Charting the Unknown

1:01 Charting the Unknown is Crimson Desert's first DLC, a $24.99 expansion out on Oct 29, 2026 at 22:00 UTC (3 p.m. PT) on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam and the Epic Games Store, in which Kliff, Oongka and Damiane sail their own ship to new islands, dive beneath the sea and take on new stories. Its full name is "Crimson Desert Enhanced: Charting the Unknown"; it needs the base game, and it is not on the Mac App Store at launch. The reveal trailer shows the sea at the heart of it: a large ship with blue and white striped sails off a green tropical coast, a view from its deck, a diver gliding over a reef and swimming beside a shark, then a mechanical vehicle pushing through the jungle.

Quick facts

Reveal

Pearl Abyss revealed Charting the Unknown at Sony's State of Play on Sep 3, 2026, with the line "Beyond Pywel's shores, a new adventure awaits", and opened pre-orders the same day (Pearl Abyss). It had first mentioned that "downloadable content is in development" on Jun 11, 2026, and its Aug 11, 2026 earnings letter promised the first DLC within the year. It is the first paid content for Crimson Desert since the Mar 19, 2026 launch: every update before it, Crimson Desert Enhanced included, was free.

0:00 The trailer opens in a hazy desert, two cloaked travelers looking out over red rock, then a man studying a map as a lone figure walks into an orange sandstorm. A narrator sets the scene: "Beyond the Crimson Desert lies a hidden land. Legend is countless people fell there long ago, turning the sands crimson with their blood." The trailer's footage was captured on PS5 Pro and marked as a work in progress, RPG Site reported.

Release date and the delay

Charting the Unknown unlocks on Oct 29, 2026 at 22:00 UTC: 3 p.m. PT and 6 p.m. ET on Oct 29, 23:00 in Central Europe, and 07:00 KST/JST on Oct 30 (Pearl Abyss). Pearl Abyss first set it for Oct 15, then on Sep 30, 2026 moved it "by 2 weeks": "we have determined that we need additional development time to deliver a more polished and stable gameplay experience". Every time zone and what is not yet announced, such as pre-loading, is on Charting the Unknown Release Date and Time.

What it adds

Steam's store text puts it this way: "Take command of your ship and set sail across the ocean to explore new islands off the coast. Then dive beneath the waves to uncover underwater treasures, sunken ruins, and hidden mysteries." Players also "rent and manage a variety of facilities to earn your fortune, build a home that's truly your own with the upgraded Housing mode, and talk with the people of Pywel to forge deeper bonds", and "formidable foes await across land and sea" (Steam).

Pearl Abyss's Features Overview of Oct 20, 2026 says when each part opens (Pearl Abyss on Steam):

• Diving. Kliff, Oongka and Damiane can dive at any time to find ruins, treasure chests and "new creatures and mounts". Staying under consumes breath, and gear such as a diving suit extends it.
• Your own ship. A questline that opens once the Greymane Camp is set up at Howling Hill unlocks sailing across "the Great Ocean of Pywel". A ship is built by sending comrades on a ship-building dispatch mission at a port, or bought from a Fleet Office manager.
• Romance and festivals. The three characters can build trust with some of Pywel's people, which "may eventually blossom into romance and even marriage"; once the camp is upgraded far enough, close friends visit it.
• Upgraded housing. A new housing system builds a house "from the ground up", after the camp is set up and "Luke's Request" in the Greymanes faction quest "Grounds of the Sunrise" is done.
• Greymane castles. Three castles can be liberated and claimed after the main story, their courtyards and interiors decorated.
• Management. Businesses from a restaurant to a smithy can be rented across Pywel from the world map, once the region's faction quest is done.
• Garden of Trials. A combat challenge after the main story in which Kliff faces bosses from his adventures "one after another", for special rewards (compare Boss Rematch).

0:40 The trailer shows the home and business side: a cutaway of a workshop seen from above, a valley of green fields and stone houses, a house being laid out room by room in an editing view, a seaside villa, a menu of goods, a sunny dock where a man works at a market stall and a field of yellow flowers where a man kneels before a woman.

The new stories

0:27 Charting the Unknown adds three storylines, one each for Kliff, Oongka and Damiane, started from the Journal after the main story, and a fourth, ocean storyline that opens after "Howling Hill" in the main story (Pearl Abyss, Oct 20, 2026). Steam describes them as running "from an ominous presence in the desert and a dangerous political conflict to a journey beyond time and an ancient secret beneath the waves". In the trailer a woman in a dark red coat reads a sealed decree to a crowd in a white stone city ("Spoken by you, these words may yet earn their trust"), and a voice says "We must find our way back to our rightful time." Game Informer reported that the DLC is set after the base game's ending, with new bosses, weapons and armor (Game Informer). The base game's plot is on Story.

