Crimson Desert Delayed to Q1 2026 as Pearl Abyss Finalizes Launch Preparations
South Korean developer Pearl Abyss has officially confirmed that its highly anticipated action-adventure title Crimson Desert will not be launching in 2025 as previously planned. During the company’s Q2 fiscal year 2025 presentation, the studio announced that the release has been moved from Q4 2025 to Q1 2026.
Pearl Abyss CEO explained that the game is currently undergoing voice-over recording and console certification, alongside final launch preparations involving multiple partners. The company emphasized that this delay is the result of extended timelines for offline distribution arrangements, marketing coordination, and quality assurance processes.
“The launch of Crimson Desert, our first large-scale AAA console game, has been unavoidably delayed by one quarter from the previously announced schedule,” the CEO stated. “This is due to longer-than-expected timelines arising from schedule coordination and collaborations with multiple partners for offline distribution, voice-overs, console certification, and other launch preparations. We sincerely apologize for not being able to meet the originally promised fourth-quarter launch schedule. Please kindly understand that this is a strategic decision aimed at ensuring success on a meaningful scale.”
Pearl Abyss confirmed that while the internal release date is now set for early 2026, an exact launch day will be announced at a later time based on business considerations. The company also noted that it will not reveal the date during Gamescom 2025, despite showcasing a new open-world build there.
Players can still look forward to hands-on opportunities this year, as Crimson Desert will be featured at Gamescom, PAX West, and the Tokyo Game Show. The delay, while disappointing for fans eager to experience the title, is expected to provide additional polish. It is worth remembering that Crimson Desert was originally intended to launch in Winter 2021 as an MMO-like experience before being redesigned into a single-player open-world adventure.
Given its long development cycle and significant rework, a few extra months could be key in ensuring the game delivers on its ambitious promise.
Do you think this extra development time will help Crimson Desert launch in a more polished state, or is the delay just another setback?
