Today, Pearl Abyss released a new in-depth look at its highly anticipated upcoming open-world action-adventure game, Crimson Desert, showcasing new story, world, and gameplay content. Like in previous gameplay showcases, the game’s main character, Kliff, takes center stage.
A warrior of the Greymanes, a faction from the northern region of Pailune known for its commitment to peace and unity, Kliff is tasked with reuniting the Greymanes and reclaiming their homeland as a central threat emerges from the Abyss, a mysterious realm whose growing imbalance sends fragments crashing into Pywel.
Pailune is just one of the five regions that are explorable throughout Pywel, as Hernand, Pailune, Demeniss, Delesyia, and the Crimson Desert each offer their own unique stories, environments, and challenges to experience, including faction-driven quests, large-scale battles, fortress sieges, and smaller, character-focused missions. Players can move throughout the world on horseback, climb terrain, glide across distances, and later access advanced traversal options such as a missile-firing mech and a dragon.
As the story progresses, two playable characters join Kliff, each boasting unique combat styles, skills, and weapons, allowing players to explore and fight in different ways. Combat encounters range from enemy soldiers and sorcerers to ferocious beasts and machines, where you can use powerful artifacts and equipment that can be earned through quests, combat, or exploration, while knowledge gathered from the world and its inhabitants provides clues and guidance, or even opens paths to acquire new skills.
Crimson Desert has generated strong anticipation through its presence at major global gaming events, including The Game Awards, the Game Developers Conference, Summer Game Fest, ChinaJoy, Gamescom, TwitchCon, PAX East and West, Paris Games Week, and the Tokyo Game Show. If you simply can’t wait till 2026 to see a bit more about Crimson Desert, be sure to check out all of the boss battles and gameplay coverage we’ve provided, including a preview from Gamescom 2025.
Pre-orders are now live across PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, the Epic Games Store, and Apple Mac, in anticipation of its release on March 19, 2025.
