Trailers

0:03 The main Crimson Desert trailer is the Official Launch Trailer of Mar 12, 2026, a week before the game came out on Mar 19, and the newest is the Charting the Unknown DLC reveal trailer of Sep 3, 2026, shown at Sony's State of Play. The launch trailer opens on torchlit warriors in a dark forest and a voice saying "It's time. To take back what was stolen", then a figure with a silver bear's head on its armor telling Kliff, "You Greymanes are a hard lot to kill." Pearl Abyss said it shows "battles against fearsome bosses, distinctive combat styles for each character, and dynamic gameplay elements such as dragon-riding combat". Every official trailer and showcase since the 2019 reveal is below, oldest first, with what it showed. The story of the game's making is on Development History, and the game itself on Crimson Desert.

Quick facts

Every official trailer and showcase

The early trailers (2019 to 2023)

Pearl Abyss revealed Crimson Desert in November 2019 at Pearl Abyss Connect, its G-Star 2019 showcase in Busan, beside PLAN 8 and DokeV, with the "Official Reveal Trailer"; it then presented the game as an open-world MMORPG, which it is not now (it is single-player). An animated symbol reveal followed. At The Game Awards on Dec 10, 2020 the "World Premiere Gameplay Trailer" gave what Pearl Abyss called "the first vertical slice" of the game, then aimed at winter 2021, with "frantic battles and powerful boss fights".

After a delay, the game returned at gamescom Opening Night Live on Aug 22, 2023 with a gameplay trailer of Kliff "investigating events that transpire in the region of 'Hernand'", showing hand-to-hand and wrestling moves, skydiving, climbing, fishing, arm-wrestling and "taming wild horses".

Boss videos and early gameplay (2024)

0:14 For gamescom 2024, where the game was playable for the first time, Pearl Abyss released four boss videos from that demo build: White Horn on Aug 19, 2024, then Staglord, Reed Devil and Queen Stoneback Crab on Aug 21. The White Horn video opens in a snowstorm, Kliff with his shield walking up a rocky slope until a band of fur-clad warriors comes down at him. The bosses have pages of their own: White Horn, Staglord, Reed Devil and Queen Stoneback Crab.

7:37 "50 Minutes of Early Gameplay" followed on Sep 12, 2024, a pre-release build that Pearl Abyss said "has been purposefully edited" and "is not necessarily edited in sequence": the Black Bears' night attack, Hernand, the Abyss, gliding, and a battle with the boss it then called Split Horn (Kailok the Hornsplitter in the released game). Here Kliff walks through a sunny village of thatched houses, then rides out across the fields.

0:14 The witch Hexe Marie was shown at G-Star 2024 in November and in her own boss video on Dec 5, 2024, the first two-phase boss Pearl Abyss revealed. It opens as Kliff walks through a stone gate into a courtyard around a dead tree hung with cages and candles.

At The Game Awards on Dec 12, 2024 a new trailer set the release for "late 2025" and showed riding and fighting from wyverns, gliding and a "trusty steed" (see Mounts).

Engine video and demo footage (2025)

0:05 At GDC 2025 Pearl Abyss showed its BlackSpace Engine in "Dev Archives: The Engine Behind Crimson Desert" (posted on the official site Mar 28, 2025). The video compares features off and on: here water running over rocks and through a stream with its simulation switched on, then volumetric fog with fluid simulation swirling as Kliff walks through it. Later it shows a timelapse of a day over Pywel, cloth and hair simulation, and ray tracing.

0:07 Press demos followed in 2025 (PAX East, Summer Game Fest, gamescom, PAX West, Tokyo Game Show). IGN's "13 Minutes of Gameplay" (Aug 15, 2025) is a siege in Hernand: "We have to hurry to support the marquee," a soldier says, and Kliff arrives with "The Duke sent me" before joining the artillery at the cannons.

The "Release Date Reveal Trailer" at Sony's State of Play on Sep 24, 2025 announced Mar 19, 2026 and opened pre-orders. Pearl Abyss's and PlayStation's uploads of it are age-restricted on YouTube and do not play in an embedded player.

