Crimson Desert: the future benchmark for open worlds?
Crimson Desert is undoubtedly one of the most eagerly awaited releases of the first half of 2026. Not quite an RPG, but not just an action-adventure game either, this highly anticipated title has sparked much debate about its genre, but everyone agrees on its ambition: to be one of the leading open-world games, in terms of size, graphics and content. We take stock less than two weeks before its release.
How can I make the most of RTX in Crimson Desert?
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How to play Crimson Desert on Mac?
No native Mac (Intel) can run Crimson Desert. Shadow solves this.
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Crimson Desert Giveaway
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The size of the map promises to be simply staggering and will likely redefine industry standards. Pearl Abyss studio has gone all out and confirmed that the map will be at least twice the size of Skyrim and will surpass the already gigantic world of Red Dead Redemption 2, two benchmarks in the genre. Red Dead Redemption 2, two benchmarks in the genre.
Better still, the map extends in all dimensions! Like Tears Of The Kingdom* , the map incorporates an advanced concept of verticality, featuring celestial islands, a glider and vertical environments.
Complete freedom
This immense map acts as a sandbox, offering almost total freedom of action, undeniably reminiscent of the approach taken in Breath of the Wild.
The player is never constrained by invisible walls or marked paths. Pearl Abyss' ambition is to offer a natural world that lives by its own rules and with which the player can interact naturally. Whether it's helping a villager with their work, selling themselves as a mercenary, or taking sides in a local conflict, Crimson Desert allows players to shape THEIR adventure based on their immediate environment.
BlackSpace Engine: The visual sensation of the year
The high expectations surrounding the game (and its millions of wishlists) are not only due to its gameplay, but also to the visual spectacle it delivers with each new trailer.
Rather than relying on Unreal Engine 5 like many recent AAA titles, Pearl Abyss has developed its own in-house graphics engine: the BlackSpace Engine. And the result is simply stunning. The engine uses the latest rendering technologies (including advanced ray tracing and even path tracing) to guarantee strikingly realistic lighting and reflections. But the real feat, praised by both technical experts and journalists alike, lies in its water modelling. Thanks to cutting-edge hydrodynamic simulations, rivers, waves and tides react with a volume and physical behaviour modelled on the natural behaviour of water in the real world, far surpassing the traditional flat textures we have become accustomed to in the industry.
Crimson Desert Special Giveaway:
Win the game and your RTX cloud gaming setup
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Crimson Desert: cloud gaming to the rescue
Of course, displaying such a vast and detailed world comes at a significant hardware cost. Crimson Desert will require a considerable amount of storage space (over 130 GB!) and a state-of-the-art graphics card to take advantage of ray tracing while maintaining consistent fluidity at high resolution. If your machine lacks the power, don't worry!
With a Shadow PC, you'll be able to launch the game on day one with optimal graphics settings, without any compromises, from any PC, Mac, or even Apple TV and phone! There's only one thing left to do: Play Crimson Desert via cloud gaming.
Tutorial: Play Crimson Desert via cloud gaming in 3 steps
Want to explore the vastness of the continent of Pywel? Here's how to play Crimson Desert via cloud gaming on any device: PC, Mac, smartphone, or tablet:
Install the Shadow client on your Mac, or log in directly from your web browser via pc.shadow.tech.
Start up your Shadow PC and install Crimson Desert. That's it! Now you're ready to play in Ultra mode!
