Crimson Desert: System requirements, gameplay & Blackspace
Crimson Desert might be the game of the year in 2026 with a record-breaking release, game engine and constant updates pushing this masterpiece further and further towards becoming the perfect fantasy RPG. The features are becoming limitless, and we’re going to cover a few of them and how we can attribute Crimson Desert’s success almost entirely to its game engine.
Table of contents (example):
- What is Crimson Desert?
- Crimson Desert on PlayStation 5
- Crimson Desert- Price, Editions
- Release Date, Updates and New Features
- Will Crimson Desert be on Game Pass?
- Crimson Desert system requirements and specs
- PS5 Performance
- Game Engines and Development
- Crimson Desert gameplay FAQs
What is Crimson Desert?
Crimson Desert is developer Pearl Abyss’s answer to the sequels and remakes that have been dominating the open-world, fantasy RPG sphere. Offering travel options galore, glide on your own wings or own the skies on the back of a fearsome dragon with a cat on your shoulder, dressed in a ridiculous outfit.
This game has everything required to be an MMO, delicately reshaped into a single-player, narrative-driven game that has shaken the mainstream gaming scene.
Crimson Desert on PlayStation 5
Crimson Desert runs on PlayStation 5, but do you want it to run? If you want improved performance in every way on PlayStation, then the PlayStation 5 Pro is the console for you. With improved graphical capabilities and loading speeds. Crimson Desert also features PS4 backwards compatibility, which is unheard of for the newest generation of gaming.
Crimson Desert- Price, Editions, consoles and more
Crimson Desert had a simultaneous global release (including the UK) on March 19, 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC (via Steam, Epic Games Store, and Pearl Abyss), and macOS.
Retail Prices:
| Original | Deluxe Edition | |
| Steam | £54.99 | £64.99 |
| PlayStation 5 | £54.99 | £64.99 |
| Xbox | £54.99 | £64.99 |
Release Date, Updates and New Features
Crimson Desert was released on the 19th of March 2026. Despite being a single-player game, it has been continuously updated to the point it may well be a different game entirely come 2027.
Update 1.06
New special mounts have been added to the game in version 1.06.00, which brings a huge wave of new content and quality-of-life improvements to the game, allowing players to tame and ride creatures like bears, wolves, camels, lions, and more.
Updates also introduce a new extraction system that allows players to recover refinement materials from upgraded gear without destroying the equipment.
Alongside these more major features, patches have added sword sheaths, a new display toggle, Night Tone Mode for improved visuals, new unarmed combat skills for Oongka, expanded mount equipment options, and dozens of gameplay, combat, UI (user interface), performance, and localisation fixes across all platforms.
Players can now expect smoother combat, improved stronghold missions, better inventory management tools, enhanced HDR support, and a wide range of bug fixes and balancing updates throughout the world.
Update 1.08
Update 1.08 introduced guns to your arsenal and raccoons. Plus other non-pet animals such as axolotls and features for gameplay improvement, but really it’s all about the guns and pet raccoons.
Game Update Rumours
It’s been rumoured that Pearl Abyss will be releasing a character creation feature, but this is unlikely since the main character, Kliff, has now become the face of the game with dedicated voice acting and story. However, there are other playable characters who appear later in the story with their own combat techniques and play styles.
If you’re playing on PC and really want to play as your own character, there are multiple mods you can download which allow character creation. Always ensure your mods are from reputable, secure sources and support small creators- they do amazing work to keep the games we love alive!
Will Crimson Desert be on Game Pass?
Crimson Desert is not currently available on Game Pass or PlayStation Plus, but could well be in the future. It’s extremely unusual for games this successful this early after release to be featured on a free platform.
It’s likely that those looking for great deals will either need to wait for the hype to die down or check out the Steam Summer Sales on the 25th of June.
Crimson Desert system requirements and specs
A few teething issues the game initially had included the poor performance on console and the fact that developers appeared to have forgotten that Intel produced their own graphics cards. Crimson Desert now supports Intel Arc graphics cards.
Crimson Desert on PC
The best way to play Crimson Desert is on PC. With the right monitor setup and a well-configured PC build, this game is visually stunning, with 100s of hours of exploration and gameplay that you won’t want to miss in frame drops and lost details.
The minimum specs listed require extremely low-range graphics cards. However, those are the bare minimum standards. Below are the specs for an average-to-exemplary visual experience. Visit our guide to find out how you can optimise your gaming PC.
Beginner PC Build (Under £1000)
A 3050 GPU will likely play this game at 60 FPS on low settings at 1080p which might not be the best resolution for gaming. Whilst the recommended specs on Steam are lower, to play the game at a reasonable level, as well as support other titles, it’s recommended you choose a later-gen graphics card.
