With Crimson Desert launching on March 19, 2026, PC players finally know what kind of hardware they will need to run one of the most visually ambitious games we have seen in years. Considering how demanding recent PC releases have been, there was real concern that this would require a monster rig just to hit acceptable performance.
Instead, what Pearl Abyss has shared looks surprisingly reasonable. Perhaps a bit too reasonable, but who am I to complain.
Minimum PC Requirements
- OS: Windows 10 64-bit
- Processor: Ryzen 5 2600X / i5-8500
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: RX 6500 XT / GTX 1060
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 135 GB available space
- Additional Notes: SSD required
Seeing a GTX 1060 listed in 2026 is honestly impressive. That card simply refuses to fade away, and pairing it with a AMD Ryzen 5 2600X or an Intel i5-8500 means many mid-range builds from the past several years are still viable.
The more noticeable requirement is storage. 135 GB is not small, and the SSD requirement means traditional hard drives are not an option. If your SSD is already packed with other titles, you may be doing some digital house cleaning before launch day.
Recommended PC Requirements
- OS: Windows 10 64-bit
- Processor: Ryzen 5 5600 / i5-11600K
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: RX 6700 XT / RTX 2080
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 135 GB available space
- Additional Notes: SSD required
The recommended tier increases GPU demands but keeps memory steady at 16 GB. That alone is refreshing, especially at a time when some modern releases are quietly nudging players toward 32 GB for smoother performance.
An RX 6700 XT or RTX 2080 suggests the game is targeting strong 1080p and likely solid 1440p performance, depending on how well it has been optimized. On paper, this does not look like a situation where most players will need to overhaul their entire system.
And please, for the love of the gaming gods, try to install this game on a conventional/mechanical hard drive. If you do, you’ll find out the hard way that they simply aren’t up to the task of running modern day games.
The Real Question Is Performance
While these requirements are quite tame, the bigger question remains how the game will actually run on PC. We have all seen Crimson Desert in motion, and the scale, lighting, physics, and sheer spectacle make it difficult to believe the entry barrier is this low.
If Pearl Abyss says this hardware is enough, then we have to take them at their word. At the same time, PC players have been burned enough times to know that a spec sheet does not always tell the full story.
Most of our Crimson Desert hands-on time so far has been on console builds. However, during my trip to the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show, I did see the game running on an AMD-powered system that appeared to be a laptop, and it looked excellent. There was no hitching, no noticeable frame rate drops, and performance seemed stable throughout the demo. That showing definitely instilled some confidence, even if it was a controlled environment.
Crimson Desert launches on March 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The requirements may be reasonable, but we will soon find out whether the performance matches the promise once it is finally in our hands.
Check out our Crimson Desert previews to find out what we think about the game.
