PS5, PS5 Pro and Xbox Performance

11:21 On PlayStation 5, PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X, Crimson Desert offers three graphics modes: Quality at 30fps, Balanced at 40fps on a 120Hz display, and Performance, which aims for 60fps. Digital Foundry's PS5 Pro review lists them as Pearl Abyss's spec sheet does and confirms their internal resolutions on the Pro: 1080p for Performance, 1440p for Balanced and native 4K for Quality, each upscaled to 4K with the upgraded PSSR. The Xbox Series S has only a 40fps Performance mode at 720p and a 30fps Quality mode at 1080p, without ray tracing. Digital Foundry called the PS5 Pro version "very good" and the Series S version one that "can't be readily recommended", as Pure Xbox reported in April 2026. PC settings are on PC Requirements and Settings.

Quick facts

The modes on every console

Pearl Abyss published its console targets on Mar 10, 2026; the table follows Game Informer's transcription of the images. Frame rates are with V-sync; with a VRR display the Performance mode may go above 60.

PlayStation's own page lists Quality at 30fps, Balanced at 40fps on 120Hz displays and Performance (PlayStation.com, read Oct 20, 2026). The Balanced mode needs a 120Hz (or 240Hz) display and an HDMI 2.1 cable, and VRR needs a VRR display, Pearl Abyss's notes say. If the picture looks blurry on PlayStation or Xbox, Pearl Abyss's FAQ blames HDMI cables older than 2.1 and recommends an HDMI 2.1 cable.

PS5 Pro

4:04 The PS5 Pro keeps all of Crimson Desert's ray tracing. Digital Foundry found the ray-traced diffuse global illumination of the PC version enabled on the Pro, lighting rooms with sunlight, lanterns and the glow of enemies in battle, and ray-traced reflections in every mode, with the reflection radius tightened in Performance mode. The game is PS5 Pro Enhanced, uses the console's High CPU Frequency Mode, and its upgraded PSSR helps it reach 4K at higher frame rates, the PlayStation Blog reported on Mar 4, 2026.

12:06 Digital Foundry's review was of a pre-release build with the original PSSR, not the upgraded one. Its reviewer saw the usual PSSR artifacts, smearing around foliage and noise in the ray tracing, and could not judge the final image; Pearl Abyss planned to ship the upgraded PSSR at launch, and its FAQ of Mar 12, 2026 lists "Upgraded PSSR for PS5 Pro". Update 1.02.00 on Apr 4, 2026 sharpened the PSSR image further.

Frame rates in practice

12:20 The 60fps Performance mode on PS5 Pro mostly holds its target. Digital Foundry played about 20 hours, most of them in Performance mode, and was "surprised by how good it is overall"; without VRR, the drops it saw came mostly in large crowds and battles with many enemies.

13:28 The worst spot Digital Foundry found is a hillside battle against swarms of mechanical insects, where Performance mode fell into the 30s, a section it believed limited by the processor. City brawls, once the crowd panics and the guards rush in, also cost frames; neither is the norm, the reviewer stressed.

14:38 The 30fps and 40fps modes are steadier. In the same hillside battle Quality mode held a stable 30fps at four times the pixels, and Balanced a mostly stable 40fps, slipping a little in rain. Digital Foundry recommends the 40 or 60fps modes, because at 30fps the camera and Kliff feel less responsive, and would choose 40fps for its balance of image and speed.

16:14 Use the V-sync toggle only with VRR, and only in Performance mode. Digital Foundry warns that turning V-sync off without a VRR display is "horrifically bad"; with VRR, Performance mode runs above 60fps and becomes the smoothest way to play, but because the game lacks low frame rate compensation, Balanced and Quality tear when they fall below the VRR range.

Base PS5

The base PS5 is the weaker PlayStation. Digital Foundry's later review in April 2026 said no mode is properly tuned on the base console, with Performance mode at a soft 1080p rarely holding 60fps and Quality, at 30fps, the best choice, according to Push Square's report; this viki could not read Digital Foundry's own article. Pearl Abyss optimized the PS5 version with Geometry Shader Oversubscription and NGG Culling, the PlayStation Blog wrote on Mar 4, 2026. Update 1.01.00 on Mar 28, 2026 added a PS5 "Fixed 4K Output" option, on by default.

Xbox Series X and Series S

6:08 The Xbox Series S version gives up ray tracing. Digital Foundry noticed in its PS5 Pro review that the Series S did not seem to have it, and its Xbox review of April 2026, as Pure Xbox summarized it, found the Series S 40fps mode dropping to a native 720p with settings at low-equivalent levels, a version that "can't be readily recommended". The Series X shares the base PS5's three modes, and update 1.02.00 on Apr 4, 2026 added an option to upscale its Performance mode to 4K. The Xbox Store lists the game as Optimized for Xbox Series X|S with 4K, HDR10, ray tracing, 60fps+, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, and keyboard and mouse on console (Xbox Store, read Oct 20, 2026).

