This article was updated by Andrea Trama on March 13, 2026, with new details about Crimson Desert's use of Denuvo DRM from developer Pearly Abyss. It was first published on March 12.
A week before its release, developer Pearl Abyss has quietly added Denuvo DRM, a controversial anti-tampering technology, to the PC version. Crimson Desert. Players all over the world are eagerly waiting for its launch Crimson Desertwhich officially launches on March 19 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. But the addition of Denuvo DRM has many PC users concerned about potential performance issues that may arise, especially on older hardware.
It may not be out yet, though Crimson Desert Already looks like a strong contender for game of the year. What originally began as a prequel to the 2015 MMO Pearl Abyss, Black Desert OnlineWill eventually become a standalone action-adventure game with more RPG elements, a new setting, and more story-driven content for players to sink their teeth into. Crimson Desert It also boasts an ambitiously large open world, which is said to be bigger Red Dead Redemption 2 And twice the size SkyrimMaking it one of the most anticipated titles of the year.
In my eyes, the vast open world of Crimson Desert still has something to prove
Crimson Desert looks vast and impressive, but its open world still leaves a question in my head.
Crimson Desert adds Denuvo DRM to the PC version
The hype surrounding Pearl Abyss' next title is monumental, with Crimson Desert It has already crossed 2 million wishlists in the lead up to its launch. However, PC users have been disappointed after discovering that the title includes Denuvo DRM, a controversial type of anti-tampering software. Although the game's Steam page has been live for several months, Pearl Abyss recently updated the game's info section with details on Denuvo DRM, a week before it was set to release (first spotted by The Gamer). As expected, this has drawn criticism from the community, many of whom are now wary of how Crimson Desert will display on the PC. “This was the nail in the coffin for PC gamers,” said one user, while another replied, “Very, very bad decision.”
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For those who may be unaware, Denuvo DRM has long been a controversial choice for a variety of reasons. Third-party software is used by developers to make the game more difficult to tamper with, thus protecting it from piracy. However, it is often criticized by gamers, largely due to the performance issues it can sometimes cause, such as low FPS, increased CPU usage, and more. This is not necessarily down to Denuvo, but could be due to poor implementation on the developer side. It has also sparked controversy for its online checks in the past. Although players are not required to have a constant internet connection, there have been instances in the past where server outages have prevented gamers from playing single-player titles.
It's worth noting that Paul Tassi of Forbes shared a post on Twitter about the issue after reaching Pearly Abyss for comments about Crimson Desert's use of Denuvo DRM. The full tweet follows, but the gist of it is that Denuvo reportedly has no influence on benchmark videos and performance specs, as these were already in action with Denuvo.
Unfortunately, this isn't the first controversy Pearl Abyss has been in. Crimson DesertThe release of While the developer has shown the world a lot of gameplay footage in new trailers, fans are skeptical about the potential performance on consoles, especially the PS5. Although the hype for the title is at an all-time high, many felt that Pearl Abyss was “hiding” something in this regard. Crimson DesertThe PS5 performance. The speculation then sparked a backlash from one of the game's developers, who said they were “sick of repeating it. [themselves]”And details regarding console performance will arrive before launch.
Of course, the details Crimson DesertDisplay modes on the PS5 were revealed earlier this week, confirming three different modes for the console: Display, which is 1080p at 60 FPS, Balanced, which is upscaled to 4K resolution at 40 FPS, and Quality, upscaled again from 1440p at 30 FPS to 4K with high raytracing. Those with the beefier PlayStation 5 Pro console will be able to get better performance Crimson DesertOutputting native 4K resolution with its quality mode 30 FPS and ultra raytracing.
- 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
