Crimson Desert Physical Version Has a Big Catch

It seems that early copies of the highly anticipated action-adventure game Crimson Desert are already out in the wild ahead of its official March 19 launch, but attempts to launch the game ahead of time have revealed a rather unexpected limitation with the physical version. According to a report by PushSquare, players planning to buy a physical copy of the game will still need an internet connection to fully install it, as it can’t run directly from the disc. Instead, a mandatory day-one update must be downloaded before Crimson Desert can be launched at all.

The reason, it appears, is that the game requires so much storage that the disc likely can’t hold all of it. In fact, only a little over 60% of the game’s data is reportedly copied from the disc itself, but players will still need to download an additional 48GB update at Crimson Desert‘s launch, bringing the total installation much closer to the roughly 150GB footprint expected for the PC version of the game.

Every Feature Confirmed for Crimson Desert So Far

Crimson Desert is a massive game, and while the features confirmed so far are only a fraction of everything it offers, it’s still an extensive list.

Crimson Desert’s Massive File Size Leaves Its Physical Version in a Strange Spot

While all of this might sound a bit unusual, it’s actually becoming increasingly common for modern AAA releases. Massive open-world games like Crimson Desert now regularly exceed 100GB in total install size, which poses a significant challenge for disc storage limitations. In the case of Crimson Desert specifically, early installation footage shows the disc copying only around 76–77GB of data, leaving a decently sized portion of the game to be downloaded separately before it can run.

Who’s That Character?

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Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

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What This Means for Crimson Desert Physical Copy Owners

MANDATORY DAY-ONE DOWNLOAD – The physical console edition cannot launch without installing a large update first.
DISC ONLY CONTAINS PART OF THE GAME – Early installs show roughly 76–77GB copied from the Blu-ray, meaning a large portion of the game must still be downloaded.
APPROXIMATELY 48GB EXTRA REQUIRED – Players must download an additional 48GB update on launch day to complete installation.
FULL GAME IS MASSIVE – The total install size is expected to approach 150GB, similar to the PC version’s storage requirements.
OFFLINE PLAY IS STILL POSSIBLE – After the initial update and installation, the game can reportedly be played without needing to stay connected to the internet.

The question could be asked, “Why wouldn’t Pearl Abyss just ship the game with multiple discs instead?” After all, some publishers still do for especially large open-world games like Crimson Desert, although it’s fairly uncommon these days. However, from a logistical standpoint, shipping one disc with as much data on it as possible and then requiring an update to finish the installation is much simpler for manufacturing and distribution. The downside, though, is that it means the physical copy alone doesn’t contain a fully playable build of the game.

For some players, that might not matter all that much. Most modern consoles are connected to the internet anyway, and day-one patches are basically routine at this point. As such, for anyone not clued into the ongoing conversation surrounding issues like this, there will probably be nothing more than a little dirt on their shoulder that can be easily brushed off. Plus, once the required update is downloaded and installed, Crimson Desert can reportedly be played offline without needing to stay connected to servers afterward, meaning the internet requirement only affects the initial setup of the game.

Massive open-world games like Crimson Desert now regularly exceed 100GB in total install size, which poses a significant challenge for disc storage limitations.

Still, for others—particularly collectors and advocates for game preservation—situations like this raise some concerns. One of the biggest appeals of physical game copies has traditionally been the idea that a game could remain playable indefinitely without relying on digital storefronts or online services, some of which even require a subscription. When a disc can’t launch the game on its own, however, that sense of permanence becomes harder to guarantee and the line between ownership and lease starts to blur.

Ultimately, the situation with Crimson Desert shines a bright light on the limitations of physical media. Game discs can only hold up to a certain amount of data, and with how increasingly large games are becoming these days, physical copies are having a very difficult time keeping up. For players who treat physical copies of games as little more than a convenient way to install them, that might feel like a rather insignificant compromise, but for those who see discs as a way to safeguard their ownership long-term, cases like Crimson Desert serve as another reminder that the definition of a complete physical release is continuing to evolve.