4:42 IGN First's "Golden Star Quest Gameplay" (Oct 13, 2025) showed a late-game boss: Kliff walks into a ruined desert town and the golden mechanical dragon Golden Star rises from the rubble.

Before launch (2026)

Three "Features Overview" videos ran on Jan 29, Feb 5 and Feb 12, 2026: #1 "Kliff and the Open World of Pywel", #2 "Combat and Progression" and #3 "Life in Pywel". They are age-restricted on YouTube.

0:13 "Meet the Cast" (Feb 25, 2026) introduced the English voices: "My name is Alec Newman and I play Kliff," then Stewart Scudamore (Oongka) and Rebecca Hanssen (Damiane), who calls Damiane "very down to earth, a fierce fighter, and headstrong". More is on Characters.

1:52 Digital Foundry's "First Look: The BlackSpace Engine Tech Preview" (Mar 5, 2026) explains its source here: Pearl Abyss "were kind enough to provide us with footage that we could have made at that preview event", captured to Digital Foundry's requests.

The Official Launch Trailer came on Mar 12, 2026, the same day as Digital Foundry's PS5 Pro deep dive. With it, Pearl Abyss said the game had passed "three million wishlists" on major platforms.

11:16 Digital Foundry's "Crimson Desert on PlayStation 5 Pro" explains the console modes here: three on most consoles, with internal resolutions of 1080p, 1440p and 4K, on a build still using the original PSSR. The modes are on PS5, PS5 Pro and Xbox Performance.

Enhanced and Charting the Unknown (2026)

0:00 Pearl Abyss revealed Crimson Desert Enhanced, the free 2.00.00 update, at gamescom Opening Night Live on Aug 25, 2026, and released it the same day. The one-minute trailer opens on a burning fortress and the words "Our strength failed us. You failed us", then title cards: "The open world adventure loved by millions", "Updated with new story moments", "Expanded voice-over & language support" and "Includes all post-launch updates", before the first sale, 20% off. A voice tells Kliff, "This time, you will surely break the cycle."

0:00 The Charting the Unknown reveal trailer premiered at Sony's State of Play on Sep 3, 2026. It begins in a sandstorm: "Beyond the Crimson Desert lies a hidden land. Legend is countless people fell there long ago, turning the sands crimson with their blood." A traveler reads a map on a ridge, robed figures gather in red light, a woman reads out a sealed decree to a crowd before a cathedral, and a house is built room by room in the upgraded housing mode.

1:01 The second half goes to sea. A ship with blue and white sails cuts along a green coast, a diver in an old helmeted suit swims over a reef beside a shark, a fighter battles on a muddy shore and in a village, a huge machine fires a red beam across the desert, and a voice warns, "The abyssal horror's awakened, and it is ravenous!" The trailer ends on the date first given, Oct 15, 2026; on Sep 30 Pearl Abyss moved the DLC two weeks to Oct 29, 2026 at 22:00 UTC (3 p.m. PT). Everything about it is on Charting the Unknown.

Frequently asked questions

What is the newest Crimson Desert trailer? The newest Crimson Desert trailer is the Charting the Unknown DLC reveal trailer, shown at Sony's State of Play on Sep 3, 2026, as of Oct 21, 2026.

Where can I watch the Crimson Desert DLC trailer? The Charting the Unknown trailer is on Pearl Abyss's official Crimson Desert YouTube channel and on the DLC's store pages; it plays on this page from its first second and from 1:01.

When did the Crimson Desert launch trailer come out? Pearl Abyss released Crimson Desert's Official Launch Trailer on Mar 12, 2026, a week before the game launched on Mar 19, 2026.

What did Crimson Desert show at State of Play? Crimson Desert's release date, Mar 19, 2026, was revealed at Sony's State of Play on Sep 24, 2025, and its first DLC, Charting the Unknown, at the State of Play on Sep 3, 2026.

