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How to Play Co-Op
June 9, 2026 at 12:11 AM
Removed duplicate in-body wikilinks
No. Crimson Desert launched on March 19, 2026 as a fully single-player game. There is no online co-op, no local co-op, no PvP, and no matchmaking of any kind at launch. You play as Kliff throughout the entire campaign, with AI-controlled companions joining you at scripted points in the story.
If you bought the game hoping to team up with a friend right away, that is not possible. The entire main story, all side quests, and the open world of Pywel are designed for a solo experience.
While you cannot bring another player into your game, you are not always alone. Three main companions travel with Kliff at various points in the story: Oongka, Yann, and Naira. These characters are controlled by the game's AI. They fight alongside you in combat, participate in exploration, and have their own dialogue during story sequences.
You cannot invite a friend to take control of one of these companions. Their behavior is fully automated, though certain skills and upgrades can affect how effectively they perform in battle.
The Greymane Camp functions as an upgradeable home base where you can manage resources, cook food, and rest. From the camp, you can dispatch AI companions on missions such as supply runs and fortress sieges. This is the closest thing to a cooperative experience in the launch version of the game, though every companion is still NPC-controlled.
Pearl Abyss has not completely ruled out multiplayer. During the Q4 2025 earnings call, the studio indicated that an online mode could arrive after launch depending on how the game performs commercially. The planned multiplayer component is called Another Journey.
Details are limited, but here is what has been discussed publicly:
Another Journey is a separate mode from the main single-player campaign.
Players will reportedly be able to create custom characters rather than playing as Kliff.
Levels, items, and skills earned in the single-player story may carry over into the multiplayer mode.
The mode is expected to arrive as a free post-launch update, though no release date has been confirmed.
Pearl Abyss has compared the concept loosely to the GTA Online model, where multiplayer exists alongside a single-player campaign.
At the earliest, Another Journey could arrive by late 2026 or sometime in 2027. Pearl Abyss has been clear that the single-player experience comes first, and multiplayer will only happen if there is enough player demand.
Crimson Desert started development as a companion project to Black Desert Online, Pearl Abyss's MMO. Over the course of development, the studio shifted focus toward a single-player, story-driven action RPG. The decision to strip out multiplayer at launch was deliberate: Pearl Abyss wanted to deliver a polished narrative experience without the compromises that come with balancing co-op encounters.
The campaign features heavily choreographed boss fights, environmental puzzles, and cinematic cutscenes that are built around a solo player. Adding a second player would require redesigning encounter pacing, camera work, and difficulty scaling across the board.
Since there is no multiplayer at launch, crossplay and cross-platform support are not relevant. If Another Journey launches in the future, Pearl Abyss has not confirmed whether it will support cross-platform play between PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Stock up on healing items before difficult encounters. You cannot rely on a co-op partner to revive you. See the How to Heal guide for food and recovery details.
Use companion dispatch missions from Greymane Camp to gather resources passively while you explore.
Save frequently before boss fights. Some encounters are long, and there are no checkpoints mid-fight.
Experiment with different skills freely. Respeccing is free and unlimited, so you can adjust your build for any tough solo encounter.
