Crimson Desert‘s release woes may already be in the rearview mirror, as the game’s average user score keeps going up. After years of anticipation, there was a lot riding on Pearl Abyss’ open-world action-adventure, but it didn’t quite get off to the start the developer or its players had hoped for. Despite those initial troubles, Crimson Desert is now a hit among gamers, with impressive sales figures and a Metacritic user score that keeps trending in the right direction.
Some players began to feel nervous about the game in the weeks leading up to its launch, thanks to some controversies around the lack of console footage and the addition of Denuvo anti-tampering software. While neither of those issues would prove to be a major thorn in Pearl Abyss’ side after release, Crimson Desert’s lower-than-expected critic reviews hit the developer’s stock, sending share prices down nearly 29% in one day. Once the game was out, many users cited similar frustrations to the critical feedback, taking issue with the game’s UI and controls, but Crimson Desert wouldn’t stay down for long.
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Crimson Desert’s User Score Has Consistently Improved Since Release
While Crimson Desert was initially met with mixed player feedback, its user score on Metacritic has jumped since release, as Redditor GoranjeWasHere points out. On launch day, the game held a 7.7 average, which is by no means negative but isn’t game-of-the-year material, as some had expected to see from the title. Three days later, though, the score had improved to an 8.0, pushing it out of “Mixed” territory into “Generally Favorable.” By the time GoranjeWasHere posted their findings, it had climbed to an 8.4, and at the time of writing, less than 24 hours later, Crimson Desert‘s Metacritic user score is sitting at an 8.6.
The same overall trend has unfolded on other platforms, too. In less than a week after release, Crimson Desert‘s Steam reviews went from “Mixed” to “Mostly Positive,” and it has since moved up again to “Very Positive” when looking at English-language reviews. The game is also currently sitting at a 100% Player Rating on OpenCritic. Considering how this growth has happened across the board, it seems that players have genuinely come around to Crimson Desert, and it’s not just an example of users flooding MetaCritic with positive reviews. That’s not to say everyone is showering the game with praise, as it still has its fair share of critics and even positive feedback mentions small concerns, but general impressions have vastly improved as more reviews have rolled in.
Part of the lift could just be from more people spending more time with the game, which tends to even out extremes. Pearl Abyss’ updates in response to player criticism has likely also helped. It didn’t take long for Crimson Desert to address one of its biggest problems and improve its controls. Developers have also maintained communication with the fanbase, recognizing their complaints and promising more patches and optimizations to come. Depending on how these future updates go, it’s possible player reviews could continue to climb even higher, but it’s hard to predict how long Crimson Desert can keep this hot streak up.
Balance the critic averages
Balance the critic averages
Easy (6)Medium (8)Hard (10)
Regardless of where the improvement came from or how long it could go on, it’s a welcome shift for Pearl Abyss. Reviews aside, the game’s sales performance has been strong, too, so much so that Crimson Desert’s developer share price has jumped by 27.76% after investors saw how well the game was selling. It’s already passed three million copies sold, and if its reviews are any indicator, things could keep going up from here.
- 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
