Pearl Abyss is turning up the volume on Crimson Desert again—and this time, it’s the game’s open-world scale that’s stealing the spotlight. In a fresh update shared through recent coverage, the studio indicates the playable world in Crimson Desert is at least twice the size of Skyrim and larger than Red Dead Redemption 2—a bold comparison that immediately places it in the “mega open-world” conversation.



But the headline isn’t just “bigger map.” Pearl Abyss is also trying to get ahead of the usual skepticism that comes with massive worlds: the studio’s messaging stresses that the goal is an environment that feels highly interactive, not a large empty playground. The pitch is essentially: scale matters, but density and player-driven activity matter more.



Using Skyrim and Red Dead Redemption 2 as reference points isn’t random—those games are still widely treated as benchmarks for open-world identity, exploration flow, and “lived-in” atmosphere. By positioning Crimson Desert above them in raw space, Pearl Abyss is signaling that the game aims to be a top-tier open-world action RPG rather than a smaller, mission-hub experience.



The studio’s broader framing suggests a world designed to support constant motion and varied playstyles—traversal, combat encounters, and systems that keep players doing more than just crossing terrain. In other words, the map size is being presented as a canvas for gameplay variety, not a bragging number on a feature list.



Even with the big claims, the most important questions remain the practical ones:

How is the world structured—regions, biomes, vertical spaces, points of interest?
How “interactive” is interactive—AI behavior, systemic events, emergent encounters?
How will exploration be rewarded beyond collectibles and checklist activities?



For now, the takeaway is straightforward: Crimson Desert is aiming for a truly enormous open world, and Pearl Abyss wants that scale to come with meaningful interaction—something players will judge the moment they get hands-on time.