Crimson Desert finally gets PS5 Pro footage and 'overall performance across the three modes is impressive' but we're still waiting on PS5 and Xbox Series X footage | Tech Radar

Overview

Crimson Desert finally gets PS5 Pro footage and 'overall performance across the three modes is impressive' but we're still waiting on PS5 and Xbox Series X footage

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Details

The first proper look at Crimson Desert running on the PS5 Pro has been shared

Digital Foundry got hands-on with the console version and praises its ray tracing tech across all three graphics modes

Performance mode, "by and large," meets its 60fps target with the odd drop in populated areas

Crimson Desert launches next week for PC and consoles, and the first proper look at Play Station 5 Pro footage has finally been revealed.

Pearl Abyss's open-world action-adventure game is scheduled to launch on March 19. Still, the only promotional footage we've had a decent look at over the month has been on PC, even though the game is also coming to Play Station and Xbox.

Finally, after months of waiting and some skepticism from fans about the game's console performance, Digital Foundry was given exclusive access to Crimson Desert running on the Play Station 5 Pro, and it looks seriously impressive.

Crimson Desert will have three graphics modes across Play Station and Xbox, including a performance one that boasts an upscaled 4K resolution at 60fps with ray tracing on PS5 Pro

Crimson Desert will seemingly hit 4K resolutions at higher frame rates, with raytracing on PS5 Pro, thanks to the latest PSSR update

‘Let us cook’ — Crimson Desert asks fans to wait longer for PS5 footage

"Their [Pearl Abyss's] Black Space engine delivers results that are nothing short of remarkable," said DF's John Linneman, and although there is some "jank" to content with, "the overall impression is striking."

"From performance to crowd behaviour, animation, freedom, foliage, lighting, everything. It is a stunning game," Linneman adds. "And on PS5 Pro here, you actually don't lose that much."

Across PC, PS5, PS5 Pro, and Xbox Series X, the game offers three graphics modes: Performance, Balanced, and Quality, and according to DF, ray tracing technology is fully present and accounted for on PS5 Pro.

The ray-traced diffuse global illumination that was highlighted in DF's PC preview, the per-pixel solution, is also enabled on the console, offering a fully dynamic ray-traced-driven lighting system, and the footage looks gorgeous.

Performance mode offers 60fps, and Linneman said it "puts up a good fight" and "by and large" meets its target, adding, "I was surprised by how good it was overall."

DF also notes that frame rate does dip in areas with larger crowds and places involving lots of non-playable characters (NPCs), and also dropped "significantly" during an early game battle into the 30fps region.

A similar issue can be triggered in large cities, too, but Linneman said that this is "not the norm at all" for the game. The game's Quality mode in 30fps and Balanced option in 40fps also appear stable, with 60fps being more "challenging".

Crimson Desert has both FSR and DLSS, but I'm betting on native performance

PS5 Pro games list: all of the PS5 Pro enhanced titles released so far

Crimson Desert's Performance, Balanced, and Quality modes also aim for 1080p, 1440p, and 4K, respectively, with the first two using PSSR (Play Station Spectral Super Resolution) to upscale to a 4K output. But DF said this isn't the latest upgraded version of Sony's tech that is expected to be added to the game, as we saw with Resident Evil Requiem, so the results should be improved.

Linneman adds that he prefers playing in balanced mode, "but if the new PSSR is as effective as we think it is, the base 1080p from the optimal mode may still deliver an impressive experience with higher frame-rates."

"In terms of GPU scalability, the game works. Yes, the optimal and balanced modes use upscaling, but the base resolution is high enough that even the original PSSR looks fine overall, minus some artefacts that we should expect to see gone with the upgraded PSSR," Linneman said.

"In terms of CPU, that was a more pressing concern - today's mid-range PC CPUs are considerably more capable than the consoles. Here, the limitations can be more felt, but never enough to feel that the game is 'poorly optimised'."

It's important to note that we've yet to see proper PS5 and Xbox Series X|S footage, but DF said "The signs are looking good."

➡️ Read our full guide to the best gaming consoles

1. Best overall: Play Station 5 Slim
2. Best budget: Xbox Series S
3. Best handheld: Nintendo Switch 2
4. Most powerful: Play Station 5 Pro

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Demi is a freelance games journalist for Tech Radar Gaming. She's been a games writer for five years and has written for outlets such as Game Spot, NME, and Games Radar, covering news, features, and reviews. Outside of writing, she plays a lot of RPGs and talks far too much about Star Wars on X.

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Key Takeaways

• Crimson Desert finally gets PS5 Pro footage and 'overall performance across the three modes is impressive' but we're still waiting on PS5 and Xbox Series X footage

• When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission

• The first proper look at Crimson Desert running on the PS5 Pro has been shared

• Digital Foundry got hands-on with the console version and praises its ray tracing tech across all three graphics modes

• Performance mode, "by and large," meets its 60fps target with the odd drop in populated areas