By the FlowUP team, gaming PC builder in Genappe (Belgium) · Updated 30 September 2026
In brief: to play Crimson Desert on PC, Pearl Abyss requests at least a Ryzen 5 2600X or a Core i5-8500, 16 GB of RAM and a GTX 1060 or an RX 5500 XT, with 150 GB on an SSD. The recommended setup goes up to a Ryzen 5 5600 or a Core i5-11600K with a RTX 2080 or an RX 6700 XT. In practice, an RTX 5060 Ti or an RX 9060 XT 16 GB runs the game at 1080p and 1440p, while an RX 9070 XT or an RTX 5070 Ti targets 4K.
Crimson Desert, what is it?
Crimson Desert is Pearl Abyss’ open-action and adventure world, the Korean studio behind Black Desert. Released on 19 March 2026 for PC, it follows Kliff and his mercenaries across the Pywel continent, with very physical combat, mounts and vast landscapes.
The game runs on Pearl Abyss’ in-house engine, the BlackSpace Engine. For such a beautiful open world, it’s rather well optimised, as shown by the detailed performance tests further down.
A demanding open world, but rather well optimised on PC.
The system requirements for Crimson Desert
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 2600X or Intel Core i5-8500 | AMD Ryzen 5 5600 or Intel Core i5-11600K |
| RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| Graphics card | AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 | AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT or NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 |
| DirectX | Version 12 | Version 12 |
| Storage | 150 GB, SSD required | 150 GB, SSD required |
Source: official Steam page for Crimson Desert.
Pearl Abyss has specified what these configurations enable. With a GTX 1060, you’re aiming for 30 frames per second at 1080p, with an internal render at 900p that’s upscaled. With an RTX 2080 or an RX 6700 XT, it’s 60 frames per second at native 1080p. And for 4K at 60 fps in Ultra, you need a RX 9070 XT or an RTX 5070 Ti.
Our tip: don’t overlook the 150 GB and the mandatory SSD. The game streams its world continuously, and a standard hard drive won’t keep up. A 1 TB NVMe SSD is the minimum that feels comfortable if you also install other big games alongside it.
Real performance: which graphics card for which resolution?
| Graphics card | 1080p, high settings | 1440p, high settings |
|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 5060 | 61 frames/s | 60 frames/s |
| GeForce RTX 5060 Ti | 92 frames/s | Not specified |
| Radeon RX 9060 XT | 83 to 86 frames/s | 60 frames/s |
| Radeon RX 9070 XT | Not specified | 103 frames/s |
| GeForce RTX 5070 Ti | Not specified | 116 frames/s |
Source: TechSpot, test of 40 graphics cards for Crimson Desert with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D (18 March 2026), averages without upscaling.
On the highest “Cinematic” settings, the figures drop noticeably: TechSpot measures 53 frames per second at 1440p for the RX 9060 XT and 89 for the RX 9070 XT. The test also notes that 8 GB video-memory cards could slow the game down. For a gaming PC in 2026, 16 GB of video memory avoids that bottleneck, as explained in how much VRAM do you need to play.
DLSS 4.5, FSR 4 and recommended settings
Crimson Desert supports NVIDIA’s DLSS 4.5 and AMD’s FSR 4. According to TechSpot, upscaling in Quality mode boosts performance by around a third more frames per second than native rendering. On a mid-range card at 1440p, that’s what takes the game from “smooth” to “very smooth”.
- In 1080p: high settings, upscaling optional.
- In 1440p: high settings, DLSS or FSR in Quality mode.
- In 4K: RX 9070 XT or RTX 5070 Ti minimum, upscaling in Quality or Balanced mode.
The game also supports the DualSense controller and HDR. Note: an internet connection is required at the first setup.
With a controller or a keyboard, Pywel’s world is explored in 1440p on a mid-range card.
Which FlowUP PC should you get to play Crimson Desert?
These PCs use the same graphics cards as those tested above, with a recent processor, at least 16 GB of RAM and an NVMe SSD.
PC Moll-E : Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB
Ryzen 5 7500F, RX 9060 XT 16GB, 16GB of DDR5 and 1TB SSD: for playing in Ultra 1080p and 1440p.
PC Angora : GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB
Core Ultra 5 245KF, RTX 5060 Ti 16GB, 16GB of DDR5 and 360mm water cooling in an MSI PANO glass-panel case: for playing in Ultra 1080p and 1440p.
View the PC
PC APEX : Radeon RX 9070 XT 16GB
Ryzen 7 7800X3D, RX 9070 XT 16GB, 32GB of DDR5 and Cooler Master water cooling: a 100% AMD configuration for QHD and 4K.
View the PC
PC Requiem: GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16 GB
Ryzen 7 9700X, RTX 5070 Ti 16 GB, 32 GB of DDR5 and MSI 360 mm watercooling: the 1440p in Ultra and 4K.
View the PC
Still not sure? Our guide which gaming PC to play all games helps you choose based on resolution.
FAQ: Crimson Desert on PC
What is the minimum configuration for Crimson Desert?
A Ryzen 5 2600X or a Core i5-8500, 16GB of RAM, a GTX 1060 or an RX 5500 XT, DirectX 12 and 150GB on an SSD.
Does Crimson Desert run on a GTX 1060?
Yes, that’s the minimum configuration: Pearl Abyss targets 30 frames per second in 1080p, with an internal rendering at 900p.
Which graphics card to play Crimson Desert in 4K?
Pearl Abyss cites the RX 9070 XT and the RTX 5070 Ti for 4K at 60 frames per second in ultra.
How big is Crimson Desert?
150GB, on an SSD is mandatory.
Does Crimson Desert support DLSS and FSR?
Yes: DLSS 4.5 on compatible NVIDIA cards and FSR 4 on compatible AMD cards.
