Crimson Desert: Early Reviews Highlight Massive Open World
Here's what to expect from the game and performance on PC and consoles.
Crimson Desert
Crimson Desert, originally designed as the successor to Black Desert Online, has been in development for over six years and is finally launching on March 19, 2026. Early reactions to the game have mostly been positive, but with so much hype, the question remains: Is the game really as good as promised? Is it the open-world game of the generation? And most importantly, does it actually play well?
Available reviews like those from IGN and TheGamer cover high-end PCs and report smooth gameplay, but console performance remains to be seen. The main takeaways so far are that Crimson Desert is massive and can feel overwhelming at first. Its combat system is extremely rich, you can even learn moves from enemies, and the skill tree adds depth. However, players note that some puzzles are slow, and the control scheme can be confusing.
A new PlayStation Blog review gives PS5 players a look at short clips while highlighting some console-specific details, though it doesn't mention settings, frame rates, or resolutions. According to Phil Hornshaw, who played Crimson Desert for four hours, the DualSense controller adds a lot to the experience, especially during combat. The haptics and adaptive triggers help immerse players in the game while providing important feedback.
"Pearl Abyss also told me it optimized Crimson Desert for the PS5 through a number of features to help maintain all that detail at its large scale, making use of Geometry Shader Oversubscription and NGG Culling to render lots of elements without losing detail.
On PS5 Pro, the recent upgrade to PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) makes it possible for Crimson Desert to hit 4K resolutions at higher frame rates, and its raytracing capabilities make lighting effects more realistic and natural."
With that, it seems the game will serve as a new demo of the improved PSSR upscaler, following Resident Evil Requiem, which has already sold five million copies. Last week, we explored why the game stands out visually and technically.
Phil Hornshaw reports that even after four hours of play, he had only scratched the surface of what Crimson Desert has to offer. If you want to see more reviews, here's a list:
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