New foes

1:21 The trailer's last fights show what Pearl Abyss means by foes "across land and sea": a brawl in a wooden fort ending in a burst of fire, a giant mechanical crab-like machine firing a red beam across a red desert, and, in the dark of the sea, a huge machine with a glowing eye as a diver swims past ("The abyssal horror's awakened, and it is ravenous!"). The trailer ends on the title, "October 15, 2026", the date it then had, and the pre-order screen with two figures in diving suits. Pearl Abyss has not said how many new bosses there are, as of Oct 21, 2026; the base game's are on Bosses.

Pre-order bonus

Pre-ordering Charting the Unknown on any platform gives the Charter's Diving Set for Kliff and Oongka and the Charter's Light Diving Set for Damiane (Pearl Abyss). Inven Global reported 10% off for PS5 and Xbox owners of the base game, which Pearl Abyss's notices do not mention. Other editions and prices are on Editions and Price.

Requirements, Mac and where it is sold

Charting the Unknown needs the base game, sold since Aug 25, 2026 as Crimson Desert Enhanced, the free 2.00.00 update; the DLC itself is not free. Pearl Abyss lists PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam and the Epic Games Store, and says it will not be on the Mac App Store at launch and will announce Mac App Store plans separately (Pearl Abyss, revised Oct 12, 2026). Steam's DLC page lists Mac requirements, but Pearl Abyss has not said whether Steam's Mac version gets it on Oct 29, as of Oct 21, 2026 (Platforms).

After "a review of content and age rating requirements", the DLC will not be sold in some markets, where pre-orders were closed and refunded; Pearl Abyss did not name them.

Pearl Abyss has not announced a second DLC: in Aug 2026 it said the number and frequency of future DLCs were not decided (Inven Global).

Frequently asked questions

How much is the Crimson Desert DLC? Charting the Unknown, Crimson Desert's first DLC, costs $24.99 on Steam (27,800 won in Korea) and is sold digitally only.

When does Charting the Unknown come out? Charting the Unknown comes out on Oct 29, 2026 at 22:00 UTC (3 p.m. PT, 6 p.m. ET), which is Oct 30 at 07:00 in Korea and Japan, after Pearl Abyss moved it from Oct 15.

What platforms is Charting the Unknown on? Crimson Desert's Charting the Unknown is on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam and the Epic Games Store; it is not on the Mac App Store at launch.

Is Charting the Unknown on Mac? Not on the Mac App Store at launch, Pearl Abyss said; it has not said whether Steam's Mac version of Crimson Desert gets the DLC on Oct 29, 2026.

Does Charting the Unknown need the base game? Yes. Charting the Unknown is DLC for Crimson Desert and needs the base game, which the stores now call Crimson Desert Enhanced.

Is Charting the Unknown free with Crimson Desert Enhanced? No. Crimson Desert Enhanced was a free update, but Charting the Unknown is paid DLC at $24.99.

Can you sail and dive in Crimson Desert? Yes, with Charting the Unknown: the DLC lets Kliff, Oongka and Damiane dive anywhere and, after a questline, build or buy a ship to sail the Great Ocean of Pywel.

Does Crimson Desert's DLC add romance? Yes. Pearl Abyss says Charting the Unknown lets Kliff, Oongka and Damiane build bonds with some of Pywel's people that may lead to romance and marriage.

Sources

• Charting the Unknown DLC Features Overview, Pearl Abyss, Oct 20, 2026
• Charting the Unknown: Release Date Update, Pearl Abyss, Sep 30, 2026
• Charting the Unknown pre-order notice, Pearl Abyss, Sep 3, 2026, revised Oct 12, 2026
• Pearl Abyss Announces Crimson Desert Enhanced: Charting the Unknown DLC, Pearl Abyss, Sep 3, 2026
• Charting the Unknown on Steam, Steam, read Oct 20, 2026
• Crimson Desert Enhanced: Charting the Unknown pre-orders begin, Inven Global, Sep 3, 2026
• Pearl Abyss targets year-end release for Crimson Desert DLC, Inven Global, Aug 11, 2026
• Crimson Desert Charting the Unknown DLC introduces underwater diving, naval exploration, Game Informer, Sep 3, 2026
• Crimson Desert Charting the Unknown DLC release date, gameplay, RPG Site, Sep 3, 2026
• Charting the Unknown Official DLC Reveal Trailer, Crimson Desert, Sep 3, 2026 (video)