Crimson Desert review: Pearl Abyss's ambitious game doesn’t quite win everyone over
, by Thibaut
After days of controversy and heated debates on social media, the first reviews for Crimson Desert are finally out. The open-world action-adventure game developed by Pearl Abyss launches this Thursday, March 19, 2026.
On Metacritic, Crimson Desert currently has an average score of 78% on PC, based on 91 reviews. It’s important to note that no PS5 or Xbox Series reviews have been published yet. Meanwhile, the OpenCritic score stands at 80% based on 44 reviews. These averages may, of course, change over time.
In their reviews, journalists have praised the extremely generous content of Crimson Desert. The game appears to offer great freedom of exploration, an immersive world, and absolutely epic combat. There are also many secrets to discover. Both the graphics and technical aspects clearly live up to expectations.
However, the game has been criticized for telling a story that ultimately feels rather trivial and for poorly managing the difficulty of its bosses. The puzzles aren’t always accessible, and movement can feel somewhat clunky. Finally, the combat sometimes lacks clarity.
- DualShockers : 9,5/10
- MMORPG.com : 9/10
- GameRant : 8/10
- PC Gamer : 80/100
- TheGamer : 4/5
- Tom's Guide : 4/5
- GameSpot : 7/10
- Insider Gaming : 7/10
- Eurogamer : 3/5
- VG247 : 3/5
Source: metacritic.com