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Crimson Desert features an open world at least twice the size of Skyrim's playable area and larger than Red Dead Redemption 2's map, making it one of gaming's most expansive environments, Pearl Abyss confirmed in the latest interview which you can watch above.
"Open world games are about doing things, having activities, having distractions," developers explained. "We wanted to create a world that's not only passive, but is also incredibly interactive."
The comparison carries significant weight. Skyrim's playable area spans approximately 37 square kilometres, whilst Red Dead Redemption 2's map covers roughly 75 square kilometres. If Crimson Desert genuinely doubles Skyrim whilst surpassing RDR2, players could be exploring over 80 square kilometres of content.
Both comparison titles represent legendary open worlds packed with dungeons, cities, activities, and hundreds of hours of content. It's safe to say that matching or exceeding their scope and density would be a major coup for Pearl Abyss.
Dragons and romances
Furthermore, Pearl Abyss talked about some other features, including dragons. As you've probably seen in the gameplay footage earlier, massive dragons inhabit the world, with confirmed abilities to fight and fly them. However, Pearl Abyss wouldn't confirm whether players can actually slay dragons, keeping that detail mysterious. The developers also shut down romance options, clarifying this isn't "that type of game" despite typical RPG elements.
Character progression
Character progression focuses on player choice and empowerment rather than forced decisions. The codex updates through world interaction, including picking up chickens to learn about them. Pearl Abyys emphasised that different players will naturally experience divergent content due to the world's scale, with distractions and quest lines creating something different for everyone.
Crimson Desert launches March 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and natively on Mac.
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