Crimson Desert's first story expansion, Charting the Unknown, unlocks on October 29, 2026 at 22:00 UTC (3 PM PT, 6 PM ET). It costs $24.99, needs the base game, and adds ships and sailing, underwater diving, new story chapters for Kliff, Oongka and Damiane, romance, upgraded housing and new bosses on land and sea.
Here is the release time in your region, everything the DLC adds, what you need to unlock each part, and whether your PC is ready.
Charting the Unknown release time
Pearl Abyss is releasing the DLC at the same moment worldwide:
| Region | Local time |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles (PT) | Thursday, October 29, 3:00 PM |
| New York (ET) | Thursday, October 29, 6:00 PM |
| London (GMT) | Thursday, October 29, 10:00 PM |
| Paris, Berlin (CET) | Thursday, October 29, 11:00 PM |
| Moscow (MSK) | Friday, October 30, 1:00 AM |
| New Delhi (IST) | Friday, October 30, 3:30 AM |
| Seoul, Tokyo (KST/JST) | Friday, October 30, 7:00 AM |
| Sydney (AEDT) | Friday, October 30, 9:00 AM |
The DLC was first planned for October 15 and moved back two weeks to October 29. Pearl Abyss says the full patch notes come on release day.
Everything new in Charting the Unknown
Ships and sailing
You can now take command of your own ship and sail off Pywel's coast to new islands. Ships come from a ship-building dispatch at a port, where you send your comrades to build one, or you can buy one from a Fleet Office manager.
Underwater diving
Dive under the waves to find treasure, sunken ruins and new sea creatures. Your breath is limited, so diving gear helps you stay down longer. The pre-order bonus is a diving outfit: the Charter's Diving Set for Kliff and Oongka, and the Charter's Light Diving Set for Damiane.
New stories for Kliff, Oongka and Damiane
The three heroes each get their own story after the end of the main game. The Steam page teases an ominous presence in the desert, a dangerous political conflict, a journey beyond time and an ancient secret beneath the waves. There is also a story line built around the ocean.
New bosses on land and sea
Pearl Abyss promises "your fiercest battles yet", with new enemies both on land and at sea. The Garden of Trials is a boss challenge with its own rewards.
Romance and deeper relationships
Talk with the people of Pywel to build trust and form deeper bonds, up to romance and marriage. Friends start visiting your camp once Greymane Camp is upgraded enough.
Upgraded housing, businesses and castles
The upgraded Housing mode lets you build a home from the ground up. You can also rent and manage businesses, such as a restaurant in Vellua and a smithy at Zargan Tankworks, and claim and decorate three Greymane Castles. Festivals are also part of the DLC, with details expected in the patch notes.
What you need to unlock each feature
Not everything opens on day one of your save. According to the unlock conditions shared before launch:
| Feature | How to unlock it |
|---|---|
| Diving | No condition (diving gear helps with breath) |
| Ocean story | Clear the "Howling Hill" part of the main story |
| Ships | Set up Greymane Camp at Howling Hill and finish the ship quests |
| Kliff, Oongka and Damiane stories | Finish the main story |
| Garden of Trials | Finish the main story |
| Greymane Castles | Finish the related quests and free each stronghold |
| Upgraded housing | Set up camp at Howling Hill and finish Luke's Request (Grounds of the Sunrise) |
| Businesses | Free the region in its faction quest and finish Greymane Camp |
| Romance and marriage | Build trust with specific characters |
If you have not finished the main story, you can still sail, dive and explore, but the new story chapters wait until you reach the ending.
Can your PC run Crimson Desert?
Pearl Abyss has not published separate requirements for the DLC, so the base game requirements apply. Pick your graphics card, processor and RAM, or press Auto-detect:
Pick your hardware and we compare it with the official Crimson Desert requirements.
Official Crimson Desert PC requirements
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 (64-bit) | Windows 10 (64-bit) |
| CPU | Intel Core i5-8500 / AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | Intel Core i5-11600K / AMD Ryzen 5 5600 |
| RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 / AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (DirectX 12) | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 / AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT (DirectX 12) |
| Storage | 180 GB (SSD required) | 180 GB (SSD required) |
Source: official Crimson Desert website. Results are estimates based on relative hardware performance.
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 (64-bit) | Windows 10 (64-bit) |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-8500 / AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | Intel Core i5-11600K / AMD Ryzen 5 5600 |
| Memory | 16 GB RAM | 16 GB RAM |
| Graphics card | GTX 1060 / RX 5500 XT | RTX 2080 / RX 6700 XT |
| DirectX | Version 12 | Version 12 |
| Storage | 180 GB, SSD required | 180 GB, SSD required |
The minimum is friendly. A GTX 1060 from 2016 is still enough to start the game. Crimson Desert runs on Pearl Abyss's own BlackSpace Engine, not Unreal Engine 5, and it scales down well.
The recommended jump is big. From a GTX 1060 to an RTX 2080 is more than twice the performance. For a smooth experience at 1440p, an RTX 3070, RTX 4060 Ti, RX 6700 XT or faster is the target.
Make room on your SSD. The Steam page now lists 180 GB, and the DLC and its patches add to that. A hard drive is not supported.
Not sure what is in your PC? Check My PC finds your parts in seconds. To see the FPS your graphics card should get, use the FPS Estimator, and if you think your processor is holding you back, run the Bottleneck Calculator. Playing with a controller after months away? Run a quick stick drift test before you set sail.
Price and platforms
| Full name | Crimson Desert Enhanced: Charting the Unknown |
| Release date | October 29, 2026 |
| Price | $24.99 |
| Needs the base game | Yes |
| Platforms | PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), Mac (Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S |
| Developer and publisher | Pearl Abyss |
| Pre-order bonus | Charter's Diving Set (Kliff, Oongka), Charter's Light Diving Set (Damiane) |
Crimson Desert itself came out on March 19, 2026. Unlike the free updates it got since launch, Charting the Unknown is a paid DLC.
FAQ
What time does the Crimson Desert DLC come out?
October 29, 2026 at 22:00 UTC: 3:00 PM PT, 6:00 PM ET, 11:00 PM CET, and 7:00 AM on October 30 in Seoul and Tokyo.
Is Charting the Unknown free?
No. It costs $24.99 on Steam, and you need the base game to play it.
Do I need to finish Crimson Desert to play the DLC?
Not for everything. Diving works right away, and ships and the ocean story open after the Howling Hill part of the story. The new chapters for Kliff, Oongka and Damiane and the Garden of Trials need the main story finished.
Does the DLC change the PC requirements?
Pearl Abyss has not listed separate requirements for the DLC. Plan for the base game requirements: GTX 1060 and 16 GB of RAM at minimum, RTX 2080 or RX 6700 XT recommended, and an SSD.
Is Charting the Unknown on PS4 or Xbox One?
No. Crimson Desert is only on PC, Mac, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Does Charting the Unknown add co-op?
No co-op or multiplayer has been announced. Crimson Desert and its DLC are single-player.
Release time, price, platforms and requirements are from the official Steam pages of Crimson Desert and Charting the Unknown by Pearl Abyss. Unlock conditions as reported by AccountShark. Last checked October 28, 2026.
Gaming writer at FpsGen. Guides and reviews are built on official sources, patch notes and real player data.
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