Crimson Desert, the upcoming open-world action RPG from Pearl Abyss, has been delayed to Q1 2026.
This comes from the latest conference call regarding Pearl Abyss' Q2 2025 earnings. In the call, the studio made it clear that Crimson Desert simply wasn't yet ready for release. "The launch of Crimson Desert, our first large-scale AAA console game, has been unavoidably delayed by one quarter, from the previously announced schedule. This is due to longer-than-expected timelines arising from schedule coordination and collaborations with multiple partners for offline distribution, voice-overs, console certification, and other launch preparations," Pearl Abyss said (transcription by GamingBolt).
"We sincerely apologize for not being able to meet the originally promised fourth quarter launch schedule. Please kindly understand that this is a strategic decision aimed at ensuring success on a meaningful scale."
We won't see a release date announcement for some time, as Pearl Abyss wants to ensure the next date it promises will be one it can meet. Crimson Desert will still be at Gamescom next week and Tokyo Game Show next month, but it won't be arriving until next year in its full form.