If you love the freedom of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and the sense of scale found in Red Dead Redemption 2, then Crimson Desert deserves your attention. This upcoming RPG does not just aim big. It aims huge.
Open-world fans have waited years for something that feels truly fresh while still scratching that Bethesda and Rockstar itch. Crimson Desert looks ready to step into that space, with confidence and ambition to spare.
Big Open Worlds Are Hard to Beat
When it comes to immersive open worlds, few studios have set the bar higher than Bethesda Game Studios and Rockstar Games. Games like Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim made exploration feel endless. Rockstar did the same with Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption.
That legacy explains why fans eagerly await Grand Theft Auto VI and The Elder Scrolls VI. One finally has a release window. The other still feels like a myth whispered in taverns.
Until then, Crimson Desert enters the conversation with serious intent.
What Is Crimson Desert?
Crimson Desert is an open-world action-adventure RPG developed and published by Pearl Abyss. It takes place on the harsh yet beautiful continent of Pywel, a land filled with conflict, mystery, and opportunity.
According to its official description, players will explore uncharted regions, battle dangerous enemies, and uncover stories scattered across the world. The goal is not just to finish quests, but to experience Pywel as a living place.
Based on released gameplay footage, the game leans heavily into action, traversal, and exploration rather than traditional dialogue-heavy RPG systems.
The World of Pywel Is Enormous
Here’s where things get serious.
Pearl Abyss has confirmed that Crimson Desert’s map is at least twice the size of Skyrim’s playable area and larger than Red Dead Redemption 2. That is not marketing fluff. Developers have openly stated that numbers barely capture the scope.
The continent of Pywel stretches across multiple biomes, climates, and vertical spaces. You will explore land, sky, and everything in between. Floating islands add a vertical layer similar in spirit to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, though Crimson Desert clearly follows its own design philosophy.
And yes, previews shown so far represent only a small slice of the full map.
Size Matters, But Activities Matter More
A giant map means nothing if it feels empty. Pearl Abyss knows this and has addressed it directly.
Developers have emphasized that Crimson Desert focuses on interaction, not just distance. You can expect a world filled with activities, distractions, side content, and unexpected encounters. The aim is to make exploration feel rewarding rather than overwhelming.
In simpler terms, the map exists to support gameplay, not to pad a checklist.
Traversal Gets Creative
Getting around a massive world could feel exhausting. Crimson Desert avoids that problem in style.
Players can:
- Ride creatures like dragons, bears, and raptors
- Fly freely across the map
- Swing through environments using web-like mechanics
- Pilot a mech for certain encounters
This level of mobility changes how you experience scale. Instead of long horseback rides, you gain tools that make travel part of the fun.
Flying alone transforms exploration into something closer to discovery than navigation.
RPG Systems With a Different Philosophy
Crimson Desert does not rely heavily on traditional branching dialogue or moral choice systems. Instead, it encourages role-playing through actions and progression.
Your character develops through combat styles, activities, and the paths you choose to follow. The developers describe this as “head canon,” where each player forms their own story through experience rather than scripted decisions.
Two players may follow the same main story and still walk away with completely different memories. That approach suits a game of this scale.
Single-Player Only, for Now
One disappointment for some players is the lack of multiplayer. Crimson Desert is a strictly single-player experience.
That said, this choice allows Pearl Abyss to focus fully on world detail, pacing, and performance. While the game might have worked as a multiplayer sandbox, its single-player focus keeps the vision tight and controlled.
For players who value immersion over co-op chaos, that tradeoff makes sense.
Release Date and Platforms
Crimson Desert launches on March 19, 2026.
It will be available on:
- PC
- PlayStation 5
- Xbox Series X and Series S
With years of development behind it, expectations are high. Whether the final game meets them remains to be seen, but the ambition alone sets it apart.
Why Crimson Desert Is Worth Watching
Crimson Desert does not try to replace Skyrim or Red Dead Redemption 2. Instead, it borrows what worked and builds something different on top of it.
A massive world. Fast traversal. Deep interaction. Fewer menus, more movement.
If Pearl Abyss delivers on its promises, Crimson Desert could become one of the defining open-world RPGs of this generation. At the very least, it gives fans something real to explore while waiting for the giants to return.
And honestly, riding a dragon across a map bigger than Skyrim never gets old.
