Crimson Desert is approaching its scheduled March 19 launch, and developer Pearl Abyss has now released the official hardware requirements and performance targets for PC, consoles, and handheld gaming devices. The newly shared details outline several graphics presets across platforms, along with expected frame rate targets and upscaling technologies.
On consoles, players using the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X will have access to three graphics options: Performance, Balanced, and Quality. Performance mode runs at 1080p resolution with a target of 60 frames per second, with VRR or VSync enabled and ray tracing set to low. Balanced mode renders at 1280p before scaling to 4K using AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 3 and aims for 40 FPS. Quality mode increases the internal resolution to 1440p before upscaling to 4K while targeting 30 FPS.
The upgraded PlayStation 5 Pro introduces higher visual targets. Performance mode uses PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution to scale 1080p to 4K while maintaining a 60 FPS target. Balanced mode renders at 1440p before upscaling to 4K and aims for around 48 FPS or higher with VRR support. Quality mode runs at native 4K with ray tracing set to ultra and targets 30 FPS with VSync enabled.
On the Xbox Series S, the available graphics options are limited to two presets. Performance mode targets 720p at 40 FPS with ray tracing disabled, while Quality mode increases the resolution to 1080p with a 30 FPS target. The Series X configuration mirrors the PlayStation 5 layout with three presets, including Performance at 1080p and 60 FPS, Balanced at 4K upscaled from 1280p at 40 FPS, and Quality at 4K upscaled from 1440p with a 30 FPS target and higher ray tracing settings.
PC Hardware Requirements
On PC, the minimum configuration includes an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT paired with an Intel Core i5-8500 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600X. The system also requires 16 GB of RAM and 150 GB of SSD storage. This setup is expected to run the game at 900p native resolution, upscaled to 1080p at low settings with a 30 FPS target.
A step up to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 or AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT allows for native 1080p gameplay at 30 FPS. For players targeting 1080p at 60 FPS, the recommended configuration includes an AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT or NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 combined with an AMD Ryzen 5 5600 or Intel Core i5-11600K.
The highest graphics preset targets 4K resolution at 60 FPS and requires more recent hardware, including the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT or NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti paired with processors such as the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X or Intel Core i5-13600K.
Handheld PC Performance
Pearl Abyss also provided early estimates for handheld gaming PCs. The ASUS ROG Ally is expected to reach around 40 FPS at 720p with frame generation enabled through FSR 3. The updated ASUS ROG Ally X should reach up to 60 FPS in Performance mode at 720p, upscaled to 1080p using frame generation. Balanced mode targets 40 FPS with similar scaling, while Quality mode aims for 1080p at 30 FPS.
The game runs on Pearl Abyss’ Black Space engine rather than widely used middleware such as Unreal Engine. Proprietary engines can sometimes provide better optimization across hardware ranges. A similar approach has been seen with Capcom and its RE Engine, which has been used across multiple recent releases.
With the launch date approaching, the published specifications offer a clearer picture of the expected performance across platforms. Further improvements may also arrive through updates to upscaling technologies such as AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 once supported hardware becomes available.
