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Crimson Desert launched today and has so far reached a peak of 239,045 concurrent players on Steam, which is pretty respectable for a game no one seemed to care much about two months ago. The launch hasn't been without its problems though, and chief among these is a bug preventing players from claiming their pre-order and deluxe pack bonuses.
Players have reported that accessing the in-game supply box where the pre-order and deluxe spoils are meant to be stored is showing nothing. If that's you, rest assured that Pearl Abyss is on the case.
"We are currently investigating an issue where Steam pre-order purchasers are unable to claim their pre-order bonus and deluxe pack items," the studio posted on X. "We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and will get back to you as quickly as possible with an update."
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The pre-order bonus is a Khaled Shield. The deluxe pack comes with a bunch more in-game garb, including another shield, four pieces of horse armor, and a Kairos armor set for the protagonist, including a helm, armor, cloak, plate gloves, and plate boots. I don't know how good this stuff is relative to other early game gear, or whether it's even merely cosmetic or not, but I guess I'm not alone since Steam users can't access any of it.
Crimson Desert's early player statistics are respectable, but to put it into context: Resident Evil Requiem enjoyed a peak of around 270,000 players within two hours of launching on Steam. Anyone expecting a big breakout success in the style of Black Myth: Wukong may be disappointed, as Crimson Desert is nowhere near the latter game's astonishing 2.1 million concurrents.
Massive breakout success or not, it seems to be a good time if you're into sprawling open world adventure games full of busywork. "Vast and obtuse in a way that is going to frustrate some and exhilarate others, Crimson Desert is a fascinating journey, even when the destination isn't all that," Mollie Taylor wrote in her 80/100 review.
Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.
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