The upcoming title from Pearl Abyss has garnered tons of attention this year -Credit:YouTube
(YouTube)
Crimson Desert is almost here, and fans couldn’t be more excited — or more worried.
The upcoming title from Pearl Abyss, which has predominantly focused on MMORPGs for PC and mobile devices, has garnered tons of attention this year, making it one of the most anticipated new intellectual properties of the year. The single-player action-adventure game touts ambitious ideas, such as the implementation of wrestling moves in combat, that have prompted skepticism.
The map is gigantic (think Assassin’s Creed Odyssey) but Pearl Abyss promises that it will run smoothly on PlayStation 5 at 4K 60 frames per second. With the release date just days away, here’s everything you need to know about Crimson Desert including the exact launch times.
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When is the release date for Crimson Desert?
Crimson Desert will release on Thursday, March 19 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Pre-loads will begin 48 hours prior to that date.
What time will I be able to play Crimson Desert in my region?
The exact Crimson Desert launch times for each region is:
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US West: 19th March at 3 p.m. (PT)
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US East: 19th March at 6 p.m. (ET)
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UK: 19th March at 10 p.m. (GMT)
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Europe: 19th March at 11 p.m. (CET)
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Japan: 20th March at 7 a.m. (JST)
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Australia: 20th March at 9 a.m. (AEDT)
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New Zealand: 20th March at 11 a.m. (NZDT)
Crimson Desert will release on Thursday, March 19 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC
What is Crimson Desert?
Crimson Desert is an all-new action-adventure title from Pearl Abyss, a gaming studio that has previously focused on MMORPGs for PC and mobile devices. Its venture into console gaming will be tested later this week when its latest title hits store shelves.
According to previews, the game is an ambitious attempt to merge elements of hard-hitting RPGs like The Witcher and Dragon’s Dogma while maintaining high-quality graphics and frame rates. Early gameplay shows a massive world filled with beautiful scenery, enemies and side-quests. The latter range from fetch quests, to conquering territory from various factions to cleaning someone’s chimney.
A massive, open-world RPG isn’t new in 2026, but we haven’t seen this level of detail since 2018 -Credit:YouTube
It’s basically what Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Valhalla aspired to be. Hopefully, Pearl Abyss actually sticks the landing and not follow in Ubisoft’s footsteps.
Speaking of Ubisoft games, Crimson Desert will feature a massive skill tree that forces players to choose between various styles of combat. It has your average sword and ranged combat but also include more niche styles like wrestling. There may be more ambitious fighting stances, but we’ll just have to wait and find out.
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Pre-loads will begin 48 hours prior to that date
A massive, open-world RPG isn’t new in 2026, but we haven’t seen this level of detail since 2018 when Red Dead Redemption came out, which is what critics have compared Crimson Desert too. Like I said, we have to wait and see if the new game is too good to be true.
