Capcom Spotlight March 2026 recap: Pragmata launches April 17, Alex joins Street Fighter 6, and more

Capcom Spotlight March 2026 recap: Pragmata launches April 17, Alex joins Street Fighter 6, and more

Capcom Spotlight March 2026 recap: Pragmata launches April 17, Alex joins Street Fighter 6, and more https://ift.tt/cgwZCFy

Today’s Capcom Spotlight presentation shared details on a mix of titles, including the upcoming releases of Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection and Pragmata, as well as news on Street Fighter 6 and Mega Man Dual Override.

Capcom Spotlight March 2026 recap: Pragmata launches April 17, Alex joins Street Fighter 6, and more

The launch trailer for Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection gives you a dramatic look at the upcoming turn-based, story-rich, RPG set in the Monster Hunter universe. In this epic adventure, you are the heir to the throne of Azuria, and the leader of a group called the Rangers. While the two countries of Azuria and Vermeil stand on the brink of war, an ecological threat known as the Crystal Encroachment threatens the fabric of the world. 

Together with your fellow Rangers and your monsties – monster partners that you’ll form bonds with as a rider – you’ll journey towards unknown lands on a search to uncover the truth. Meet new friends, discover new lands, and bond with iconic monsters from across series history in a sprawling and memorable RPG adventure. 

We can’t wait to welcome you to the world of Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection when it launches next week, March 13. Riders and Hunters alike with past save data in Monster Hunter Stories, Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, Monster Hunter Rise, and Monster Hunter Wilds can receive different bonus outfits for each. And, if you link your Capcom ID account to your PlayStation account, you’ll receive the Catcom Works outfit for Rudy. 

Try the demo now, and transfer over your save data to the full game next week. 

Capcom Spotlight March 2026 recap: Pragmata launches April 17, Alex joins Street Fighter 6, and more

The long wait for Pragmata is nearly over. Even better, we’re excited to share that the game will now arrive one week earlier than its previously announced launch date. The new launch date is…April 17!

In our latest trailer, we showcased glimpses at never-before-seen locations and enemies, new abilities for Hugh, and a bit more of the mystery surrounding the lunar research station’s rogue AI: IDUS. We also showed how the Shelter – your safe space away from the action – can continue to grow, as well as your helpful new bot assistant in the Shelter, Cabin. Don’t worry, this one is a friend.

Fight as Hugh and Diana together to escape the lunar research station and make it back to Earth. Can they make Diana’s dream of visiting Earth a reality? Pragmata launches on PS5, April 17. 

Get familiar with Pragmata’s tactile, hybrid gameplay that mixes shooting and hacking with the free Sketchbook Demo

Mega Man Dual Override powers up on PS5 and PS4 in 2027. Shortly after we first announced the game at The Game Awards 2025, we kicked off the Robot Master Design Contest. We asked the community to design a Robot Master who has a right arm with immense suction powers, and out of many entries, we’ve narrowed it down to the final six designs.

The development team will now choose one winner that will appear in the final game when it launches, so stay tuned.

While you wait for the launch of Mega Man Dual Override, check out Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection, coming to PS5 and PS4 on March 27. The collection includes seven total games:

  • Mega Man Star Force Pegasus
  • Mega Man Star Force Leo
  • Mega Man Star Force Dragon
  • Mega Man Star Force 2 Zerker x Ninja
  • Mega Man Star Force 2 Zerker x Saurian
  • Mega Man Star Force 3 Black Ace
  • Mega Man Star Force 3 Red Joker

Experience these games with enhanced graphics and music, new customization features, and new online features like matchmaking across all three titles, Friend, Casual, and Ranked Matches, and improvements to trading functions and the Brother list. 

Acknowledge the arrival of the dark devil, Alex, when he makes his entrance on March 17 as the third fighter from Street Fighter 6 Year 3. The Alex Arrives Fighting Pass will also be available with new content across multiple game modes. 

Capcom Spotlight March 2026 recap: Pragmata launches April 17, Alex joins Street Fighter 6, and more

Outfit 4 for Dee Jay and Elena also launches on March 17, the same day as Alex.  

