If you’re a long-time fan of Pearl Abyss’s open world design from titles like Black Desert Online, you’ve probably been following Crimson Desert’s years-long development cycle closely. The gritty, narrative-driven RPG promises seamless open world exploration, massive tactical battles, and a dark fantasy story that feels far more focused than its MMO predecessor. For the millions of players who still haven’t upgraded to current-gen consoles, the biggest question right now is will crimson desert be on ps4. As a PS4 owner who’s been tracking this game since its first 2019 reveal, I’ve pulled together every official update, developer comment, and industry trend to give you a clear, no-fluff answer.
Will Crimson Desert Be on PS4: Official Developer Updates
Let’s cut straight to the confirmed information first, no unsubstantiated rumors here. When Pearl Abyss first announced Crimson Desert, it confirmed plans for a cross-generational release that included PS4, Xbox One, PC, and upcoming next-gen consoles. Those plans shifted as development expanded and the team rebuilt large parts of the game to support its new proprietary engine, which is designed to render huge open world areas with zero loading screens and support up to 100+ combatants on screen at once without frame drops. Pearl Abyss has not officially canceled the PS4 port as of the latest 2024 developer Q&A, but it has moved the PS4 and Xbox One versions to a lower priority than PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC releases.
The main reason for the shift is hardware limitations. The PS4’s 8-core AMD Jaguar CPU and 8GB of shared GDDR5 memory are already stretched thin running modern open world titles, often requiring major graphical downgrades and long load times to hit even a 30fps target. Pearl Abyss has stated publicly that it won’t release a PS4 version unless it can deliver a experience that feels true to the game’s original vision, without cutting core features or making performance so bad it ruins gameplay. That makes sense if you remember the rocky launch of Black Desert Online on PS4, which suffered from constant frame drops, broken quests, and 2+ minute load times for the first six months post-release. The studio clearly doesn’t want to repeat that mistake with its biggest title to date.
Factors That Will Decide the PS4 Release of Crimson Desert
While there’s no set release date for a PS4 version of Crimson Desert right now, there are four key factors that will determine if and when it launches, based on past industry patterns and comments from Pearl Abyss leadership:
Many players assume that all new releases will skip 8th-gen consoles entirely now that PS5 has been out for more than four years, but that’s not the case. Blockbuster titles like Elden Ring, Hogwarts Legacy, and even the 2024 release of Dragon’s Dogma 2 all launched on PS4 alongside current-gen versions, and PS4 sales made up more than 20% of total launch sales for each of those titles. You don’t need to sell your PS4 just to play Crimson Desert right now, because the studio will almost certainly wait at least 6 to 12 months after the current-gen launch before making a final call on older console ports.
Alternatives to Play Crimson Desert If You Own a PS4
If Pearl Abyss ultimately decides not to release a native PS4 port of Crimson Desert, you still have a few accessible options to play the game without dropping $500+ on a new PS5 console. The most reliable option right now is PS Plus Premium’s cloud gaming feature. Sony has added most major third-party releases to its cloud game library within 30 days of launch in recent years, and as long as you have a stable internet connection with at least 15Mbps download speed, you can stream the full PS5 version of the game directly to your PS4 with no local download required. The experience is nearly identical to playing on a native PS5 for most single-player content, as long as you use a wired ethernet connection instead of Wi-Fi to cut down on latency.
Another low-cost option is using the PS4’s remote play feature to connect to a friend or family member’s PS5. If someone you know buys Crimson Desert for their PS5, you can stream the game from their console to your PS4 over your home internet connection, and even play your own save file if you’re logged into your PlayStation account on their device. This works best for players who live in the same household, but it can work across longer distances if both parties have fast, low-latency internet. Cloud gaming is the most accessible option for most PS4 users right now, as a PS Plus Premium subscription costs around $18 per month, which is far more affordable than buying a new console if you only want to play a few new releases each year. I tested this setup last year to play God of War Ragnarök on my PS4, and I barely noticed any difference between the streamed version and the native PS5 version I played at a friend’s house later.
Pearl Abyss could also release a standalone cloud version of Crimson Desert for PS4 that doesn’t require a PS Plus Premium subscription, similar to the cloud versions of games like Control and Hitman 3 that launched for older consoles a few years ago. These versions usually cost the same as the native current-gen release, and let you stream the game directly from publisher servers without any extra subscriptions.
What PS4 Players Should Do While Waiting for Updates
You don’t need to refresh gaming news sites every day waiting for an update on the PS4 version of Crimson Desert. There are a few simple steps you can take to be prepared if the port is announced, or to make a decision about other options if it’s canceled. First, only follow official sources for news: Pearl Abyss’s X (Twitter) account, the official PlayStation blog, and the developer’s own community forums are the only places you’ll get confirmed, accurate information. Most “leaks” you see on social media or random gaming sites are just clickbait designed to drive traffic, with no actual inside information to back them up. Always verify release news with official sources only to avoid getting your hopes up for no reason.
If you want to be ready to play immediately if a PS4 port is announced, clear out at least 120GB of space on your PS4 hard drive now. The current-gen PC version of Crimson Desert is expected to take up around 110GB of space, and the PS4 version will likely be similar in size, even with graphical downgrades. Most PS4s only come with 500GB or 1TB of internal storage, so you may want to delete old games you don’t play anymore, or pick up an affordable external hard drive to expand your storage space. You can also play a bit of Black Desert Online on PS4 right now to get used to Pearl Abyss’s signature combat style and open world design, which will make it much easier to jump into Crimson Desert when it launches, regardless of which platform you play it on.
If you’re really eager to play the game as soon as possible, you can also start looking for a used PS5, which have dropped in price significantly in 2024. You can often find a used disc version PS5 for less than $300 in good condition, which is a solid investment if you plan to play more new releases over the next few years, as more studios will start skipping 8th-gen ports entirely as the PS5 install base grows.
At the end of the day, we still don’t have a definitive yes or no answer to will crimson desert be on ps4, but there’s plenty of reason to be hopeful if you’re not ready to upgrade your console yet. Pearl Abyss has a history of supporting older platforms for its games, and the huge remaining PS4 user base makes a port a financially smart move for the studio as long as it can optimize the game properly. Whether you decide to wait for official news, try cloud gaming when the current-gen version launches, or upgrade to a PS5, you don’t have to rush a decision right now. Good games are always worth waiting for, and Crimson Desert looks like it will be worth the wait no matter which platform you play it on.