Is there a Crimson Desert Enhanced trailer? Yes: Pearl Abyss showed a one-minute Crimson Desert Enhanced trailer at gamescom Opening Night Live on Aug 25, 2026, the day the free update came out.

Why won't some Crimson Desert trailers play here? Some uploads of Crimson Desert trailers, including the Release Date Reveal Trailer and the Features Overview videos, are age-restricted on YouTube because the game is rated Mature 17+, and age-restricted videos do not play in embedded players.

Sources

• G-Star 2019: New Details and Trailers Emerge for PLAN 8, Crimson Desert, DokeV and Shadow Arena, Pearl Abyss, Nov 13, 2019
• Pearl Abyss Premieres New Crimson Desert Gameplay Trailer at The Game Awards, Pearl Abyss, Dec 10, 2020
• Pearl Abyss Showcases Crimson Desert at gamescom Opening Night Live, Pearl Abyss, Aug 22, 2023
• Pearl Abyss Unveils Thrilling Crimson Desert White Horn Boss Combat Trailer Ahead of gamescom, Pearl Abyss, Aug 19, 2024
• Pearl Abyss Unveils Epic 50-Minute Crimson Desert Early Gameplay Preview, Pearl Abyss, Sep 12, 2024
• Pearl Abyss Unveils Stunning Crimson Desert Boss Battle With the Powerful Hexe Marie, Pearl Abyss, Dec 5, 2024
• Crimson Desert Set for Late 2025 Release, Announced at The Game Awards, Pearl Abyss, Dec 12, 2024
• Dev Archives: A Look into Pearl Abyss' BlackSpace Engine, Pearl Abyss, Mar 28, 2025
• Crimson Desert Launches March 19, New Story Trailer Revealed, PlayStation Blog, Sep 24, 2025
• Features Overview #1, #2, #3, Pearl Abyss, Jan 29 to Feb 12, 2026
• Meet the Cast, Pearl Abyss, Feb 28, 2026
• Pearl Abyss Unveils Launch Trailer for Crimson Desert Ahead of March 19 Global Release, Pearl Abyss, Mar 12, 2026
• Pearl Abyss Unveils Crimson Desert Enhanced at Opening Night Live, Kicks Off First-Ever All-Platform Discount, Pearl Abyss, Aug 25, 2026
• Crimson Desert Enhanced Update Now Available, Pearl Abyss, Aug 25, 2026
• Pearl Abyss Announces Crimson Desert Enhanced: Charting the Unknown DLC, Pearl Abyss, Sep 3, 2026
• Charting the Unknown: Release Date Update, Pearl Abyss, Sep 30, 2026
• Official Launch Trailer, Crimson Desert, Mar 12, 2026 (video)
• White Horn Boss Battle Gameplay, gamescom 2024, Crimson Desert, Aug 19, 2024 (video)
• 50 Minutes of Early Gameplay, Crimson Desert, Sep 12, 2024 (video)
• Hexe Marie Boss Battle Gameplay, Crimson Desert, Dec 5, 2024 (video)
• Dev Archives: The Engine Behind Crimson Desert, GDC 2025, Crimson Desert, Mar 28, 2025 (video)
• Crimson Desert - 13 Minutes of Gameplay, IGN, Aug 15, 2025 (video)
• Crimson Desert: Golden Star Quest Gameplay - IGN First, IGN, Oct 13, 2025 (video)
• Meet the Cast: Kliff, Oongka, and Damiane, Crimson Desert, Feb 25, 2026 (video)
• Crimson Desert First Look: The BlackSpace Engine Tech Preview, Digital Foundry, Mar 5, 2026 (video)
• Crimson Desert on PlayStation 5 Pro - The Digital Foundry Deep Dive, Digital Foundry, Mar 12, 2026 (video)
• Crimson Desert Enhanced Official Announcement Trailer, gamescom ONL 2026, Crimson Desert, Aug 25, 2026 (video)
• Charting the Unknown Official DLC Reveal Trailer, Crimson Desert, Sep 3, 2026 (video)