That’s all from the Capcom Spotlight. Be sure to check out the full presentation on our official Capcom channels for more info on the games above. 

Fishbowl, a tender story of grief and hope, releases April 2 on PS5

Fishbowl, a tender story of grief and hope, releases April 2 on PS5

Fishbowl, a tender story of grief and hope, releases April 2 on PS5 https://ift.tt/cgwZCFy

The loss of a loved one is hard to move through. In Fishbowl, Alo grieves the passing of her grandmother while trying her best to take care of work, chores, and herself. Experience a story filled with hope, friendship, and the will to keep going when Fishbowl launches on April 2 on PS5. The two of us have been working on Fishbowl for the past five years, and we are happy to have it finally in your hands. Leading up to release day, we are excited to announce that the pre-orders for Fishbowl are now open!

Fishbowl, a tender story of grief and hope, releases April 2 on PS5

Take care of your home, yourself, your belongings, and your mood

Much like real life, Alo’s mood determines the things you can and cannot do in Alo’s home. Take a warm shower, have a yummy lunch, keep yourself hydrated, and taking care of yourself will make Alo sprout into a fresh mood. On the other hand, doom-scrolling social media or binge-watching when you’re supposed to be working will tank her mood down to a gloomy cloud. As new activities get unlocked inside Alo’s home, whether you are ‘in the mood’ to do them will have a big role to play in your story. We hope the moodmeter in Fishbowl encourages our players to keep their own moodmeter up IRL after they play Fishbowl. 

Stay in touch with people to help you keep your loneliness at bay

Although Alo is alone in her apartment, she has the company of people who care deeply about her through video calls. In Fishbowl, video calls feature a branching mechanic that gives you choices about how to respond. The options you receive showcase the complexity of Alo’s mind during a tough time. The sprout option is usually vulnerable, honest, and grounded in her true feelings. The moon option is melancholic, impervious, and sometimes the kind to brush things off, and the cloud option is that of self-doubt, avoidance, and at times feeling like an imposter is your own life.

​​ 

Work from home as a video editor, meet new colleagues, and learn new skills

Work days are usually packed with a fun matching game where your task is to place the correct video snippet into its designated track. As you get familiar with the game, you will meet colleagues who teach you how to slow down the file if you need to, undo a mistake that you made, or even become invincible by taking on the skill of an expert just for a little bit. Enjoy the company of your colleagues, keep up with the video files, and do your best each day.

Unpack your late grandmother’s belongings and rediscover your past

In Fishbowl, every object has a story to tell, and you uncover these objects by playing a sliding puzzle game. Objects that give you happy, light, and joyful memories are easy to unpack, while those that are full of heaviness are harder to rummage through. Emotions thoughtfully run across the simplest interactions and mechanics in Fishbowl. The objects in these puzzles are full of lore and sentimentality and also showcase Indian culture, our beautiful arts and crafts like block printing, woodwork, embroidery, and much more. 

Plunge into heartfelt childhood memories, meet old friends, revisit old tales

With the help of an unlikely companion in the form of a magical toy fish, Alo relives sweet memories from her past. Evenings spent at the park with her grandma, avoiding homework with her childhood best friends, and shivering under a blanket while watching a horror movie or two. Inspired by one of our favourite Studio Ghibli films, Only Yesterday, we use memories as vignettes to tell you more about Alo’s journey, her core memories, and the things that shaped her into the adult she is today.

Explore a dark world of dreams where the choices you make reveal a different past

While Alo struggles through grief, her suppressed emotions manifest in her dreams. The way you live each day with Alo at home will be connected to the choices you are allowed to make in the dream sequences. These choices will uncover different stories from Alo’s past and will also guide your journey to the present. There are many parts of Fishbowl peppered with little secrets that connect to the ending of our story. Remember, no matter what, you got through the day.

