Crimson Desert Enhanced now has a five-hour free trial on consoles. Pearl Abyss says it is open to every Xbox player, with no subscription needed, and to PlayStation Plus Premium and Deluxe members on PlayStation. Anything you do in those five hours carries over if you buy the full game.

The trial went live alongside the game's first paid expansion, Charting the Unknown, which Pearl Abyss confirmed in a notice posted at 22:00 UTC on Thursday 29 October (6:00 pm ET). The trial does not include the expansion: it covers only the Crimson Desert Enhanced base game.

Infographic cards showing who can play the Crimson Desert Enhanced trial on Xbox and PlayStation, its five-hour length, progress carry-over, the 7 January and 29 October 2027 deadlines and the $69.99 Steam price

Trial rules at a glance

Platform

Who can play

Available until

Xbox

All players, no subscription needed

7 January 2027

PlayStation

PlayStation Plus Premium and Deluxe members

29 October 2027

  • One go per account: the trial can only be used once. When the five hours are up it ends and can't be restarted.

  • Base game only: none of Charting the Unknown's content is included.

  • Saves carry over: in Pearl Abyss's words, "Your trial progress carries over to the full game when you purchase it."

What it means for players

Five hours is a real sample of an open-world action RPG, and the carry-over means the time isn't wasted if you buy. The catch is on PlayStation: PS Plus Essential members aren't on the list, so you need the Premium or Deluxe tier to start it. On Xbox, anyone can start it, but the window closes much sooner, on 7 January 2027.

The two deadlines are far apart, and some outlets reported a slightly different Xbox end date. We're using the dates in Pearl Abyss's own notice, which also tells players to check each platform's store for the exact details. Pearl Abyss hasn't mentioned a trial for PC, Mac or Switch 2.

A caped warrior with a sword crouches on the spiked, scaly back of a huge flying creature high above a wide green valley and distant mountains
Image: Pearl Abyss (official Crimson Desert Enhanced screenshot of a ride over Pywel, Steam store page).

Confirmed and not confirmed

Confirmed: the five-hour length, who can play on each platform, the one-use limit, save carry-over and both deadlines, all from Pearl Abyss's notice. Not confirmed: whether the trial will come to PC, Mac or Switch 2, or whether a trial for the expansion is planned.

The full game costs $69.99 on Steam in the US. Our Charting the Unknown release time and price report covers the expansion. For setup, see our guides to claiming PlayStation Plus games, installing games on PS5 and installing games on Xbox Series X|S, plus our PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X pages.

In India, the notice went up at 3:30 am IST on 30 October, and the full game costs ₹4,499 on Steam.

Sources & verification

Sources last verified on . This article covers published information, not hands-on testing.

Editorial & update notes

First published 31 Oct 2026 with primary-source citations.

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