Pearl Abyss’s open-world RPG Crimson Desert has officially surpassed Pokemon Pokopia‘s Metacritic user ratings. Fans have been ardent in their support for Crimson Desert in the wake of its release, and this has been reflected in one of the highest Metacritic user ratings of the year so far.
Crimson Desert and Pokopia are two of the biggest releases of 2026. Both games quickly surpassed huge sales milestones thanks to stellar word-of-mouth, and arguably appeal to very different audiences. Crimson Desert is a sprawling open-world role-playing game, whereas Pokopia is more of a cozy life simulator. It’s great to see titles thriving across different platforms and genres, and it’s an early sign that 2026 will be another very strong year for new releases after an excellent first few months.
Crimson Desert Has One Rule You Need to Learn Early
Crimson Desert looks like a game you can rush through, but learning to slow down and explore its world is the key to avoiding its toughest roadblocks.
In the weeks after Crimson Desert‘s release, fans have been flooding the game’s Metacritic page with reviews to share their feelings on the game. Among critics, Crimson Desert received a slightly more mixed reception, with a 77 Metascore compared to Pokopia‘s 89. But with fans, Crimson Desert‘s Metacritic user score is superior, currently standing at 8.8. By comparison, Pokopia has a user score of 8.6. Still an excellent score, but not quite enough to put it ahead of Pearl Abyss’s latest RPG right now. Perhaps most impressive here is the sample size. While Pokopia has over 1,300 user reviews, Crimson Desert maintains its 8.8 average with over 10,000, a strong indication of how fans feel about the game.
Crimson Desert’s Metacritic user score of 8.8 makes it the second-highest-rated game of the year by this metric, with Pokopia sitting in third. The only game above the pair is Resident Evil Requiem, which has a user score on the site of 9.4. Given RE Requiem‘s broad critical acclaim, this will come as little surprise. The gap is pretty significant, which will make it difficult for either game to catch up, even with very positive future reviews.
Despite its incredibly strong user score, the critical reception of Crimson Desert means its Game of the Year nomination chances are extremely slim. If it did manage to grab a nomination for the top prize at The Game Awards 2026, it would be the lowest-rated game in history to do so. The disparity between critic and user scores will make for a fascinating conversation later this year. Historically, critical reviews have held more weight when it comes to big award nominations, so it will be interesting to see if Crimson Desert can buck the trend.
One of the most impressive things about Crimson Desert is the speed at which the developer has been fixing issues and adding new content to the game. Pearl Abyss seems to be listening to all the player feedback so far and acting quickly to ensure the best experience possible. Long-term, this will foster a good relationship between the developer and its community, which will only help its user reviews. It remains to be seen whether the studio has any plans for potential DLC, with nothing confirmed at the moment.
- Released
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March 19, 2026
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
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Pearl Abyss
- Publisher(s)
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Pearl Abyss
