Crimson Desert Tops 2 Million Wishlists as Pearl Abyss Says It Sits Between Breath of the Wild and The Witcher 3
Pearl Abyss has confirmed that its upcoming open world action adventure game Crimson Desert has surpassed 2,000,000 wishlists across all platforms, sharing the milestone in a post on X. For a project that has spent years building momentum through showcases, behind the scenes updates, and hands on impressions, this is a strong signal that the hype is no longer niche. It is mainstream scale interest, and it is arriving right as the game approaches its March 19, 2026 launch date.
#CrimsonDesert has reached over 2 million wishlists!
— Crimson Desert (@CrimsonDesert_) February 3, 2026
Thank you for the incredible support. Your excitement means a lot to us, and we can't wait to see you in Pywel on March 19.
❤️ pic.twitter.com/1W60j2hbeg
The wishlist milestone matters because it reflects intent, not just curiosity. Players are effectively placing Crimson Desert into their personal release calendar, and that kind of forward demand often translates into day one visibility across storefronts. It is also a clear indicator that the market is hungry for big budget fantasy adventures again, especially ones aiming for sprawling exploration and systemic gameplay variety. The team has previously suggested the world is roughly 2 times the size of Skyrim’s, and while scale alone does not guarantee quality, it frames the ambition Pearl Abyss is targeting as it moves toward release.
Pearl Abyss is also continuing its current cadence of keeping the conversation alive with frequent interviews and bite sized insights. In a new discussion on YouTube with creator Luke Stephens, Pearl Abyss PR Director Will Powers pushed back on the idea that Crimson Desert leans more toward exploration first design like The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild than narrative first design like The Witcher 3. Instead, Powers argues the game is positioned directly in the middle between those two open world giants, with a central thread that keeps players moving forward, while still delivering heavy narrative moments through cinematics and story focused beats.
This is a smart positioning statement from a go to market perspective. Breath of the Wild and The Witcher 3 represent two very different success models in open world design. One is driven by player authored discovery and systems, the other is propelled by story urgency and character writing. Saying Crimson Desert sits in between sets expectations that players should be prepared to roam, experiment, and get lost in side activities, but also expect authored storytelling that anchors the experience. In a landscape where players often debate whether an open world feels like a theme park or a novel, Pearl Abyss is effectively pitching a hybrid design DNA.
That said, Pearl Abyss has a mountain to climb if the goal is to be mentioned in the same breath as those benchmarks. The Witcher 3 and Breath of the Wild are two of the most celebrated open world games ever made. Crimson Desert does not need to match them to succeed, but the comparison raises the bar for polish, pacing, and long term player satisfaction. With 2,000,000 wishlists now on the board, expectations will be high, and the launch window will be the moment where the game either converts hype into lasting reputation or becomes another example of promise outpacing execution.
Do you want Crimson Desert to lean more into systemic exploration like Breath of the Wild, or more into cinematic storytelling like The Witcher 3, and why?
