UPDATE: Since publishing, we’ve been informed that, like everyone else, the PlayStation crew had their demo of Crimson Desert on PC. This wasn’t made clear in the original report below. The PlayStation Blog post doesn’t state that it was played on PC, but we’ll err on the side of caution and point out that, despite spooling off PlayStation 5-based enhancements in the blog post, it was most likely demoed on a high-end PC. Original report continues…
In recent days, prospective fans of Crimson Desert, the stunning open-world title from Pearl Abyss, have been concerned about the lack of console-related coverage. It was revealed that the impending reviews, which drop the day before the game comes out, will be entirely PC-based, and all footage thus far, everyone believes, has been captured on PC.
This has left many to doubt the game’s legitimacy on console platforms.
But then, along comes PlayStation with a huge four-hour preview, breaking down everything you’d need to know about Crimson Desert on PS5.
How Does Crimson Desert Run on PS5?
The bulk of the huge PlayStation report aside, most people want to know how Crimson Desert runs on PlayStation 5. While the likes of Digital Foundry have pulled the game to pieces on PC, the PS5 version is a different kettle of fish.
In the massive blog post from PlayStation, the PS5 enhancements were outlined:
- PS5 Pro’s High CPU Frequency Mode makes ‘viewing and moving through the world as seamless as possible’
- PS5 Pro’s recent PSSR upgrade ‘makes it possible for Crimson Desert to hit 4K resolutions at higher frame rates, and its raytracing capabilities making lighting effects more realistic and natural’
In terms of PlayStation-specific peripherals, the DualSense controller provides firm haptic feedback in every fight, with the adaptive triggers coming into play. The reviewer wrote:
The DualSense additions work to bring you closer to Kliff and help deliver a lot of information, especially in tense combat situations where enemies can be all around you.
With a controller in hand, Crimson Desert reportedly feels natural and adaptive. The game’s huge, dynamic world is a marvel to explore, regardless of platform, and the depth of the title has to be seen to be believed. It was said that after four hours in the game, the title’s surface hadn’t been scratched.
From what we’ve seen in early footage, that’s certainly easy to believe. Crimson Desert looks mind-blowing in scope and scale.
The full blog post is worth checking out, as it breaks down information about questing, the open-world progression loop, and some of the side activities, amongst other things. There’s also a drop of lore in there, for those interested.
Crimson Desert will be released on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox on March 19.
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Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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How does it run on the base PS5 though, that’s the real question.
I’m sure the people with a Pro will be glad to hear this. There’s dozens of them. How’s it run on a PS5?
How will it run on 6 year old tech? Probably not great.
Me and the dozen Pro owners will probably have a goodntime
It’ll run fine man. Most folks using a standard ps5 don’t benifit from pr5 pro qualities anyway as they at best have a 1080p TV. Pro status only matters when playing 4k and 8k
Doesn’t matter what the PS5 Pro Scam does to “enhance” a game…nothing is going to make me want to rebuy a PS5. There’s not a single First Party or 3rd Party game coming that’ll change my mind.