This article was updated by Andrea Trama on March 22, 2026 and includes additional tips from the community for improving PS5 performance, as well as recent comments from Pearl Abyss. First published March 21.
portion crimson desert Players are reporting unusually blurry visuals on the PlayStation 5, including the more powerful Pro variant of Sony's console. The exact scope of the problem has not yet been confirmed, but crimson desert Developer Pearl Abyss has already shared a potential workaround that PS5 owners can try while the studio irons out the persistent issue.
The Korean studio's second title was released for PC and consoles on March 19th. Pearl Abyss has been raising the bar for a long time. crimson desertWith several previews and trailers hinting at an open-world action-adventure, its graphics promise to be one of the most visually impressive AAA releases in recent years. As a result, crimson desert is already a strong contender to be one of the most graphically demanding games of 2026. In theory, console players should be protected from major issues arising from the resource usage of certain titles, but at least one notable technical issue has emerged with the first build of the hit game.
Optimal PC Settings for Crimson Desert (Optimization Guide)
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Crimson Desert PS5 version has issues in 120Hz mode
Within hours of the game's launch, some first-day buyers took to social media and Pearl Abyss' official Discord server to report issues. crimson desertPS5 performance. Complaints focus on the unusually smooth image quality, with some players reporting that textures are too blurry, which greatly affects visual readability. The main theory is that the problem is related to the game's 120Hz mode. This mode is the common setting for the majority of affected users. Pearl Abyss marketing director Will Powers agreed with that theory by advising affected players to disable 120Hz mode in response to complaints about blurry graphics in a March 20 issue.
Rearranges covers into correct US release order.
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Rearranges covers into correct US release order.
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There's no shortage of modern TVs and monitors that support 120Hz refresh rates, but not all of them can do so while outputting 4K images. Whether this causes any real problems will vary from game to game, so the PS5 will allow users to enable the “120Hz output” option in the video output settings, as long as the display supports that refresh rate. any solve. Unlike many titles that require players to enable 120Hz in-game. crimson desert It will always boot in that mode if the corresponding setting in the Screen and Video menu is turned on. If you decide that your particular TV or monitor requires this compromise, your game's resolution may be lowered significantly.
Crimson Desert currently doesn't have an in-game 120Hz mode toggle, so the only way to test fixing the blur issue is to disable 120Hz video in PS5 system settings under Screen & Video > Video Output > 120Hz Output.
Nonetheless, all reports crimson desert Players are describing the same issue, suggesting that PS5 issues may be more complex than one faulty default setting. One Discord user said the game only appears blurry during combat and sharp otherwise, while another user reported noticeably low-quality textures appearing at unpredictable times. One user on the Pearl Abyss Discord server said this issue persisted throughout their playthrough, but this wasn't a universal experience. Conversely, according to several players, notable problems only materialize a few hours into the game.
How Crimson Desert approaches frame pacing
The PS5 version in 120Hz mode is crimson desert To maintain a consistent frame rate, aim for 40 frames per second. By repeating each frame three times, the game can provide a much smoother experience than 30fps while maintaining requirements that are much less than 60fps. On displays that don't support 120Hz, most games will hit 30fps even if they hit 40fps. This is because the alternative requires uneven frame delivery, which can cause inconsistent motion smoothness and microstuttering.
Pearl Abyss shared a post on Twitter/X, revealing that they are reviewing a control patch for Crimson Desert soon. In the meantime, we will review all reports made through this link and process them as quickly as possible. Reporting can be helpful if players are affected by PS5 visual issues and want a quick fix.
from crimson desert It's been marketed as one of the most visually ambitious AAA games in recent history, but it's potentially more prone to image quality issues that affect initial player impressions. This is especially true considering that the blurry visual issue affects perfectly standard hardware like the PS5, a system that developers have actively optimized. Pearl Abyss has not yet provided a schedule for resolving the blur issue. If simply disabling 120Hz mode on unsupported displays is enough, a fix could come relatively soon.
- released
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March 19, 2026
- ESRB
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Age 17 or older / Blood, drug-related, high-intensity violence, verbal abuse
- developer
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Pearl Abyss
- publisher
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Pearl Abyss
