Crimson Desert is almost here. Pearl Abyss’s open-world action-adventure launches next week on March 19, and after years of anticipation, there’s a lot to keep track of before diving into the continent of Pywel. Whether you’re still deciding which edition to grab, wondering when you can preload, or just want to make sure your hardware is up to the task, here’s everything you need to know heading into launch day.
If you haven’t been following the game, Crimson Desert is the first single-player title from the studio behind Black Desert Online. It follows Kliff, a mercenary who sets out to rebuild his fallen company, the Greymanes, after a devastating ambush. Prerelease coverage has been positive so far, with a substantial campaign and a giant world to explore. I covered the game’s full PC, console, and handheld specs earlier this week, and now Pearl Abyss has dropped the final batch of launch details.
Global Release Time
Crimson Desert launches simultaneously worldwide on March 19 at 3:00 PM Pacific (6:00 PM Eastern). Depending on your time zone, that could push into March 20. Here are the launch times for major cities:
- Los Angeles: 3:00 PM (March 19)
- Dallas: 5:00 PM (March 19)
- New York: 6:00 PM (March 19)
- São Paulo: 7:00 PM (March 19)
- London: 10:00 PM (March 19)
- Berlin/Paris: 11:00 PM (March 19)
- Istanbul: 1:00 AM (March 20)
- Dubai: 2:00 AM (March 20)
- Cape Town: 12:00 AM (March 20)
- Singapore: 6:00 AM (March 20)
- Beijing: 6:00 AM (March 20)
- Seoul: 7:00 AM (March 20)
- Tokyo: 7:00 AM (March 20)
- Sydney: 9:00 AM (March 20)
Preload
If you’ve preordered Crimson Desert on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Microsoft Store, or Steam, you can preload the game 48 hours before launch. That means preload opens on March 17 at 3:00 PM Pacific (6:00 PM Eastern) for those in North America. Given that this is a brand new open-world game, it’s probably a good idea to preload ahead of time to avoid any potential issues on launch day.
Platforms
Crimson Desert is available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 5 Pro, Xbox Series X|S, PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, Xbox on PC, Mac via Steam and the Mac App Store, and GeForce NOW.
Editions and Pricing
There are three editions available:
The Standard Edition runs $69.99 and includes the base game. Preordering any edition also nets you the Khaled Shield as a bonus item, and PlayStation 5 players get an additional exclusive Grotevant Plate armor set.
The Deluxe Edition is $79.99 and adds the Deluxe Pack, which includes the Balgran Shield, Kairos Plate Set, and Exclaire Horse Tack Set. If you went with the Standard Edition but want the Deluxe Pack items later, Pearl Abyss has confirmed the pack will be available for separate purchase after launch. Obviously, you’ll need to own the base game first.
The Collector’s Edition is $279.99 and includes everything in the Physical Deluxe Edition, plus a fabric Map of Pywel and a 17-inch diorama of Kliff facing the Golden Star. The Ultimate Pack included in the Collector’s Edition is not available for purchase separately, and the edition itself is limited, so it won’t be restocked once sold out.
Performance Tech and Key Details
Crimson Desert supports a solid range of upscaling and image reconstruction technologies. PC players get FSR 3/4, DLSS 4/4.5, and frame generation support. On console, the PlayStation 5 Pro uses upgraded PSSR, while the base PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S use FSR 3. Mac players get MetalFX support, including upscaling, frame generation, and denoising. For the full hardware spec breakdown across all platforms, including the ROG Xbox Ally, check out our specs coverage.
A few other things worth noting: Crimson Desert requires an internet connection for the initial setup and day one patch, but after that, it can be played entirely offline. Unfortunately, there is no cross-save between platforms. On PC, the game supports Xbox controllers and the DualSense controller, though oddly, DualSense only works via USB. The game features subtitles in 14 languages with full voiceover in English, Korean, and Simplified Chinese. One thing to be aware of if you’re buying physical: editions purchased outside of Asia do not support Traditional or Simplified Chinese subtitles, though digital versions support all languages regardless of region.
Crimson Desert went gold earlier this year, and with launch just a week away, I’m cautiously optimistic about this one. The prerelease impressions have been strong, and for a studio known primarily for an MMO, going all-in on a single-player experience with a campaign and world this large is a bold move.
