Lower-than-expected IGN score for Crimson Desert has fans split as $70 price tag looms

The review embargo for Crimson Desert lifted today, and the reception is varied, to say the least. While the game scored a 78 on Metacritic (read more about that here), the IGN review-in-progress has specifically received a lot of mixed opinions from the community. A lot of fans were expecting a Game of the Year contender, but the 6/10 rating blames poor writing and unintuitive puzzles for bringing the experience down. Naturally, this triggered some heated discussions on Reddit. Much of the frustration comes from the contrast between high-end performance and a gameplay loop that many are describing as "over-encumbered by too many systems".

Key specs and data

• Developer: Pearl Abyss
• Release date: March 19, 2026
• Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, macOS
• Engine: BlackSpace Engine
• Price: $69.99
• Metascore: 78
• Steam pre-orders: ~400,000

Pearl Abyss spent nearly six years developing Crimson Desert, as they moved it from an MMO prequel stage to a standalone single-player game. Recently, leaks from a Korean streamer known as G-tie brought the game's massive scope to millions of people online, and fans have been comparing it to Red Dead Redemption 2. Also, there are multiple claims of stable performance on high-end PC hardware like the RTX 5080 (curr. $1,500 on Amazon). However, those same leaks also warn of a brutal difficulty curve and the necessity of managing protagonist Kliff’s skills. Official reviews are now confirming these same challenges as well, plus concerns that the BlackSpace Engine might be doing more heavy lifting than the actual game design.

As per general sentiment from users on the r/PS5 subreddit, Crimson Desert, despite having cinematic character swaps, fails at basic conveniences like settlement storage. Some players are saying that the dev focused more on technical details for the sake of marketing, at the expense of player friction. When a game gets 400,000 pre-orders based on visuals alone, disapproval regarding systems are bound to polarize the player base. The title is definitely impressive, but it looks to be struggling under the weight of its own mechanical density. Regarding the game narrative, IGN even wrote:

This world is full of fun stuff to do, but the stories within it are consistently bad.

If you go by reviews and are one of the players who pre-ordered Crmison Desert, you can expect a steep learning curve and a (potentially) thwarting control scheme. PC performance is reported as stable, and we've already seen footage on console. Still, before purchasing at the full $69.99 price point, it might be worth waiting for some more words and numbers - we'll be reviewing and benchmarking the game very soon as well.