South Korean video game studio Pearl Abyss’ open-world hit, Crimson Desert, has sold more than 5 million units worldwide in less than one month. The game’s team thanked fans in a new post on X, shared early Wednesday morning. “#CrimsonDesert has sold through over 5 million copies worldwide! Thank you to every Greymane who has joined us on this journey, experienced the world of Pywel, and supported the game. Reaching this milestone would not have been possible without your support and we are truly grateful,” the team writes before closing with two celebratory emojis. Published around 5 p.m. Korea Standard Time (KST) — just before 4 a.m. EDT — has already been viewed more than 306,000 times.
After a controversial August 2025 delay, action-adventure title Crimson Desert released globally on March 19, 2026. The title, originally billed as a Black Desert Online prequel, sold more than 2 million units in 24 hours, though its launch was quickly marred by mixed reviews. After 48 hours of continued criticism, the Crimson Desert team published a message on March 21, addressing players’ frustrations with clumsy controls, AI-generated assets, in-game bugs, and hardware compatibility issues. “We’re following your experiences across issue reports, videos, livestreams, and community discussions. Every report and shared experience helps us make the game better, and we truly appreciate the time you take to share them with us.”
Despite its rocky launch, Crimson Desert has since managed to get back in gamers’ good graces. The Pearl Abyss-developed RPG reached 4 million copies sold after two weeks, and, at the time of writing, holds a “Very Positive” rating average on Steam with 47,000 English-language reviews. According to Steam data aggregator SteamDB, Crimson Desert is currently ranked no. 7 in daily active users (DAUs). The RPG is also no. 8 on Steam’s top-sellers list and remains the platform’s third-most wishlisted title.
In Crimson Desert, players join Kliff in the city of Pywel as he works to rebuild the Greymane faction after the Black Bears’ devastating attack. “Kliff—having lost his family in all but name—is determined to reunite with the survivors and rebuild the faction,” the game’s Steam description teases. “But on a journey where alliances are forged, dangers abound, and mysterious factions are uncovered, Kliff will meet those who seek to upend the very order of the continent and face a mission unlike any he has ever known.”
Crimson Desert is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, Epic Games, and macOS.
