How Long to Beat

Pearl Abyss has not given an official length for Crimson Desert, but press estimates put the main story at roughly 80 hours (PCGamesN) and far more with side content (TheGamer's reviewer needed about 150 hours for the story), across a Prologue, 12 chapters and an Epilogue; HowLongToBeat's player averages, as reported in May 2026, were about 62.5 hours for the story and 126 with side quests.

0:18 Crimson Desert takes most players somewhere between 60 and 80 hours to finish the main story and well over 100 hours to see most of the side content, though Pearl Abyss itself has never published an official length: PCGamesN estimates about 80 hours for the story and about 80 more for side missions, TheGamer's reviewer needed 150 hours to reach the end of the story, and HowLongToBeat's player averages, as Rutab.net reported them on May 12, 2026, were 62.5 hours for the main story, 126 with side quests and up to 251 for completionists. The range is wide because the world pulls players off the road. Digital Foundry's PS5 Pro deep dive (Mar 12, 2026) opens with one wander: a circus, a war between giant metal insects and soldiers, a fortress of giant robots, a beach, a city where its reviewer became a wanted criminal, a rainforest in a night storm, and finally the Crimson Desert itself.

A gray, foggy forest of tall conifers. In the lower left a figure in a broad, flat straw hat and a dark coat crouches in the undergrowth, a long weapon across his back. Ahead, a gigantic old tree arches over the path like a pair of legs, a small wooden house built into its top, beside a rocky cliff. — A figure in a wide straw hat with a long weapon on his back crouches in a misty forest before an enormous arching tree with a house in its branches in an official Steam store screenshot of Crimson Desert. Pearl Abyss

Quick facts

Official length	None published by Pearl Abyss (as of Oct 21, 2026)
Main story	About 80 hours (PCGamesN, Mar 19, 2026)
Story plus side content	About 160 hours (PCGamesN's 80 plus about 80)
One reviewer's story run	150 hours (TheGamer, Mar 18, 2026)
HowLongToBeat (reported May 12, 2026)	Main story 62.5 hours, with side quests 126, completionist up to 251
Structure	Prologue, 12 chapters, Epilogue (Game Rant's chapter list)
Bosses	More than 75 (Game Rant, Apr 1, 2026)
After the ending	New game with Abyss Links and currency carried over (since 2.00.00)
Charting the Unknown	Length not announced; out Oct 29, 2026

How long is the main story?

The main story of Crimson Desert is long by any measure. PCGamesN's Paul Kelly (Mar 19, 2026) puts it at around 80 hours and calls that "a bare minimum", because side quests, minigames and mining keep drawing players into the world. TheGamer's Harry Alston, reviewing it before launch, wrote: "I've played Crimson Desert for 150 hours now and have only just finished the main storyline." HowLongToBeat's average from players who logged a story run was about 62.5 hours by May 2026, according to Rutab.net; HowLongToBeat itself could not be read for this page on Oct 21, 2026, so its current figures may differ.

Pearl Abyss has not confirmed any of these. Insider Gaming (Feb 26, 2026) relayed a fan's notes from a September 2024 investor session that quoted "around 50 to 80 hours of gameplay"; Pearl Abyss never published that figure itself.

Chapters

The story runs from a Prologue, "Dead of the Night", through 12 chapters to an Epilogue, "Journey's End", according to Game Rant's chapter list (Mar 19, 2026): 1 The First Encounter, 2 Golden Greed, 3 Howling Hill, 4 The Price of Knowledge, 5 Guest Unbidden, 6 Cracks in the Shield, 7 Homecoming, 8 Blood Coronation, 9 The Sage of the Desert, 10 Counterattack, 11 Truth and Reality, 12 The Abyss. Pearl Abyss's own patch notes confirm the name "Chapter 4. The Price of Knowledge". Each chapter's quests are on Main Quests and Chapters.

What adds hours

26:49 Travel alone takes time. Digital Foundry's reviewer set a waypoint and simply went: "From the opening village to the top of this mountain here, it took me roughly 4 hours of traversal and exploration", he says, standing on a cliff over the Crimson Desert, "and this is before exploring the character's abilities or allowing the story to get started."

12:47 By the time of that video he had put in "a solid 20 hours or so", and the game's systems give plenty more to do. Over 75 bosses (Game Rant counts 75 in the in-game Knowledge tab, TheGamer's reviewer 76), Abyss puzzles, faction quests, bounties, the Greymane Camp and its dispatch missions, fishing, cooking, crafting, trading (overhauled in 1.16.00 with 133 trading posts), minigames, mounts and pets all sit outside the main story. Pearl Abyss's first 17 patches added more than 20 new features and content additions by Aug 12, 2026, including Boss Rematch (1.05.00) and the Re-blockade battles. The activities are on Side Activities and Minigames.

