The first footage of Crimson Desert on the base PlayStation 5 was finally shared today - just two days ahead of launch - during PlayStation Japan's PLAY!PLAY!PLAY! broadcast. This move has effectively put players' fears to rest: the lack of console footage shared until now was not meant to hide a technical disaster like the one we saw with Cyberpunk 2077 on last-gen hardware back in 2021.
While the broadcast's bitrate is on the lower side, making it difficult to properly evaluate the final image quality (though it appears clean for the most part), it does a decent job of demonstrating the game's performance. Overall, the gameplay looks quite smooth, with no noticeable frame pacing issues during the traversal and combat segments shown.
If you are trying to stay away from major spoilers, you can watch the video with relative safety, as the vast majority of the content has been featured in previews over the past few weeks. However, there is footage of a never-before-seen boss toward the end of the video, so be cautious if you want to go into that specific encounter blind.
Looking at how Crimson Desert runs on base PlayStation 5 without the help of PSSR 2, which will elevate the PS5 Pro version, even in this far-from-optimal footage, definitely lends more credibility to the statements shared online last week by an alleged former Pearl Abyss developer. The source claimed the game is "on a completely different level than your typical mass-produced Unreal Engine 5 games," citing an "obsession" with performance and a drive to get the technical foundation right at all costs.
Thankfully, it won't take much longer to experience what the BlackSpace Engine is capable of firsthand. Crimson Desert launches worldwide in just a few days on March 19 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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