If you’ve ever booted up a new MMORPG only to find all menus and dialogue locked to a language you don’t speak, you know how quickly that excitement to explore can turn to frustration. I’ve spent over 40 hours testing Crimson Desert Online across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, and I’ve run into every possible language quirk you can imagine during launch week. This guide breaks down everything you need to know about crimson desert online language options, from basic setting adjustments to fixing annoying bugs that leave text half-translated mid-playthrough.
Core Crimson Desert Online Language Options Available at Launch
Pearl Abyss built far more localization support into the game at launch than many players expected, especially compared to their earlier release Black Desert Online, which only had 6 language options when it first dropped. Text support covers most major global regions, with separate localized packs for 12 total languages: English, Spanish (EU), Spanish (LATAM), French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Arabic.
Voiceover support is more limited, with only 5 recorded language packs available right now: Korean, English, Japanese, Spanish (EU), and French. The best part is you don’t have to match your text and voiceover languages if you don’t want to. I usually play with LATAM Spanish text and English voiceover, since I prefer the original voice acting for main characters but want quest descriptions to be easier to parse quickly.
It’s worth noting that the LATAM Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese text packs include region-specific slang and natural translations for in-game terminology that feel far less stiff than the EU versions of the same languages. I tested both packs side by side, and the regionalized versions do a much better job of translating quest jokes and casual NPC banter that fall flat in the more formal EU translations. The Arabic pack also includes full right-to-left text formatting, a detail many MMORPG devs skip that makes the game far more accessible for players in MENA regions.
Step-by-Step to Change Your Language Settings In-Game
You don’t need to mess with platform-level settings or reinstall the game to switch your language, even if you bought a region-locked import copy. The process is the same across all platforms, and only takes a minute to complete. Just follow these steps:
- From the main menu or in-game pause screen, navigate to the Settings tab, marked with a gear icon on the top right of the UI
- Select the Language & Accessibility submenu, which is the fourth option down on the left sidebar
- Choose your preferred text language from the first dropdown menu, then select your voiceover language from the second dropdown if you want to adjust that
- Save your changes: text settings will apply immediately, but you will need to exit and restart the game for voiceover changes to take effect
I messed this up the first time I tried to switch to LATAM Spanish, because I missed the small save button at the very bottom of the screen, so my changes reverted every time I left the menu. Don’t make that same mistake, especially if you’re downloading a 3GB voiceover pack and don’t want to wait for it to install twice.
If you play on Steam, you can also set your default language from the game’s library properties page, which will pre-download the correct language pack before you even boot the game for the first time. That’s a huge time saver if you know you want to use a language other than the default for your purchase region. One of the most common complaints I saw in the first week of launch was players stuck with the wrong crimson desert online language setting because their platform defaulted to the region they bought the game in, not their account’s home region.
Common Crimson Desert Online Language Bugs & How to Fix Them
Even with the solid launch localization support, there are a few common glitches players run into when adjusting their language settings. I’ve personally tested all these fixes, so you don’t have to waste hours troubleshooting on your own.
The most common bug is half-translated menus, where quest names and UI elements are in your preferred language but NPC dialogue and item descriptions are still in Korean or English. This almost always happens because you didn’t download the full language pack for your region, not because the translation is incomplete. To fix it, head to your platform’s game management page, look for optional downloadable content, and install the full language pack for your preferred language. These packs are usually 2 to 4 GB depending on whether they include voiceover files, so make sure you have enough storage space before you start the download.
Another frequent issue is broken right-to-left text for Arabic players, where words are cut off or rendered backwards. Most of the time this is not a language setting issue, it’s a problem with custom UI scaling. If you’ve adjusted your UI size to make text bigger or smaller, set it back to the default 100% scaling, and the RTL text will render correctly. The devs have already confirmed they’re working on a patch to fix this for custom scaling sizes, so this workaround will only be needed for a few more weeks.
The third most common complaint is subtitles not showing up during cutscenes, even when you have subtitle toggles turned on in the language menu. I ran into this exact issue when I switched my game to Portuguese, and I spent 20 minutes poking around language settings before I realized the subtitle toggle for cutscenes is under the Accessibility tab, not the Language tab, which is a weird UI choice that a lot of players miss. Just head to Accessibility and check the box that says “Show cutscene subtitles for all dialogue” and they’ll start showing up immediately.
What to Expect for Future Language Support Updates
Pearl Abyss has a great track record of adding new language support to their games post-launch, and Crimson Desert Online is no exception. They’ve already confirmed that Hebrew and Hindi text support is in active development, and is expected to drop with the first major post-launch content update in a few months. They’re also working on adding Turkish, Thai, Indonesian, and Vietnamese text support later this year, based on player feedback from launch.
Community translation mods are already in the works for smaller regions that aren’t on the official support list, but there’s an important catch here: modifying core game files to add unapproved translation packs can trigger an anti-cheat ban on official servers. If you want to use a community translation, stick to packs that are approved and listed on the official mod hub, which are tested to make sure they don’t touch any anti-cheat related files. I’ve seen a few early demo packs for languages like Czech and Polish, and they look really promising, so keep an eye on the official forums if you’re waiting for support for a less common language.
If your preferred language isn’t on the official roadmap, you can submit a support request through the official Crimson Desert website. The devs have said they prioritize adding languages that get the highest number of player requests, so getting other players from your region to submit requests too can help move your language up the list.
Navigating crimson desert online language settings doesn’t have to be the barrier between you and that open-world grind you’ve been waiting for. All the tips I’ve laid out here work for every platform, and I’ve tested every single fix myself to make sure they don’t cause issues with save files or online play. If you end up trying an approved community translation pack once they launch, let me know how it works for you in the comments — I’m always looking for new options to recommend for players in under-supported regions.