Fishbowl’s pre-orders are now open, and we have a special pre-order bonus for our PS5 players. If you pre-order the game, you will get to experience Fishbowl 72 hours before the official launch day. We are close to the finish line, and we need all your support to take us through. You and Alo are in this together, and we can’t wait for you to spend a month at home with her.

(For Southeast Asia) PlayStation Store: February 2026’s top downloads

(For Southeast Asia) PlayStation Store: February 2026’s top downloads

(For Southeast Asia) PlayStation Store: February 2026’s top downloads https://ift.tt/PANz8aS

It’s time to see which PS5, PS4, PS VR2, and free-to-play games topped last month’s download charts. February saw nothing but love for zombies and Leon as Resident Evil Requiem topped the US/Canada and Asia PS5 charts.

Check out the full listings below. What titles are you playing this month?

PS5 Games

US/Canada Asia
Resident Evil Requiem Resident Evil Requiem
NBA 2K26 Nioh 3
ARC Raiders It Takes Two
EA SPORTS Madden NFL 26 EA SPORTS FC 26
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Black Myth: Wukong
Grand Theft Auto V NBA 2K26
REANIMAL Forza Horizon 5
EA SPORTS FC 26 Resident Evil 4
Minecraft Split Fiction
God of War Sons of Sparta REANIMAL
UFC 5 DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined
Nioh 3 Gran Turismo 7
It Takes Two Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties
High On Life 2 Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
EA SPORTS College Football 26 Hogwarts Legacy
NHL 26 Resident Evil Village
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 UFC 5
Forza Horizon 5 Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
HELLDIVERS 2 Grand Theft Auto V
Resident Evil 4 Stellar Blade


*Naming of products may differ between regions
*Upgrades not included

PS4 Games

US/Canada Asia
Red Dead Redemption 2 Red Dead Redemption 2
Gang Beasts Kingdom Come: Deliverance
A Way Out Overcooked! 2
Resident Evil 6 A Way Out
theHunter: Call of the Wild Resident Evil 6
RESIDENT EVIL 5 EA SPORTS FC 26
Middle-earth: Shadow of War It Takes Two
Minecraft Door Kickers: Action Squad
Grand Theft Auto V RESIDENT EVIL 5
FOR HONOR TEKKEN 7
Batman: Arkham Knight Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
Unravel Two Watch Dogs 2
NBA 2K26 Grand Theft Auto V
Call of Duty: Black Ops III Need for Speed Heat
Resident Evil Bare Knuckle IV
God of War Resident Evil: Revelations 2
The Forest Mortal Kombat 11
Overcooked! 2 Marvel’s Spider-Man Game Of The Year Edition
Mafia: Trilogy Mafia: Definitive Edition
STAR WARS Battlefront II God of War


*Naming of products may differ between regions 

PS VR2 Games*

US/Canada Asia
Alien: Rogue Incursion VR Horizon Call of the Mountain
Pavlov Alien: Rogue Incursion VR
Creed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition Beat Saber
Among Us 3D: VR Maestro
Beat Saber Kayak VR: Mirage
Arizona Sunshine 2 Smash Drums
Job Simulator Arizona Sunshine 2
Vampire: The Masquerade – Justice Gun Club VR
Horizon Call of the Mountain Creed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition
Zero Caliber VR Drums Rock


*PlayStation Store purchases only. Game upgrades or games bundled with hardware not included

Free to Play (PS5 + PS4)

US/Canada Asia
Fortnite Arknights: Endfield
Roblox Where Winds Meet (F2P)
Rocket League Delta Force (F2P)
Call of Duty: Warzone eFootball
Marvel Rivals PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege X – Free Access Asphalt Legends
Overwatch Genshin Impact
Highguard Roblox
Apex Legends 2XKO
Delta Force (F2P) Fall Guys
PlayStation Store: February 2026’s top downloads

PlayStation Store: February 2026’s top downloads

PlayStation Store: February 2026’s top downloads https://ift.tt/PANz8aS

It’s time to see which PS5, PS4, PS VR2, and free-to-play games topped last month’s download charts. February saw nothing but love for zombies and Leon as Resident Evil Requiem topped the US and EU PS5 charts.

