Crimson Desert Enhanced Edition gets free 5-hour trial on PlayStation and Xbox

Pearl Abyss released a free trial for Crimson Desert Enhanced Edition that lets players experience the first five hours of the game. The trial runs from October 29 to January 6 and is available to PlayStation Plus Premium and Deluxe subscribers on PlayStation 5 and all players on Xbox regardless of subscription status.

The trial covers only the base Crimson Desert Enhanced game and any progress made carries over to the full game if players decide to purchase it. Once the five hours are up, players cannot restart the trial on a different save.

The trial launched alongside the Charting the Unknown DLC, which released yesterday. Crimson Desert sold over 6 million copies in its first three months and was so profitable that Pearl Abyss gave each employee a $3,400 bonus.

Pearl Abyss reported revenue up 419 percent over half a year after launch. The developer has hinted at multiplayer-focused DLC in the future and a Switch 2 version is currently in development. Crimson Desert has been nominated for the Player's Choice Award at the 2026 PlayStation Partner Awards.