Crimson Desert Collides with Red Dead Redemption 2, and It’ll Be Interesting to See the Dust Settle

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Whenever a new open-world game, like Crimson Desert, claims to be a major advancement in how immersive and realistic it feels, I immediately think of Red Dead Redemption 2. I don’t expect every game to surpass it, but Rockstar’s game undeniably raised the bar and it’s a tough standard to meet. So, when Crimson Desert makes such ambitious promises, it’s hard not to compare it to a game that already delivers on them.

Based on what we’ve seen of Crimson Desert so far, it appears to have everything a large-scale open-world game needs to succeed in 2026. It boasts a lot of gameplay features and diverse content, and the world is incredibly vast – though size alone doesn’t guarantee quality. The bigger question, however, is whether Crimson Desert can create the same immersive atmosphere as Red Dead Redemption 2, making it feel less like a game and more like a believable, living world. While we’ll have to wait for the game’s release to know for sure, what’s been revealed already suggests how Crimson Desert might stack up against Red Dead Redemption 2.

Crimson Desert’s Scale Versus Red Dead Redemption 2’s Substance

Although Crimson Desert isn’t released yet, it’s shaping up to be a huge game. Pearl Abyss has emphasized the massive size of its world, Pywel, even comparing it to Red Dead Redemption 2. Will Powers, the game’s PR director, told Gaming Interviews that Crimson Desert‘s world is “at least twice as big as the playable area of Skyrim and larger than Red Dead Redemption 2’s map.” He did add that size isn’t everything and that the game needs meaningful content, but even with that clarification, the game could still face criticism if its large world doesn’t offer more than just empty space.

What really sets Red Dead Redemption 2 apart is its approach to its massive world. Unlike many open-world games that focus on sheer size, Red Dead Redemption 2 prioritizes authenticity. The developers at Rockstar wanted to create a space that felt real, not just big. Before the game launched, Rockstar North art director Aaron Garbut explained in an interview with Edge magazine (via GamingBolt) that they aimed to have the world constantly offer players subtle, organic experiences. They wanted the content to feel less like structured “missions” and more like natural events happening around you.

What really sets Crimson Desert apart is how it approaches content. While Red Dead Redemption 2 has a lot to offer, it doesn’t emphasize endless activities. Crimson Desert does, and Will Powers, the game’s PR director, recently told Destin on YouTube that the main story is just a small part of the overall experience. This aligns with how the game has been presented so far – as a vast open world with a huge amount of content to explore.

I’ve heard that Crimson Desert was originally planned as a massive multiplayer online game! That totally explains why it’s packed with so much stuff to do, even though it ended up being a single-player experience.

During an interview with Destin, Pearl Abyss’s Powers explained that Crimson Desert truly became enjoyable for him after completing the main story. He clarified this wasn’t about an endgame, but rather that finishing the story unlocked a vast amount of content he hadn’t even begun to explore. Powers also noted the developers aimed to create a world players would want to immerse themselves in and spend time exploring. However, he drew a comparison to Red Dead Redemption 2, highlighting the difference between a world that organically guides you on a journey and one that overwhelms you with options. While many open-world games focus on simply providing a lot to do, the industry is increasingly recognizing that a more compelling experience comes from a world that feels purposeful and directs the player’s exploration.

Crimson Desert’s Take on Interactivity Versus Red Dead Redemption 2’s

With Crimson Desert, the developers aren’t simply aiming for a huge open world for its own sake. They seem more focused on how players will actually use that world, and the game appears to have everything needed to succeed. There’s plenty to do, ranging from the main storyline to everyday activities like fishing and mining. While the game clearly wants to keep players engaged, I’m a little hesitant to get too excited because we’ve seen similar approaches before, and they often don’t live up to expectations.

Red Dead Redemption 2 excels because it creates a world that feels both expansive and purposeful. You don’t just wander aimlessly; the game encourages exploration that leads to meaningful experiences, unlike other open-world games where the sheer amount of content can be overwhelming and directionless.

During an interview, Powers explained that open-world games should focus on things to do – activities and diversions. The team wanted to build a world for Crimson Desert that was both huge and highly interactive. However, if the game’s interactivity relies solely on adding more content, it risks losing what makes Red Dead Redemption 2’s open world so compelling. Thinking of open-world activities as mere distractions suggests they aren’t integral to the experience, while in a game like RDR2, everything happening in the world feels essential and woven into the core gameplay.

The key difference lies in how each open-world game makes its activities feel meaningful. In Red Dead Redemption 2, things like fishing, hunting, and simply traveling aren’t distractions meant to grab your attention. They feel like things that would happen in the game world even if you weren’t there. The game trusts that you won’t get bored, so it doesn’t constantly try to fill your time. You participate in these activities because they fit the environment, and it feels natural to either engage with them or ignore them.

This is where Crimson Desert‘s open world truly faces a test. By constantly offering things to do, the game risks making its world feel like a playground created for the player, rather than a place that feels alive and existing independently. While this approach can be technically impressive, it also means the game needs a lot of compelling content to feel worthwhile. If activities feel pointless or like simple diversions, players may become bored, no matter how many there are. However, if the activities feel naturally woven into the world itself, players will become fully immersed. Whether Crimson Desert can achieve that immersive quality remains to be seen, and we likely won’t know until players can explore freely without being constantly directed towards the next task.

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2026-02-04 19:06