Crimson Desert's player count is soaring after new patches that make it even more of a game of the year contender

Date:
Mon, 30 Mar 2026 14:46:35 +0000

Description:
I always knew Crimson Desert was a strong GOTY contender, and its recent
slate of patches and the new peak Steam player count justify my stance.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member
features. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting
your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Pearl Abyss' Crimson Desert has provided one of the most unique and unprecedented gaming reception experiences this generation. Opening up to a lower-than-expected 78 Metacritic score, some gamers were hesitant based on critiques from reviewers.

Shortly after launch, the user score was also 7.8, with Steam reviews set to mixed, as gamers faced a difficult onboarding experience due to concerns
about the game's control scheme and a somewhat overwhelming opening. That
tone has now changed entirely, with a massive spike up to an 8.7 user score
on Metacritic (at the time of writing), and Steam reviews are set to 'Very Positive' and most importantly, it has hit a new peak of 276,000 players on Steam, via SteamDB , only a week and three days after its launch. Article continues below You may like Crimson Desert review: the open-world epic sandbox lovers have been waiting for Crimson Deserts new patch finally fixes my biggest issue with the game Crimson Desert developer's shares tank despite the game's strong Metacritic score Having reviewed Crimson Desert myself, I absolutely loved every hour of Crimson Desert when I reviewed it and spent dozens of hours in the game, and have continued to do so after the review period, as I have been left with so much more content left to tackle. The sudden shift in reception stems from gamers spending more time with Crimson Desert , allowing the game to unfold and present more of its finest features. However, there's another strong reason why Pearl Abyss' latest title is now highly acclaimed and has captured the attention of many gamers. Pearl Abyss developers are exceptional workhorses (Image credit: Future / Isaiah
Williams) During the review period and since launch day, Pearl Abyss has been hard at work, providing numerous patches and hotfixes to fine-tune several aspects of the game. In that process, developers managed to quickly address and adjust every 'con' I mentioned in my review, and I think it's become the masterpiece I always thought it could be.

Players were frustrated with the game's controls, flight stamina consumption, mounts not being permanent, and a few other quality-of-life issues. Every single one of those issues has been fixed, and the developers are actively making adjustments based on mass feedback, something we don't see often from other game studios. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.
Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from
us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

That's not to say there aren't a few issues, or rather, features that need further tweaking. The minigames players will eventually stumble upon when exploring aren't permanent, and will become unavailable after beating the champion of the particular competition.

However, because the developers and staff at Pearl Abyss have responded to requests and feedback at lightspeed, I have no doubts that the team is
already working on those adjustments. (Image credit: Future / Isaiah
Williams) The monumental size of Crimson Desert 's map makes it clear that it was originally an MMO, but Pearl Abyss developers have crafted it so well, allowing it to work in a single-player game, and very well at that. It's the best open-world experience I've had since Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption 2 , and in many ways, even surpasses the beloved western action-adventure title. What to read next Latest Crimson Desert update rolls out extra polish and new tutorial quest You can unlock Crimson Desert skills without solving any puzzles Let us cook Crimson Desert asks fans to wait longer for PS5 footage

I was already confident before the transition in audience reception that it would be a strong game of the year contender, but Pearl Abyss' commitment to listening to what its player base wants and what is necessary in terms of Crimson Desert 's functionality is very pleasing to see.

Crimson Desert has earned its well-deserved success, and long may it continue. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course, you can also follow TechRadar on YouTube and TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too. Today's best Crimson Desert deals 59.99 49.95 View Deal 59.99 49.99 View Deal Low Stock 55.99 View Deal Show more We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices



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