Check out the full listings below. What titles are you playing this month?

PS5 Games

US/Canada EU
Resident Evil Requiem Resident Evil Requiem
NBA 2K26 EA SPORTS FC 26
ARC Raiders UFC 5
EA SPORTS Madden NFL 26 Grand Theft Auto V
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Minecraft
Grand Theft Auto V It Takes Two
REANIMAL ARC Raiders
EA SPORTS FC 26 REANIMAL
Minecraft Forza Horizon 5
God of War Sons of Sparta Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
UFC 5 God of War Sons of Sparta
Nioh 3 NBA 2K26
It Takes Two Nioh 3
High On Life 2 Resident Evil 4
EA SPORTS College Football 26 Among Us
NHL 26 Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Gran Turismo 7
Forza Horizon 5 Split Fiction
HELLDIVERS 2 Hogwarts Legacy
Resident Evil 4 Kingdom Come: Deliverance II


*Naming of products may differ between regions
*Upgrades not included

PS4 Games

US/Canada EU
Red Dead Redemption 2 Red Dead Redemption 2
Gang Beasts A Way Out
A Way Out Gang Beasts
Resident Evil 6 EA SPORTS FC 26
theHunter: Call of the Wild Unravel Two
RESIDENT EVIL 5 Resident Evil 6
Middle-earth: Shadow of War Grand Theft Auto V
Minecraft RESIDENT EVIL 5
Grand Theft Auto V Minecraft
FOR HONOR Rayman Legends
Batman: Arkham Knight Batman: Arkham Knight
Unravel Two The Forest
NBA 2K26 Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Call of Duty: Black Ops III Mafia: Trilogy
Resident Evil It Takes Two
God of War Middle-earth: Shadow of War
The Forest STEEP
Overcooked! 2 Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Mafia: Trilogy WRC 7 FIA World Rally Championship
STAR WARS Battlefront II Overcooked! 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 Red Dead Redemption 2


*Naming of products may differ between regions 

PS VR2 Games*

US/Canada EU
Alien: Rogue Incursion VR Alien: Rogue Incursion VR
Pavlov Creed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition
Creed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition Horizon Call of the Mountain
Among Us 3D: VR Arizona Sunshine 2
Beat Saber Among Us 3D: VR
Arizona Sunshine 2 Job Simulator
Job Simulator Beat Saber
Vampire: The Masquerade – Justice Vampire: The Masquerade – Justice
Horizon Call of the Mountain Cooking Simulator VR
Zero Caliber VR Kayak VR: Mirage


*PlayStation Store purchases only. Game upgrades or games bundled with hardware not included

Free to Play (PS5 + PS4)

US/Canada EU
Fortnite Fortnite
Roblox Roblox
Rocket League Rocket League
Call of Duty: Warzone Call of Duty: Warzone
Marvel Rivals Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege X – Free Access
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege X – Free Access eFootball
Overwatch Fall Guys
Highguard Asphalt Legends
Apex Legends Marvel Rivals
Delta Force (F2P) VALORANT
The Warhammer racer Speed Freeks is coming to PS5

The Warhammer racer Speed Freeks is coming to PS5

The Warhammer racer Speed Freeks is coming to PS5 https://ift.tt/vMEBtOU

Hello there, everyone. Today, we are absolutely stoked to announce that the Orkiest game of all time is coming to PlayStation 5!

Speed Freeks is a high-orktane combat racer – set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, featuring chaotic, brutal races, in-depth customisation options, and a totally ‘live’ creation mode where you can load into a blank canvas with your friends and play your creations in real time as you build them.

I’m here with Jon Doughty, Lead Designer and Level Designer at Caged Element Inc, to answer a few questions about our PlayStation heritage, about the game itself, and of course, what it’s like working with the Warhammer license.

What made you want to bring Speed Freeks to PlayStation?

