Crimson Desert

Last checked: October 15, 2026

Crimson Desert is a single-player open-world action game from Pearl Abyss, released on March 19, 2026 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Mac. There is no crossplay because there is no multiplayer. This page is our reference sheet for the specs, length, size, rating and price, with every figure dated and anything we could not verify marked as not confirmed.

How long to beat

No reliable averages exist yet. Length figures for a new release only mean something once hundreds of players have logged completion times, and that data is still thin as of March 2026.

We will replace these rows with community averages once a stable sample exists. Until then, treat any single number you see elsewhere as one person’s run, not an average.

File size and storage

Pearl Abyss published a performance notice covering PC, console and Mac ahead of launch. We have not yet verified the storage line from that notice against the live store pages, so the sizes below stay unconfirmed.

PC system requirements

Pearl Abyss lists tiered PC specs in its PC, Console, Mac Performance Specs notice. The game runs on the studio’s own BlackSpace Engine, a next-generation engine Pearl Abyss built from scratch and separate from the technology behind Black Desert Online, so the published tiers are the only official guide to what hardware is required. We have not independently verified the component names and resolution targets in that notice, so the table shows the structure with values pending.

What we can say with confidence: the publisher groups its requirements by resolution and frame rate rather than by a single “runs or does not run” line. The minimum tier is the floor for playable settings, and the recommended tier is where the studio expects 60 frames per second at mainstream resolution. Higher tiers exist for 1440p and 4K.

Steam Deck status is not confirmed. Valve’s listing showed an Unknown status as of March 2026, meaning the game had not yet been tested for a Verified, Playable or Unsupported badge. Pearl Abyss did publish a separate listing for the ROG Xbox Ally, which tells us handheld play is on the studio’s radar, but the settings it recommends for that device are not confirmed here.

Console performance modes

Console settings targets were part of the same Pearl Abyss notice. We will fill in resolution and frame rate per mode once we have checked the figures against the latest version of that page.

Crossplay and cross-progression

Crossplay: No. Crimson Desert is a solo game with no online matchmaking, so there is nothing to play across platforms.

Cross-progression: Not confirmed. Pearl Abyss has not announced save transfer between PS5, Xbox and PC, and no account-linking requirement has been published for the single-player campaign.

Multiplayer, co-op and offline

The game is built around one protagonist, Kliff, and a single campaign. Whether the console versions require an internet connection for first launch or for progress verification is not confirmed.

Age rating

We will update this table once we have confirmed the final ESRB and PEGI certificates. Readers buying for a younger player should check the rating on the store page for their region before purchase.

Release dates and platforms

Launch is the same calendar date everywhere, but the unlock hour differs by region. Our “crimson desert release time” page lists the hour for PT, ET, BST, CEST, JST and AEDT.

Price, editions and subscriptions

Pearl Abyss is self-publishing, and no day-one subscription deal has been announced for either platform. Pre-order bonus contents and regional pricing will be added here once we have checked them against the PlayStation Store, Xbox Store and PC storefront listings.

FAQ

Does Crimson Desert require a good PC?

It requires a modern mid-range PC at minimum settings and a stronger one for the recommended tier. The publisher’s tiered specs show that this is a demanding open-world game, not a lightweight title. Hardware older than five years is unlikely to reach 60 frames per second.

Is Crimson Desert a CPU-heavy game?

Not confirmed by benchmarks yet. Large open worlds with dense NPC counts and physics-driven combat usually lean on the processor as much as the graphics card, so we expect the CPU to matter more than it does in corridor-style action games. Independent testing will settle this.

Is my PC able to run Crimson Desert?

Compare your processor, memory and graphics card against the minimum column in the table above using the dxdiag steps we listed. If every line meets or beats the minimum, the game should run at low settings. Meeting the recommended tier is the target for a smooth experience.

Is Crimson Desert hard to run?

Yes, relative to most 2026 releases. The scale of the world and the engine’s lighting and physics push it toward the upper end of system requirements for its year. Players on last-generation hardware or Xbox Series S should expect reduced resolution or frame rate modes.