Pearl Abyss has confirmed the Crimson Desert release times for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The open-world RPG launches simultaneously on all platforms, although some regions will receive the game on later depending on their time zone.

What Time Does Crimson Desert Release?

The Crimson Desert release time is 3 PM PT / 6 PM ET on March 19, 2026. However, because the game has a global launch rollout, some regions will receive the open-world RPG on March 20 depending on their time zone. North American players in particular, will be getting the game extremely early in the day. Hey, I’m not complaining!

Since Crimson Desert is having a simultaneous launch on all platforms, it might be a little confusing figuring out when the game will be available in your specific region. Thankfully, Pearl Abyss has actually posted a detailed release chart, which we have put in an easy-to-read table below.

Here is the full Crimson Desert global release schedule for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC:

Crimson Desert Launch Time (All Regions)

Region	Local Time	Date
North America (PT – US & Canada)	3:00 PM	March 19
North America (ET – US & Canada)	6:00 PM	March 19
United Kingdom (GMT)	10:00 PM	March 19
Europe (CET)	11:00 PM	March 19
Japan (JST)	7:00 AM	March 20
Brazil (BRT)	7:00 PM	March 19
Australia (AEDT)*	9:00 AM	March 20

Does Crimson Desert Have Pre-Load?

Pearl Abyss has also confirmed that Crimson Desert will have pre-load 48 hours before the game launches in each region. So, like the Crimson Desert launch time rollout, pre-loading will begin on different dates depending on which time zone you are in.

“Crimson Desert launches simultaneously worldwide on all platforms next week. And if you’ve pre-ordered Crimson Desert on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Microsoft Store, or Steam, you’ll be able to pre-load the game starting 48 hours before launch on those platforms.”

According to the official site, North American players will be able to pre-load Crimson Desert starting on March 17, 2026. Here is the full pre-load date list for every region:

Region	Pre-Load Date
North America (US & Canada)	March 17
United Kingdom (GMT)	March 17
Europe (CET)	March 17
Japan (JST)	March 18
Brazil (BRT)	March 17
Australia (AEDT)*	March 18

So far, a Crimson Desert review embargo has not yet been confirmed by the studio. However, Digital Foundry recently revealed that they will post their console performance analysis later this week.

Finally, Pearl Abyss also revealed the Crimson Desert PS5 specs. The PS5 Pro version will run at 4K (upscaled from 1080p) at 60 FPS. Regardless, after years of waiting, the launch of Crimson Desert is almost upon us as we only have a week left to go!