Stunning graphics, great gameplay, and excellent music carry you through hundreds of hours of systems-based fun. It somehow lives up to all the hype, with some rough edges in tow.
Stunning graphics, great gameplay, and excellent music carry you through hundreds of hours of systems-based fun. It somehow lives up to all the hype, with some rough edges in tow.
Digital Spy - Joe Draper - 4 / 5
Crimson Desert's sandbox playground and beautifully crafted world do a lot of the heavy lifting to just about overshadow its confusing elements, generic story, and boring characters. What's here is an overwhelming amount of content and the bones of an amazing game that has to be respected for its ambitions.
Digitec Magazine - Philipp Rüegg - German - 5 / 5
If you look up the term ‘open world’ ‘Crimson Desert’ is bound to be listed right next to it. Because you can’t get much more open-world than that. It offers a world in which you can completely lose yourself. What could be better?
DualShockers - Christian Bognar - 9.5 / 10
It's simply one of the biggest games I have ever played, with an astonishing amount of high-quality content, an absurd amount of complex puzzles, and a world so gigantic that I still haven't come close to seeing everything after 100 hours of playtime. While the story isn't the best and some bosses seem downright unfair, those flaws do little to diminish Crimson Desert, an absolute marvel and one of the best open-world games on the market.
Eurogamer - Lewis Gordon - 3 / 5
A vast world and even vaster array of MMO-like activities mix with glittering fidelity in Crimson Desert, but what good is it without much character, texture or charm?
Eurogamer.pt - Adolfo Soares - Portuguese - 3 / 5
Chaotic, frustrating, but undeniably ambitious. Crimson Desert constantly tests our patience with technical problems and a confusing narrative, before letting us enjoy its ambitious combat system, exploration and stunning visuals. A game that demands time and a lot of patience for those who manage to overcome the barrier of its lack of polish.
GAMES.CH - Joel Kogler - German - 80%
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GAMINGbible - Kate Harrold - 8 / 10
Crimson Desert is by no means a perfect game. It’s an amalgamation of perhaps slightly too many ideas, and that makes for a weirdly paced experience that demands a lot of the player without offering much in the way of help. And yet, it left me in awe more times than anything else I’ve played in recent memory with its dazzling open-world. Crimson Desert may not be the best game you'll ever play, but it’ll certainly be up there as perhaps the most memorable.
GRYOnline.pl - Dariusz Matusiak - Polish - Unscored
Crimson Desert will impress some and alienate others – and both sides will have a valid point. This blend of Tears of the Kingdom, Elden Ring and Assassin’s Creed continues to intrigue with its open-world design and interactivity, but I fear that long before I reach the end of the story, I’ll grow weary of its sheer scale and the constant struggle with the poorly designed UI and inventory system. [Review in progress]
Game8 - Allisandra Reyes - 88 / 100
Crimson Desert is a sprawling adventure across a vast and living world that rewards every hour you put into it. The core gameplay evolves with your progress, introducing upgradable skills and increasingly demanding boss fights, with plenty of content to discover. While the narrative initially lacks direction and its threads can feel disconnected, this never outweighs the game’s many strengths. Crimson Desert is a slow burn that rewards time, patience, and curiosity.
GameMAG - Russian - 8 / 10
Crimson Desert is unlikely to become a revolution that will redefine the genre. But it will certainly attract crowds of people and spark more than a few heated debates. It's funny that the very desert featured in the title is just one of many corners of the vast world created by Pearl Abyss - one that, presumably, far from everyone will reach.
GamePro - Kevin Itzinger - German - Unscored
Even in its current state, Crimson Desert has the potential to become my game of the year. If the console performance is still good and the day-one patch perhaps even fixes a few annoying issues, the action-adventure could even climb a small step higher in my ranking.
GameRant - Josh Cotts - 8 / 10
Crimson Desert offers one of the most impressive worlds in gaming, but the deeper you go, the more it asks you to meet it on its own terms.
