CeoTelechaje 
Pearl Abyss is letting console players sample the first five hours of its 2026 mega-hit — and your progress carries over.
If you somehow missed the Crimson Desert phenomenon earlier this year, Pearl Abyss has a proposition for you: five hours, completely free.
To celebrate the launch of the game’s first major DLC, Charting the Unknown, the developer has made the opening five hours of Crimson Desert free to play on both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
The Details
The free trial runs from October 29th through January 6th, giving you plenty of time to clear your schedule and dive in.
There’s a catch depending on which console you own:
· PlayStation 5: You’ll need an active PlayStation Plus Premium or Deluxe subscription to access the trial.
· Xbox: The trial is available to all players, regardless of whether you have a paid Xbox subscription.
The trial covers the Crimson Desert Enhanced base game only — not the Charting the Unknown DLC. Given that five hours likely won’t even scratch the surface of the main story, that’s probably for the best.
Progress Carries Over
Here’s the good news: any progress you make during the trial carries over to the full game if you decide to purchase it. No lost time, no starting over.
The bad news? Once your five hours are up, that’s it. The timer is final. You can’t restart the trial on a different save file or create a new account to game the system. Five hours, one shot.
Why the Free Trial Now?
The timing makes sense. Crimson Desert has been a juggernaut since launch:
· Over 6 million copies sold in just three months
· Publisher revenue up a massive 419 percent
· Every Pearl Abyss employee received a $3,400 bonus as a thank-you
With the game’s first DLC now out and a Switch 2 version in development, Pearl Abyss is clearly looking to expand its audience even further. A free trial is a low-risk way to pull in players who were on the fence.
What’s Next for Crimson Desert?
Pearl Abyss isn’t slowing down. The studio has hinted at:
· More DLC beyond Charting the Unknown
· Multiplayer-focused content in the future
· A potential sequel to the breakout hit
For now, though, the focus is on getting Crimson Desert into as many hands as possible. And with a free five-hour trial available on both major consoles, there’s never been a better excuse to see what all the fuss is about.
Will you be taking advantage of the free trial? Let us know in the comments.
