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Performance and Graphics Settings
March 13, 2026 at 08:37 PM
Major update: added Digital Foundry PS5 Pro analysis, DLSS 4.5/FSR 4 Redstone details, detailed mode breakdown, AMD native 4K performance data
Crimson Desert runs on Pearl Abyss's proprietary BlackSpace Engine, which features advanced rendering techniques including ray-traced global illumination, stochastic path tracing, and real-time weather simulation. The engine has been described by Digital Foundry as delivering "results that are nothing short of remarkable." A former developer has claimed the BlackSpace Engine is "on a completely different level than your typical mass-produced Unreal Engine 5 games."
Crimson Desert supports both NVIDIA and AMD upscaling solutions, along with their respective ray reconstruction technologies.
Technology | Vendor | Details |
|---|---|---|
DLSS 4.5 | NVIDIA | Multi Frame Generation for RTX 40/50 series. An optimized GeForce 595.79 WHQL driver was released alongside the game. |
DLSS Ray Reconstruction | NVIDIA | AI-driven denoiser replacing traditional ray-tracing denoisers. Produces cleaner reflections and GI with fewer artifacts. |
FSR 4 (Redstone) | AMD | Crimson Desert is among the first games to support AMD's latest FSR Redstone. Requires RDNA 4 hardware. |
FSR Ray Regeneration | AMD | AMD's answer to DLSS Ray Reconstruction. Shifts denoising to AI for better ray-traced reflections and shadows. |
FSR 3 | AMD | Frame generation for older AMD GPUs. Also used on base PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. |
MetalFX | Apple | Upscaling, Frame Generation, and Denoiser for the macOS version on Apple Silicon. |
During pre-launch testing, Crimson Desert's BlackSpace Engine demo ran at native 4K with Ultra settings and ray tracing enabled on an AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX at approximately 60 frames per second. This is without any upscaling technology active, demonstrating the engine's strong optimization for AMD hardware alongside NVIDIA.
Digital Foundry's John Linneman described Crimson Desert as "a stunning game" running on the PS5 Pro. The console version uses Sony's PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution) for upscaling. Three display modes are available:
Mode | Resolution | Target FPS | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Quality | 4K | 30 fps | Highest visual fidelity. Full ray-traced global illumination. |
Balanced | 1440p | 40 fps | Compromise between quality and performance. |
Performance | 1080p | 60 fps | Digital Foundry found this mode "surprised" them with how well it performed overall. With VRR enabled, some areas reached 70 fps. |
Digital Foundry noted that the frame rate in Performance mode "dips in areas with larger crowds" involving many NPCs, and dropped "significantly" during one early game battle into the 30 fps region, though this was described as "not the norm at all" for the game.
One of the most visually striking features is the ray-traced diffuse global illumination system. Sunlight bounces naturally across surfaces and illuminates interiors, creating realistic lighting transitions when moving between outdoor and indoor spaces. Digital Foundry noted that Pearl Abyss has "added detail to every corner of the vast open world."
The PS5 Pro build tested by Digital Foundry was running on an older version of PSSR for image upscaling, which led to some image quality concerns. Pearl Abyss aims to use a more modern version of PSSR in future updates.
As of March 14, 2026 (five days before launch), Pearl Abyss has not released base PS5 or Xbox Series X|S performance data. Only PS5 Pro and PC footage has been shown publicly. Pearl Abyss Marketing Director Will Powers stated: "Regardless of what we say, people probably won't believe us. So instead we're sending the game to Digital Foundry, and they'll have a full analysis of performance across all the platforms at launch."
Base PS5 and Xbox Series X|S use AMD FSR 3 for upscaling rather than the PSSR technology available on PS5 Pro.
The BlackSpace Engine supports two ray-traced effects: ray-traced diffuse global illumination and ray-traced reflections. Global illumination is the more impactful of the two, providing natural light bouncing that dramatically improves the visual quality of both outdoor and indoor environments. Ray-traced reflections appear on water, metal, glass, and polished surfaces throughout the world.