Budget Friendly PC Build (Under £1000)
At under £1000 this is a good entry-level build for casual gamers with potential for upgrades and a GPU capable of delivering decent performance.
Infinity 145 D456 Next Day PC SY3079
NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5060 8GB
Intel® Core™ i5-12400F
16GB DDR4 3200 MT/s
Intermediate PC Build (Under £1500)
The AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB is slated to be the equivalent of NVIDIA’s GeForce 5060. This PC delivers great performance at a reasonable cost, with decent frame rates on reasonable settings.
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Intel® Core™ i5-12400F
AMD Ryzen™ 7 8700F
AMD Radeon™ RX 9060 XT 16GB
32GB DDR5 5200MT/s
Advanced PC Build (Over £1500)
The RTX 5070 is a reasonably high-end graphics card with huge capabilities!
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Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 265KF
MSI NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5070 12GB
32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 5600MT/s
Alternatively, if you’re an on-the-go gamer, there are handheld options, such as the MSI Claw, that support all games available on PC.
Do you need an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090?
No, you don’t. To run this game in high-quality settings with 90+ FPS, you have a plethora of options for optimum gameplay.
Check out our build configurator to find the right PC for your budget and speak to our dedicated support team to find the best build for you.
Thinking of building your own PC? Check out our guide on How to Build a PC.
PS5 Performance
Crimson Desert, like most games out there, runs extremely well on the PlayStation 5. The original release, the look is somewhat compromised in places, and the graphics are generally worse on the base console in both performance and quality mode. However, the FPS drops to 30 with high performance settings.
PS5 Pro
The PlayStation 5 Pro is the best way to run Crimson Desert on console without a doubt. Whilst the game still runs at 30 FPS in performance mode, the visual clarity more than makes up for the drop.
Console Updates
As Abyss continues to update the base game, it’s likely that with dedicated optimisation, we could see much better performance in future out of Crimson Desert across all platforms. So far we’ve seen:
- Improved graphics with sharper textures, reduced pop-in, and fixed visual glitches
- Better draw distances and enhanced reflections with new ray tracing options
So they’re certainly not slacking on console updates, so don’t feel like you’re being left behind if you’re a PS5, Xbox or handheld gamer.
Game Engines and Development
So why is Crimson Desert so well optimised? It all comes down to the game engine. If you’re a serious game developer, you’ll know the choices of game development engines out there and what they’re used for.
If you’re new to game development, well, a basic breakdown goes as follows: a pre-developed game engine can allow a developer to drag and drop assets through a UI, as well as hard-code and debug mechanics and assets.
Pearl Abyss have created their own dedicated game engine known as the BlackSpace Engine, specifically optimised for the world built for Crimson Desert as well as Pearl Abyss’ future releases. This in-house-built engine allowed them to design an extremely well-optimised game at scale.
Unreal Engine for Game Development
Unreal Engine is Epic Games’ toolkit for building games and interactive worlds. It handles visuals, lighting, physics, and sound, turning simple ideas into believable environments.
Developers use it to create how a game looks, moves, and responds, whether through code or visual tools. In short, it’s the behind-the-scenes system that makes modern games possible.
Unreal Engine 5 is slated to be one of the best tools for modern game development in 2026. It’s free to download and has a range of 3D scans from across the world to utilise in your own game development.
If you’re thinking of developing your own game, the engine used to create CyberPunk 2077 might be your answer. To run Unreal Engine, you’ll need a well-optimised PC that can handle the development of a 3D space in real-time. To find out more about the best PCs for video editing, 3D rendering and more, check out our guide on the best GPU for Video Editing.
Crimson Desert gameplay FAQs
Your questions answered about Crimson Desert.
Who are Crimson Desert’s playable characters?
The main playable character from Crimson Desert is Kliff of the Greymmanes faction who is dropped into the action via some sort of magic after a lost battle. Later in the game you also play as Damiane and Oongka who have their own unique specialisations.
Is Crimson Desert multiplayer, co-op, or single player?
Crimson Desert is a single-player open-world fantasy RPG with no multiplayer capabilities.
Is Crimson Desert a Soulslike game?
Crimson Desert is very much its own game with a multitude of ways to fight. Extremely advanced, complex skill trees and different ways to parry mean you very much play your way.
How big is the map in Crimson Desert?
Pywel spans roughly 49-68 miles, which is absolutely huge for a detailed world, full of story elements.
Check out our guide on Resident Evil Requiem and the best free games on Steam guide to find out more about new releases and the best way to play them.