Crimson Desert Review Embargo Date and Massive File Size Surface on Reddit

With Crimson Desert now just over two weeks out, a Redditor going by CunkeeM0nkee appears to have gotten their hands on a review copy and wasted no time sharing what everyone wanted to know: Let’s go! Embargo lifts March 18th. byu/ChunkeeM0nkee inCrimsonDesert I cannot wait to go all in on this. 121GB for Steam review version. We cannot share any other details until embargo lifts on March 18th, so I will update this post as an AMA on embargo lift. So, the file size clocks in at about what most people were already bracing for, given Pearl Abyss’s open-world ambitions. More than that, the user has confirmed access to the full game via this review copy, so 121 GB is the number to plan around if you’re running low on storage.Crimson Desert’s 121 GB File Size and What the Embargo Means March 19 waits for no one, and neither does your storage. | Image Credit: Pearl Abyss Pearl Abyss has not officially confirmed the final PC file size, but 121 GB from an in-progress download does line up with earlier estimates that had been floating around the subreddit for weeks. For a game built on a proprietary engine running seamless open-world environments at this scale, it is not a shocking number. It is, however, a number worth acting on before March 19 arrives. Comment byu/ChunkeeM0nkee from discussionhttps://www.reddit.com/r/CrimsonDesert/comments/1rj9513/lets_go_embargo_lifts_march_18th/ inCrimsonDesert The embargo date of March 18 seems to have caught more attention in the thread. Reviews dropping a full day before launch is pretty tight, and some players have pointed out that the window is very short for anyone still on the fence about a pre-order. That said, a one-day embargo is not the red flag most are chalking it up to be. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 had a similarly tight review window last year and went on to sweep multiple Game of the Year awards. Comment byu/ChunkeeM0nkee from discussionhttps://www.reddit.com/r/CrimsonDesert/comments/1rj9513/lets_go_embargo_lifts_march_18th/ inCrimsonDesert An embargo schedule does not tell you much about a game’s quality or the developer’s confidence in their vision; it usually says more about a publisher’s marketing calendar. And anyone who needs more time to decide will still have 24 hours of reviews to work through before launch day, which should be more than enough to reach a decision.The Console Silence Around Crimson Desert Is Getting Hard To Ignore Image Credit: Pearl Abyss Image Credit: Pearl Abyss Image Credit: Pearl Abyss Image Credit: Pearl Abyss Image Credit: Pearl Abyss Image Credit: Pearl Abyss Steam file size and embargo date aside, what a portion of the community actually wants addressed is how the game performs on base hardware, specifically the standard PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Pearl Abyss has not offered a clear answer on that yet, and the closer March 19 gets, the more the silence is starting to read as deliberate to the community: Comment byu/ChunkeeM0nkee from discussionhttps://www.reddit.com/r/CrimsonDesert/comments/1rj9513/lets_go_embargo_lifts_march_18th/ inCrimsonDesert That Cyberpunk 2077 comparison may be dramatic, but it is not without basis. The only official console footage Pearl Abyss has released was captured on a PS5 Pro (via the PlayStation YouTube Channel), and the BlackSpace Engine tech preview that arrived on February 28 is a PC affair through and through. Comment byu/ChunkeeM0nkee from discussionhttps://www.reddit.com/r/CrimsonDesert/comments/1rj9513/lets_go_embargo_lifts_march_18th/ inCrimsonDesert Whether that silence is strategic or simply a reflection of how late console optimization tends to land in a development cycle is the real question. Digital Foundry‘s coverage of the BlackSpace Engine was broadly positive on PC, but the studio has yet to confirm its console performance targets. With two weeks left and review codes seemingly going to PC reviewers first, base console players are right to keep expectations cautious until actual numbers surface. Have you already pre-ordered Crimson Desert, planning to pick it up on launch day, or waiting to see how the game holds up in Steam reviews first? Let us know in the comments below!

Mar 3, 2026 - 18:35

Crimson Desert Review Embargo Date and Massive File Size Surface on Reddit

With Crimson Desert now just over two weeks out, a Redditor going by CunkeeM0nkee appears to have gotten their hands on a review copy and wasted no time sharing what everyone wanted to know:

Let’s go! Embargo lifts March 18th.
byu/ChunkeeM0nkee inCrimsonDesert I cannot wait to go all in on this. 121GB for Steam review version. We cannot share any other details until embargo lifts on March 18th, so I will update this post as an AMA on embargo lift.

So, the file size clocks in at about what most people were already bracing for, given Pearl Abyss’s open-world ambitions. More than that, the user has confirmed access to the full game via this review copy, so 121 GB is the number to plan around if you’re running low on storage.

Crimson Desert’s 121 GB File Size and What the Embargo Means

March 19 waits for no one, and neither does your storage. | Image Credit: Pearl Abyss Pearl Abyss has not officially confirmed the final PC file size, but 121 GB from an in-progress download does line up with earlier estimates that had been floating around the subreddit for weeks.

For a game built on a proprietary engine running seamless open-world environments at this scale, it is not a shocking number. It is, however, a number worth acting on before March 19 arrives.

Comment
byu/ChunkeeM0nkee from discussionhttps://www.reddit.com/r/CrimsonDesert/comments/1rj9513/lets_go_embargo_lifts_march_18th/
inCrimsonDesert The embargo date of March 18 seems to have caught more attention in the thread. Reviews dropping a full day before launch is pretty tight, and some players have pointed out that the window is very short for anyone still on the fence about a pre-order.

That said, a one-day embargo is not the red flag most are chalking it up to be. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 had a similarly tight review window last year and went on to sweep multiple Game of the Year awards.

Comment
byu/ChunkeeM0nkee from discussionhttps://www.reddit.com/r/CrimsonDesert/comments/1rj9513/lets_go_embargo_lifts_march_18th/
inCrimsonDesert An embargo schedule does not tell you much about a game’s quality or the developer’s confidence in their vision; it usually says more about a publisher’s marketing calendar. And anyone who needs more time to decide will still have 24 hours of reviews to work through before launch day, which should be more than enough to reach a decision.

The Console Silence Around Crimson Desert Is Getting Hard To Ignore

Image Credit: Pearl Abyss

Image Credit: Pearl Abyss Steam file size and embargo date aside, what a portion of the community actually wants addressed is how the game performs on base hardware, specifically the standard PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Pearl Abyss has not offered a clear answer on that yet, and the closer March 19 gets, the more the silence is starting to read as deliberate to the community:

Comment
byu/ChunkeeM0nkee from discussionhttps://www.reddit.com/r/CrimsonDesert/comments/1rj9513/lets_go_embargo_lifts_march_18th/
inCrimsonDesert That Cyberpunk 2077 comparison may be dramatic, but it is not without basis. The only official console footage Pearl Abyss has released was captured on a PS5 Pro (via the PlayStation YouTube Channel), and the BlackSpace Engine tech preview that arrived on February 28 is a PC affair through and through.

Comment
byu/ChunkeeM0nkee from discussionhttps://www.reddit.com/r/CrimsonDesert/comments/1rj9513/lets_go_embargo_lifts_march_18th/
inCrimsonDesert Whether that silence is strategic or simply a reflection of how late console optimization tends to land in a development cycle is the real question. Digital Foundry‘s coverage of the BlackSpace Engine was broadly positive on PC, but the studio has yet to confirm its console performance targets.

With two weeks left and review codes seemingly going to PC reviewers first, base console players are right to keep expectations cautious until actual numbers surface.

Have you already pre-ordered Crimson Desert, planning to pick it up on launch day, or waiting to see how the game holds up in Steam reviews first? Let us know in the comments below!

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