GameSpot - Richard Wakeling - 7 / 10
It might not always be the most cohesive game, mixing high fantasy with steampunk and sci-fi elements, but there's nothing else quite like it, and I can't help but be impressed by how little restraint Pearl Abyss has shown in its commitment to delightful absurdity. In some respects, Crimson Desert might not be too good to be true, but it's a world worth getting lost in.
Gameblog - French - 8 / 10
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Gameliner - Anita van Beugen - Dutch - 5 / 5
Leave it to Pearl Abyss to create a dynamic open world where you can completely lose yourself - Crimson Desert is a must-play.
Gamers Heroes - Blaine Smith - 100 / 100
Dark Souls has often been used to measure one's gaming prowess, but that measuring stick has changed with Crimson Desert. Not only does it boast some of the most challenging boss battles ever seen in the industry, its required levels of patience, determination, and ability have set a new gold standard.
Gamersky - 心灵奇兵 - Chinese - 8.6 / 10
Crimson Desert feels like a single player version of an MMORPG that has been live for years. Its sheer scale alone is enough to guarantee hundreds of hours of playtime. But with its weak guidance, cumbersome interactions, and many design choices that show little regard for user experience, whether that time feels enjoyable or exhausting will likely vary from player to player.
GamingBolt - Ravi Sinha - 8 / 10
Crimson Desert is as expansive as promised, dwarfing pretty much every other open world currently with its scale. Its content doesn't always stick the landing, but the combat shines, and the sense of discovery is hard to deny, even with the lackluster story.
Generación Xbox - Adrián Fuentes - Spanish - 94 / 100
Crimson Desert is an RPG that rewards the patient player. The more time you spend in its world, the more you understand its systems and the more you enjoy what it has to offer. And when that happens, it becomes very easy to get swept away by the adventure and immerse yourself in the work that Pearl Abyss has created for us over so many years.
Hobby Consolas - Spanish - 80 / 100
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IGN India - Rayan Sayyed - 8 / 10
The world design and combat of Crimson Desert are a resounding win for fans of free-form exploration, but the bland story and the tedious flow of Crimson Desert stop it from becoming the true masterpiece it could have been.
IGN Italy - Francesco Destri - Italian - 8.5 / 10
An ambitious adventure set in a visually stunning world that tries to do a bit too much, ultimately feeling underdeveloped in some respects.
IGN Spain - Mario Sánchez - Spanish - 7 / 10
Crimson Desert offers a vast and visually stunning open world, full of freedom and exploration, but its simplistic story and unclear objectives may frustrate many players.
INVEN - Jaihoon Jeong - Korean - 8.3 / 10
Crimson Desert unfolds in a vast open world filled with an enormous amount of content, but there are simply too many gameplay elements scattered without order, clashing with one another. There is room for improvement, but as it stands now, it falls somewhat short of being a truly great game.
LevelUp - Spanish - 9 / 10
Crimson Desert is one of the most ambitious games in a long time. It's an expansive, and deeply detailed fantasy world that constantly invites exploration and rewards curiosity. Its fluid, skill-based combat and sheer scale are genuinely impressive, but that same ambition often works against it. A lack of focus, overly complex systems, and a slow, demanding progression can make the experience feel overwhelming and, at times, exhausting. It's a game of extremes: deeply immersive and rewarding for those willing to invest the time, but far from accessible for everyone.
Loot Level Chill - Mick Fraser - 9 / 10
Crimson Desert is frustrating and buggy and can be very player-unfriendly, but it's also beautiful, deep, seemingly endless and monumentally, perhaps detrimentally, ambitious.
MMORPG.com - Joseph Bradford - 9 / 10
I can confidently say that Crimson Desert is a modern masterpiece, despite its shortcomings.
Merlin'in Kazanı - Samet Basri Taşlı - Turkish - 85 / 100
Crimson Desert, while offering a truly exceptional offline MMORPG experience, falls slightly short of expectations due to some minor shortcomings.
