Crimson Desert launch: 2M sales but mixed reviews

Crimson Desert's rocky launch divides players despite record sales

Crimson Desert launched on March 19, 2026, to a divided reception. Despite selling over two million copies in its first day, the game quickly faced criticism for its controls and gameplay mechanics. Early reviews on Steam showed a mixed rating, with only 57% positive feedback and more than 8,000 negative reviews within hours of release.

Players immediately highlighted issues with the game's clunky controls, slow movement, and confusing inventory system. Many also complained about performance problems, uneven story pacing, and a frustrating tutorial. These concerns pushed the Steam rating lower, though reviews improved to 78% positive among those who played for more than four hours.

Pearl Abyss, the game's developer, acknowledged the feedback and promised rapid improvements. The first patches addressed some inventory management problems, but core gameplay mechanics remained unchanged. Mollie Taylor, a gaming journalist, suggested players use a controller instead of a keyboard, as the controls proved particularly difficult with mouse and keyboard. Criticism of the control scheme was widespread. PC Gamer's Rory Norris called it 'bafflingly convoluted,' while Reddit users described it as 'absolute dog shit' and demanded changes. Morgan Park joked that the game's 'true boss battle is wrangling its controls.' Despite the backlash, Will Powers, Pearl Abyss' PR and marketing director, defended the design, comparing it to learning to ride a bike. Dinga Bakaba, co-creative director at Arkane, even praised the challenge, likening it to 'mental gymnastics.' Despite the controversy, Crimson Desert entered Steam's top five most-played games shortly after launch.

The game's mixed reception has not slowed its commercial success, with over two million sales in under 24 hours. Pearl Abyss continues to monitor player feedback and has committed to further updates. For now, the control scheme remains a major point of contention among both critics and players.