Crimson Desert review | PC Gamer Skip to main content Open menu Close main menu PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES US Edition UK US Canada Australia Subscribe Sign in View Profile Sign out Search Search PC Gamer Games Hardware News Reviews Guides Video Forum More PC Gaming Show PC Gamer Clips Software Codes Coupons Movies & TV Magazine Newsletter Affiliate links Meet the team Community guidelines About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine SubscriptionWhy subscribe?Subscribe to the world’s #1 PC gaming magTry a single issue or save on a subscriptionIssues delivered straight to your door or device From$1Subscribe now Don’t miss these Action After 6 hours, Crimson Desert is one of the most overwhelming, chaotic, madcap videogames I’ve ever played—and I’m hungry for more MMO Everything we know about Crimson Desert RPG Crimson Desert is the most hyped game I’ve seen in a minute Action Cairn review: A gripping ‘strand-game’ about the limits of the body Action After whiffing its release date by 5 years, Crimson Desert is putting out oodles of preview stuff as ‘We never want to be accused of hiding anything, because we have a lot of ground to make up’ Action Crimson Desert secures a March release date as the ambitious Frankenstein’s monster of open world fantasy games goes gold RPG Avowed didn’t rewrite the RPG rulebook in 2025, but it still gave me some of my biggest gaming ‘wow’ moments of the year RPG After 2 years in early access, Greedfall: The Dying World still feels unfinished Action Hell is Us review: a gorgeous adventure that gets in its own way a little too often Strategy Terra Invicta review Adventure Pathologic 3 review: One of the most compelling mystery adventures since Disco Elysium RPG Crimson Desert is made by the devs of MMO Black Desert, but it won’t have any non-preorder microtransactions on launch: ‘This is the premium experience, that is the transaction’ RPG Esoteric Ebb isn’t just the best Disco since Disco, it’s the closest anyone’s come to the magic of tabletop D&D in a videogame RPG It’s only March, but I’m calling it: Esoteric Ebb is 2026’s best RPG and the first worthy successor to Disco Elysium RPG Elden Ring Nightreign is a deeply flawed multiplayer game I’ve spent over 250 hours in this year PopularNEW: PC Gamer Clips!MarathonGDCBest PC gearQuizzes Games Action Crimson Desert When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. 80 Crimson Desert review A game that tries it all, even if it’s not always a success. Reviews By Mollie Taylor published 18 March 2026 0 Comments Join the conversation (Image: © Pearl Abyss) Our Verdict 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. PC Gamer’s got your back Our experienced team dedicates many hours to every review, to really get to the heart of what matters most to you. Find out more about how we evaluate games and hardware. Crimson Desert is the “Yes, and” of videogames. It’s stuffed to the brim with just about every mechanic and idea that has ever existed. An overwhelming ocean of things to engage with, discover, and explore.Need to KnowWhat is it? An epic fantasy action RPG with a million different things to do.Release date [March 19, 2026]Expect to pay $70/£55Developer Pearl AbyssPublisher Pearl AbyssReviewed on Nvidia GeForce RTX3070, AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT, 32GB RAMSteam Deck TBALink Official site $1.29View at Amazon $59.49View at Fanatical $69.99Preorder at GamersGateSee all prices (6 found)There is so much MMO DNA running through its veins, too: an army of obtuse systems, a breadth of build variety, and mediocre questing. Pearl Abyss has truly crafted a game for the sickos.But it’s also full of archaic design choices that only make sense when you remember Pearl Abyss has been maintaining an MMO for 12 years. I’ve spent 75 hours oscillating between fascination and irritation, while still feeling like I’ve barely scratched the surface of what it has to offer. It’s easily the biggest game I’ve ever played, and the hardest time I’ve ever had sorting out my thoughts.Article continues below You may like After 6 hours, Crimson Desert is one of the most overwhelming, chaotic, madcap videogames I’ve ever played—and I’m hungry for more Everything we know about Crimson Desert Crimson Desert is the most hyped game I’ve seen in a minute Off a KliffSo let’s start with the easy stuff: Kliff’s a gruff Scottish lad (excellently voiced by Cyberpunk 2077’s Adam Smasher, Alec Newman) and member of the Greymane faction. After an ambush at the hands of a rival faction, the Black Bears, Kliff finds himself with a slit throat and his comrades scattered like ashes across the continent of Pywel. Crimson Desert wastes absolutely no time chucking you straight into the action… and then promptly chucking you straight off a cliff. (Image credit: Pearl Abyss)From there, it’s all about rebuilding. Reuniting with those lost along the way, forming new alliances, and carving out a space for a new era of the Greymanes. It’s an interesting enough premise, though not a particularly original one.The story is not exactly riveting. At least not the way Pearl Abyss tells it. I have to wonder if there was a shadow creature lurking behind me while I played and giving me a good thwack on the head every time I watched a cutscene, because Crimson Desert’s narrative pacing makes me feel like I was suffering from pockets of amnesia. (Image credit: Pearl Abyss)Characters talk to—at?—each other, but not in ways that tell the story. It certainly doesn’t help that it’s thematically all over the place—Western fantasy, sci-fi, steampunk, and Eastern themes collide and fail to cohere. The first chapter throws me into a strange, futuristic magical sky world called the Abyss filled with white cubes and obtuse puzzles, and then spends the next 30 hours pretending it doesn’t exist.The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware dealsKeep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.It’s stilted and disjointed, and an oh-so-stark reminder that Pearl Abyss has exclusively been an MMO developer up until this point. It’s the genre’s exact brand of serviceably bland and nonsensical. There’s no clear timeline of events, and I’m never sure of any character’s motivations, even my own. It’s little more than a vessel to funnel you around and give you some purpose. It’s certainly not one that can stand alongside other similar, frighteningly gigantic adventures like Red Dead Redemption 2.What’s more frustrating is that I know Crimson Desert’s main story can do better, because a