PC Gamer - Mollie Taylor - 80 / 100
Vast and obtuse in a way that is going to frustrate some and exhilarate others, Crimson Desert is a fascinating journey, even when the destination isn't all that.
PCGamesN - Paul Kelly - 6 / 10
Crimson Desert is huge, and it's beautiful, but it can't pull itself out of the bog standard narrative trenches. Combat feels clunky, especially when facing off against one of the many frustrating bosses, and there feels like there is little reward for exploration. I wanted to like this, but it left me feeling empty.
PPE.pl - Mateusz Wróbel - Polish - 6.5 / 10
I had high hopes for Crimson Desert, but... I was more disappointed than thrilled. A single-player MMO based on things we love from other great games—it just couldn't work out as well as we thought.
PowerUp! - Clint McCreadie - 8.5 / 10
It might not be the cleanest contender in the open-world arena, but it’s easily one of the most interesting. A sprawling, slightly chaotic, thoroughly entertaining swing that connects far more often than it misses.
RageQuit.GR - Kostas Kallianiotis - 85%
An exceptional and stunningly beautiful open-world action game, with incredibly rich gameplay and a pleasantly old-fashioned level of difficulty, regardless of its potentially frustrating flaws.
SECTOR.sk - Jakub Pokorný - Slovak - 7 / 10
Crimson Desert is a demanding, complex RPG that can feel punishing and occasionally unfair, especially without constant progression. Yet it offers a breathtaking open world with unmatched scale and depth. Its reception will vary widely'frustrating for some, but deeply rewarding for those willing to fully invest.
SteamDeckHQ - Noah Kupetsky - 4.5 / 5
I didn’t think it was possible for a game of this scale to exist yet, and I don’t recall the last time I ever played a game that wasn’t designed to be replayable that hooked me for such a long time. But here we are. The game lived up to its hype, and even though it isn’t perfect, Crimson Desert is one of the best RPGs I have ever played.
The GameSlayer - Callum Marshall - 9 / 10
Crimson Desert isn't a perfect game. It's not a game for everyone, and it's got as many good ideas as it does poorly implemented ones. However, what cannot be denied is that this game is a generational game and an open-world experience like no other. It's visually outstanding, mechanically dense, and immersive beyond compare. Yet, it's also one of the most laborious games to get to grips with in recent memory, meaning a lot of players may bounce off this title. However, what I would say is 'stick with it'. As Crimson Desert is a game that doesn't respect your time, but certainly deserves it.
The Games Machine - Claudio Magistrelli - Italian - 9 / 10
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The Nerd Stash - Julio La Pine - 9.5 / 10
Crimson Desert is a breath of fresh air for those looking for true ambition and adventure, as it delivers one of the most experimental combat systems and an open world on par with anything Rockstar Games has ever made.
The Outerhaven Productions - Jordan Andow - 5 / 5
Despite a few minor issues, Crimson Desert sets a new benchmark for this style of open-world experience, one that will be extremely difficult for future games to match.
TheGamer - Harry Alston - 4 / 5
It’s highly ambitious and one of the most intriguing triple-A games I’ve played in years, but I just wish so many parts of the whole weren’t inherently flawed. Now my journey in Pywel has come to an end, I’ll be leaving this one on the shelf for a while.
Tom's Guide - 4 / 5
The story is pretty average, and the beginning can be brutal, but if you're the kind of person who loves big, sandbox adventures, this one is worth the ride (and $69). $1.29 at Amazon $59.49 at Fanatical(PC) $69.99 at GamersGate $69.99 at Green Man Gaming
VG247 - James Billcliffe - 3 / 5
As it stands on release, the best parts of Crimson Desert are buried deep under layers of absurdity.
WellPlayed - Nathan Hennessy - 5.5 / 10
Proving that looks aren't everything, Crimson Desert's stunning visuals and strong performances aren't enough to save it from being a disappointing experience. Jam-packed with content and systems that make it feel like a Jack of all features, master of none with an unenjoyable gameplay loop, Crimson Desert is really just a single-player MMORPG in all but name.