Patches that changed console performance

• 1.00.03 (Mar 23, 2026): 120Hz output made optional on PS5 and Xbox, with 60Hz the default.
• 1.01.00 (Mar 28, 2026): "Fixed 4K Output" option on PS5, on by default.
• 1.02.00 (Apr 4, 2026): sharper PSSR on PS5 Pro and a 4K upscaling option in Series X Performance mode.
• 1.04.00 (Apr 23, 2026): improved distant scenery on every platform.
• 2.00.00 (Aug 25, 2026): Crimson Desert Enhanced, a free update with new cutscenes and voices; Pearl Abyss's notes name no new console modes (Crimson Desert Enhanced).

Verdict

27:43 Digital Foundry's verdict on the PS5 Pro: "this is fantastic on PS5 Pro", even in its pre-release state, with performance dips, visual bugs from displacement mapping and ray tracing, and a long save-loading sequence as the faults. John Linneman called it "a stunning game", as GamingBolt reported on Mar 13, 2026. On the base PS5 and the Series S its later reviews were cooler, as reported above, and launch reviews were of the PC version. Every platform is on Platforms.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best mode for Crimson Desert on PS5? On PS5 Pro, Digital Foundry recommends Crimson Desert's 40fps Balanced or 60fps Performance mode, and Performance with VRR is the smoothest; on the base PS5, Push Square reports that Digital Foundry found the 30fps Quality mode the best choice.

Is Crimson Desert 60fps on PS5? Crimson Desert's Performance mode targets 60fps on PS5, PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X; on PS5 Pro it mostly holds 60, while on the base PS5 it rarely does, according to Digital Foundry as reported by Push Square.

Is Crimson Desert better on PS5 Pro? Yes. Crimson Desert on PS5 Pro renders more pixels in every mode, uses the upgraded PSSR and keeps ray tracing in all three modes; Digital Foundry called it "fantastic on PS5 Pro".

Does Crimson Desert have a 40fps mode? Yes. Crimson Desert's Balanced mode runs at 40fps on PS5, PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X, but only with a 120Hz display and an HDMI 2.1 cable.

How does Crimson Desert run on Xbox Series S? Crimson Desert on Xbox Series S has a 720p, 40fps Performance mode and a 1080p, 30fps Quality mode without ray tracing; Digital Foundry said it "can't be readily recommended", as Pure Xbox reported in April 2026.

Does Crimson Desert use PSSR? Yes. Crimson Desert uses the upgraded PSSR on PS5 Pro, and update 1.02.00 sharpened it further on Apr 4, 2026; the base PS5 and Xbox use FSR 3.

Why does Crimson Desert look blurry on my console? Pearl Abyss's FAQ says Crimson Desert can look blurry on PlayStation or Xbox when the HDMI cable does not support HDMI 2.1, and recommends an HDMI 2.1 cable.

Sources

• PC, Console, Mac Performance Specs, Pearl Abyss, Mar 10, 2026
• Frequently Asked Questions, Pearl Abyss (Steam news), Mar 12, 2026
• Patch Notes Version 1.00.03, Pearl Abyss, Mar 23, 2026
• Patch Notes Version 1.01.00, Pearl Abyss, Mar 28, 2026
• Patch Notes Version 1.02.00, Pearl Abyss, Apr 4, 2026
• Patch Notes Version 1.04.00, Pearl Abyss, Apr 23, 2026
• Patch Notes Version 2.00.00, Pearl Abyss, Aug 25, 2026
• Crimson Desert, PlayStation.com, read Oct 20, 2026
• Crimson Desert Enhanced, Xbox Store, read Oct 20, 2026
• Crimson Desert hands-on report: four hours in the RPG's massive open world, PlayStation Blog, Mar 4, 2026
• Crimson Desert specs for PC, console and other platforms revealed, Game Informer, Mar 10, 2026
• Crimson Desert PS5 Pro performance mode surprised Digital Foundry with how good it was overall, GamingBolt, Mar 13, 2026
• No mode is properly optimised on base PS5: Crimson Desert's console performance a mixed bag, Push Square, Apr 2026
• The Series S version can't be readily recommended: Digital Foundry reviews Crimson Desert on Xbox, Pure Xbox, Apr 2026
• Crimson Desert on PlayStation 5 Pro - The Digital Foundry Deep Dive, Digital Foundry, Mar 12, 2026 (video)