100% completion

There is no official completion percentage. HowLongToBeat's completionist average was up to 251 hours by May 2026, as reported by Rutab.net. The PS5 Platinum trophy is called "Pywel Legend" (Pearl Abyss, Apr 10, 2026); trophy and achievement counts are not confirmed here. There is no classic New Game Plus, but since the Enhanced update (2.00.00, Aug 25, 2026) a player who has finished every main quest can start a new game carrying over Abyss Links and in-game currency, and since 2.03.00 (Sep 18, 2026) a new game started from an existing save gets more than 1,000 silver.

Charting the Unknown

1:01 The first DLC, Charting the Unknown, adds to the total from Oct 29, 2026 at 22:00 UTC. Its reveal trailer (Sep 3, 2026) shows a tall ship under sail, a dive from the deck into the sea, swimming among fish and sunken ruins, and a fight, before a card with its first date, Oct 15, 2026; Pearl Abyss moved it two weeks on Sep 30. Pearl Abyss has not said how long it is, how many new bosses it has or which new areas it adds, as of Oct 21, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How long is Crimson Desert? Crimson Desert has no official length, but PCGamesN estimates about 80 hours for the main story and about 80 more for side content, and HowLongToBeat's player averages were about 62.5 hours for the story and 126 with side quests as of May 2026 (reported by Rutab.net).

How many chapters are in Crimson Desert? Crimson Desert's main story has a Prologue, 12 chapters and an Epilogue, according to Game Rant's chapter list; Chapter 12 is "The Abyss" and the Epilogue is "Journey's End".

How long is the main story of Crimson Desert? Crimson Desert's main story takes roughly 60 to 80 hours for most players: PCGamesN estimates about 80 hours, and HowLongToBeat's player average was about 62.5 hours in May 2026. TheGamer's reviewer took 150 hours.

How long does it take to 100% Crimson Desert? Completing everything in Crimson Desert takes far longer than the story: HowLongToBeat's completionist average was up to 251 hours in May 2026, according to Rutab.net. Pearl Abyss shows no official completion percentage.

How many bosses are in Crimson Desert? Crimson Desert has more than 75 bosses: Game Rant counts 75 in the in-game Knowledge tab plus story fights outside it, and TheGamer's reviewer counted 76.

Does Crimson Desert have New Game Plus? Crimson Desert has no classic New Game Plus, but since the Enhanced update (Aug 25, 2026) players who finish every main quest can start a new game carrying over Abyss Links and in-game currency.

How long is Charting the Unknown? Pearl Abyss has not announced the length of Charting the Unknown, Crimson Desert's first DLC, as of Oct 21, 2026; it comes out on Oct 29, 2026 at 22:00 UTC.

Sources

Dev Update, Pearl Abyss (Steam news), Apr 10, 2026
Patch Notes Version 1.16.00, Pearl Abyss (Steam news), Aug 1, 2026
Update Highlights, Pearl Abyss, Aug 12, 2026
Patch Notes Version 1.18.00, Pearl Abyss, Aug 15, 2026
Patch Notes Version 2.00.00, Pearl Abyss, Aug 25, 2026
Patch Notes Version 2.03.00, Pearl Abyss, Sep 18, 2026
Charting the Unknown: Release Date Update, Pearl Abyss, Sep 30, 2026
How long is Crimson Desert?, PCGamesN, Mar 19, 2026
Crimson Desert review, TheGamer, Mar 18, 2026
Crimson Desert main story quests and chapter list, Game Rant, Mar 19, 2026
All boss fights and locations, Game Rant, Apr 1, 2026
Crimson Desert speedrun and HowLongToBeat figures, Rutab.net, May 12, 2026
Crimson Desert game length, Insider Gaming, Feb 26, 2026
Crimson Desert on PlayStation 5 Pro - The Digital Foundry Deep Dive, Digital Foundry, Mar 12, 2026 (video)
Charting the Unknown Official DLC Reveal Trailer, Crimson Desert, Sep 3, 2026 (video)

Moments

Crimson Desert on PlayStation 5 Pro - The Digital Foundry Deep Dive

Digital Foundry

0:18 Crimson Desert takes most players somewhere between 60 and 80 hours to finish the main story and well over 100 hours…
26:49 Travel alone takes time. Digital Foundry's reviewer set a waypoint and simply went: "From the opening village to the…
12:47 By the time of that video he had put in "a solid 20 hours or so", and the game's systems give plenty more to do. Over…