Crimson Desert has just received the Charting the Unknown expansion, and to celebrate, Pearl Abyss released a free 5-hour trial on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The demo lets new players explore part of the base game without paying, with the option to carry progress over to the full version if they decide to purchase.
The expansion brings significant content additions to the already massive open-world game. According to IGN, highlights include ship-to-ship combat, underwater exploration, and romance options with characters. The DLC also adds new story missions for characters Kliff, Oongka, and Damiane, plus a secret encounter with a Kraken in the ocean depths, as reported by The Gamer.
The game's map has grown to an even more staggering scale following the expansion's launch. According to Push Square, the base map now looks like just a corner of the new playable territory. New systems were added, including ship building (ranging from 40,000 to 6 million gold, per GamesRadar) and marriage and family options, per Destructoid.
On Steam, Charting the Unknown earned "Mostly Positive" reviews after 250 user reviews, with players praising Pearl Abyss for its continued support of the game since its successful February 2026 launch. GamesRadar reported that the peak concurrent players on the platform was 16,955 in 24 hours, marking the third-lowest week since the game's release.
