Crimson Desert PC Optimization Guide (Best Graphics Settings)

Crimson Desert performs spectacularly across all the multiple platforms it supports, all thanks to Peal Abyss' proprietary Black Space engine under the hood. However, if the performance is great, that doesn't mean it can't get better. Navigating the game's graphics menu can be a bit challenging due to the sheer number of tweakable settings. However, this guide aims to make your adventure through Crimson's Desert's world smoother by suggesting some of the best settings that you can use to optimize the game's performance on your PC.

What Time Does Crimson Desert Release? (Global Release Times)

Players are a few days away from finally experiencing the larger-than-life continent of Pywel in Crimson Desert; here are its global release times.

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By Ayyoun Ali

Best PC Settings for Crimson Desert (Optimization Guide)

Crimson Desert features a full suite of display and graphics settings that can be tweaked to adjust the visual quality of the world to get the performance you need. However, this number of graphics settings can confuse the average player. Some settings have a negligible impact on visuals, while others heavily impact performance.

To balance out the visuals and performance of the game to attain that sweet spot, here are the best settings for Crimson Desert that you should use on your PC.

Type	Graphics Option	Best Settings	Notes
Video (Display)	Screen Mode	Borderless	Both Fullscreen and Borderless functions practically the same. However, I've experienced smoother tab switching when on borderless, so that's why I recommend it.
	Resolution	Native	Use nothing but native to enjoy those crisp visuals. Choosing anything lower will make everything blurry in-game.
	Upscale Mode	Nvidia DLSS 4.5 or AMD FSR	Crimson Desert uses the latest versions of both Nvidia and FSR AI Upscaling offerings. It's recommended to use the latest version you have available in the presets. I've faced some artifacting while using DLSS 4.5 L, but you can try it out to verify if you experience different results.
	Upscale Resolution	Balanced	Balanced is the best sweet spot to enjoy the crisp visuals of Crimson Desert and smooth performance.
	DLSS/FSR Frame Generation	Enabled	My experience with frame generation in the game has been smooth, as you can enable it alongside Nvidia Reflex/AMD Anti-Lag, which actively reduces any input delay.
	Nvidia Reflex/AMD Anti-Lag	Enabled
	DLSS Ray Reconstruction/FSR Ray Regeneration	Disabled	Nvidia DLSS Ray Reconstruction and AMD Ray Regeneration in Crimson Desert are both amazing visual technologies that significantly improve the lighting quality in various in-game scenes. However, it'll take a massive bit out of your average FPS; We're talking about a 40–50% reduction in performance. Only enable it if you have a beefy CPU, otherwise keep it disabled.
Graphics (Visuals)	Model Quality	High	Controls the resolution of models for NPCs and Kliff himself, as well as the general LOD of most environmental objects. Since the game generally uses high LOD, you won't have to worry about texture pop-ins with High.
	Texture Quality	GPU VRAM Dependent	6GB VRAM: Low-Medium, 8GB-10GB VRAM: High, 12GB+ VRAM: Ultra-Cinematic.
	Shadow Quality	High	The game profusely uses shadows with every environmental object, and anything lower than high will just make the overall visual quality janky.
	Raytracing	On (If supported)	Crimson Desert uses an optimized version of hardware Raytracing that doesn't impact the performance that much, and keeps visuals looking great. It's recommended to use it if your GPU supports it.
	Lighting Quality	High	Lighting quality is the most performance-heavy setting in Crimson Desert, and it's recommended to keep it at high or ultra max. Only tread into Cinematic or Max preset if your GPU can handle it.
	Reflection Quality	Ultra	Reflection quality only takes effect when you're indoors with shiny surfaces, and it won't impact your FPS that much.
	Advanced Weather Effects	On	Crimson Desert features a proper day and night cycle with storms often taking the front stage. These events are random and rare, so you should enjoy them in full glory, even if your FPS takes a small hit.
	Water Quality	Ultra	There are a lot of water bodies outdoors, with streams and ponds decorating the lush green land. Using anything lower than Ultra will make these water bodies look stiff and janky.
	Foliage Density	High	When you step out onto the land of Hernand to explore, you'll set your eyes on lush green valleys and forested areas filled with greenery. Using Ultra or higher presets can lower your average FPS a bit, so keep it at high for stability.
	Volumetric Fog Quality	Ultra	Controls the plumes of smoke and mist around forests at various times of day. It does not impact the FPS that much unless the game's scenes deliberately increase their instances.
	Effect Quality	Cinematic	Will improve the visual quality of explosions and other environmental effects.
	Simulation Quality	Ultra	Setting the Simulation Quality in Crimson Desert to Ultra will improve the quality of simulation of winds and the water moving along streams, increasing the overall immersion of the game.
	Post-Processing Quality	Cinematic	-

So, here are all the best settings players can use to optimize Crimson Desert's performance on their PC. The optimized settings above were tested on a PC with an Intel i9-14900HX CPU, Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU, and 32GB RAM. The FPS averaged around 90–100, and dropped slightly in more demanding scenes to 75s.