It looks like Crimson Desert is leaving a few things behind before the March 19 launch date. Just yesterday we reported that the controversial Denuvo DRM had been added to the Steam version of the game. While that won't go down well, considering the performance issues it's known to create, we finally got some console gameplay footage of the game.
While fans are optimistic about the game's visuals and performance, the lack of console footage had many worried about a Cyberpunk 2077-like scenario. Digital Foundry has finally gotten its hands on the console version and early reports look good. However, it should be noted that this is the PS5 Pro version of the game.
Early signs of a console version of Crimson Desert look good
The first thing that Digital Foundry notes is that the ray-traced diffuse global illumination, which is a highlight of the PC version, also works as intended in the PS5 Pro version. All three graphics modes on the PS5 Pro support raytracing, but it's not perfect.
“Denoiser can sometimes struggle with streaking in high-contrast areas, but it's much less intrusive than the boiling effect seen in the recent Resident Evil Requiem. Pearl Abyss also piles on the detail, using displacement mapping at a scale I've never seen before to simulate depth within textures, each explosion exploded into stone and stone.
It offers performance mode, balanced, and quality mode, which target 60fps, 40fps, and 30fps, respectively. While low base resolution pre-upscaling has been a problem in recent games, Crimson Desert targets 1080p, 1440p and 4K respectively.
On the flip side, issues were noted with the game's VRR support as there is no Low Frame-rate Compensation (LFC) support. “The game may exit the VRR window on the odd occasion, resulting in apparent screen-tearing. It's this element of the game that I hope to see improved in future patches as there is full LFC support within the PS5 SDK which will fix this issue.”
“Right now I prefer to play Balanced mode, but if the new PSSR is as effective as we think, base 1080p from Optimum mode can still provide an impressive experience with higher frame-rates,” said John Linnemann of Digital Foundry. “Beyond that, we have yet to see anything on the base PS5 or Xbox series consoles. However, the signs look good – and certainly for PS5 Pro owners, Crimson Desert offers an unprecedented experience.”
Hopefully, the game's performance on base consoles isn't too far off.
- issued
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March 19, 2026
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood, drug references, intense violence, strong language
- developer(s)
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The Pearl Abyss
- publisher(s)
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The Pearl Abyss
