Their open-world action-adventure will miss the previously announced window, so it’s time to add another title to the growing list slipping into next year.

Pearl Abyss had targeted a late-year launch—sometime between October and December—on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC. That’s no longer the case: during a conference call tied to its quarterly business report, the company confirmed that Crimson Desert is now planned for the first quarter of 2026. Here’s the explanation:

“Before the Q&A session, we would like to share an update on the development status and release schedule of Crimson Desert, which many of you have been curious about. Currently, Crimson Desert is in the voice-over process, while also carrying out tasks such as console certification in preparation for its release. Regarding marketing, we plan to participate in Gamescom and PAX West in August to showcase our open-world build. In September, we will join the Tokyo Game Show to strengthen our marketing efforts in the Japanese market.”

“Unfortunately, the launch of Crimson Desert, our first large-scale AAA console game, has been delayed by one quarter from the previously announced schedule. This is due to longer-than-expected timelines arising from schedule coordination and collaborations with multiple partners for offline distribution, voice-overs, console certification, and other launch preparations. We sincerely apologize for not being able to meet the originally promised fourth-quarter launch schedule. Please understand that this strategic decision is aimed at ensuring success on a meaningful scale.”

“The release date has been confirmed internally for the first quarter of 2026. However, due to the change in launch timing, we will announce the date at a later time based on business considerations rather than at Gamescom next week. We are grateful for your continued interest in our company and will do our utmost to deliver an even better experience going forward,” said Pearl Abyss.

As it stands, Crimson Desert is expected between January and March on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC.

Source: Gematsu, Pearl Abyss