Okay, so the biggest game of 2026 is all-but-guaranteed to be GTA 6, given that Rockstar's upcoming open-world game is one of the most highly anticipated titles of all time. But the runner-up game threatening to rival it is Crimson Desert — a colossal new single player open-world action-adventure experience from Pearl Abyss, the creators of the popular MMORPG Black Desert Online, that's coming to Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, macOS, and PS5.
This grand fantasy adventure set in the same universe promises rich and nuanced combat systems, a vast and immersive world filled with different biomes and settlements, countless quests to complete and puzzles to solve, spectacle-driven boss fights, a memorable story, and more.
Essentially, Pearl Abyss wants to deliver the game of every adventure-lover's dreams. And while there are concerns about performance for a project this vast and ambitious, fans are nevertheless extremely excited for Crimson Desert. Aside from the aforementioned GTA 6, I haven't seen this much buzz for a game since Elden Ring.
The wait for it has been a long one, but thankfully, it's finally almost over. In fact, the game's global launch is now only days away — and ahead of it, the devs have confirmed its exact release date and launch time in every region across the globe, along with details about preloading the title.
Crimson Desert release date and launch times
Time zone |
launch time |
|---|---|
PST |
Mar. 19, 3 p.m. |
CST |
Mar. 19, 5 p.m. |
EST |
Mar. 19, 6 p.m. |
BST |
Mar. 19, 7 p.m. |
GMT |
Mar. 19, 10 p.m. |
CET |
Mar. 19, 11 p.m. |
SAST |
Mar. 20, 12 a.m. |
TRT |
Mar. 20, 1 a.m. |
GST |
Mar. 20, 2 a.m. |
CT |
Mar. 20, 6 a.m. |
SST |
Mar. 20, 6 a.m. |
KST |
Mar. 20, 7 a.m. |
JST |
Mar. 20, 7 a.m. |
NZST |
Mar. 20, 7 a.m. |
Both the above graphic and the table below it show exactly when Crimson Desert is scheduled to release across Xbox, PC, Mac, and PS5 in major regions and time zones around the world. Officially, Crimson Desert will launch on Thursday, March 19 at 3 p.m. PST / 6 p.m. EST.
Note that since this is a global release, the game may be coming out at a later time for you depending on the area you're in, and won't be available until March 20 if you live in South Africa's capital Cape Town or anywhere east of it. The table above shows time zone conversions; if you don't see the one you're in, you can use this time zone converter to figure out when you'll be able to play.
How about preloading? Thankfully, Crimson Desert supports downloading and installing it ahead of its release if you've preordered the game. Specifically, you can preload it on your platform of choice on March 17 if you live somewhere it's releasing on March 19, and can preload it on March 18 if it's launching on March 20 in your region.
Whether you preload or simply download the game at launch, you'll need roughly 150GB of free space on your console or computer to install Crimson Desert. If necessary, uninstall some games you're not playing, or perhaps expand your storage with a new SSD.
Haven't preordered yet, but want to so you can take advantage of preloading or get the Khaled Shield preorder bonus? The game costs $69.99 on Xbox, PC, Mac, and PS5, though the Steam version is going for $61.19 at Loaded right now. There's also the snazzier $79.99 Deluxe Edition, which is selling on PC for just $70.49 at Loaded.
🗨️ Will you play Crimson Desert at launch?
It's concerning that we haven't seen gameplay footage of Crimson Desert being played on Xbox Series X|S and base PS5 consoles ahead of launch, but that hasn't stopped the gaming community from getting extremely hyped for the imminent action-packed adventure. Will you play the game at launch, or are you planning on waiting to see reviews and performance tests? Or are you waiting for a sale instead?
Let me know in the comments, and vote in our poll:
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