Chris: Well, it’s obviously a great system, but it’s also got a strong pedigree for driving games in, especially combat racers in the past. Our first game, Grip, was a spiritual successor to Rollcage. We hope Speed Freeks can usher in a new era of combat racing games, as it’s an awesome genre that doesn’t get a lot of love these days. But it’s much more than a traditional combat racer, with the types of modes we’ve made, including the aforementioned Creation Mode. There’s lots of chaotic fun to be had – we hope the PlayStation players will dig it.

The Warhammer racer Speed Freeks is coming to PS5

What do you think sets Speed Freeks apart from other vehicular combat and PvP games?

Jon: Speed Freeks is a true vehicle shooter, which, unfortunately, is rare. We tried to incorporate all the vehicle combat elements we love, from acrobatic stunt cars shooting at you while halfway through a backflip, to armored tanks perched on hilltops. And then we threw some crazy stuff in: a roaming assassin trike, a Grot Mega Tank with a flipper straight out of a robot combat show, helicopters, etc. I think Speed Freeks meshes a lot of diverse vehicle combat gameplay into one very fun and surprisingly balanced game.

The vehicles in this game are very agile, and their abilities make them very versatile. What made you lean into such a versatile movement?

Jon: We’ve always been big on movement in games – Rocket League, Apex Legends, even the Tony Hawk series – but a lot of Speed Freeks’ movement tech was actually discovered accidentally by players, and we decided to leave it in. Vehicles give you lots of options for different movement abilities, and I think we pushed it really far with Speed Freeks, and different moves ended up synergizing, and it just went wild. Allowing most vehicles to completely redirect their momentum on a dime whenever they’re touching the ground (or a wall) basically exploded the skill ceiling, and the way that the Dash ability interacts with handbrake and some of the propulsion abilities is addicting to master – and something we’re really proud of.

The main mode in the game, Kill Konvoy, is a mashup of traditional modes, but with a fun spin – plus a massive Stompa mech in the middle. How did you come to design this unique mode?

Jon: We workshopped this mode a lot and ended up with this reverse Capture The Flag (CTF) mode where you pick up flags in the mid-field and take them to the enemy’s base – except the flags are bombs, of course. And their base is a walking mech. The moving base aspect really meshes well with the high speeds, and all these different roles came about naturally: there are the high-flying bomb runners, roaming defenders, suppressors that clear out those defenders, and even goalies that guard at the foot of the Stompa.

If you’ve ever played the high-speed CTF mode from the Tribes franchise, you’ll know how fun this kind of gameplay can be. This game mode rules. If I had to pick the best thing we’ve done in Speed Freeks, it’s the design of this game mode and its maps, and I think our core players agree.

Speed Freeks has a multiplayer level editor. Was this something planned from the beginning?

Chris: Definitely not. Our core community is really passionate, constantly throwing out wild ideas for Orky environments, so we figured: let’s just give them some tools.

How the editor worked really lent itself to quick iteration, and we also discovered we could have players drop in and drop out, like in any other mode. It’s actually my favourite part of the game, seeing a level being constructed in real-time with players driving around on a level while it’s being built, sometimes getting smacked by assets in the middle of being placed. It’s hilarious and a really fun, creative way to play – especially over voice chat.

We also have an in-game workshop where players can upload their custom maps to the cloud for others to play, either solo or online. The team and I are really happy with how the Creation Workshop turned out. It’s kind of crazy how well and how quickly it all came together.

How’s it been working with the Warhammer IP?

Chris: Warhammer 40,000 is a badass property with so much lore and top-tier aesthetic to go with it. It’s intimidating, especially when you’re making something really new to the IP like our combat racing game.

It’s also quite challenging since there are restrictions on how we’re able to handle the vehicles, Orks, environments – everything. I think we smashed it proppa though, as the community (and Games Workshop) really like how faithful Speed Freeks is to the Orks faction. We like to think our game is the purest expression of Orkiness around.

Chris: Thank you all for taking the time to check out Speed Freeks – we’ll have more news to share very soon about the release date – until then, if you like what you see, please share the trailer with any Gitz that would cause chaos with you, and wishlist the game on your PlayStation!

Crimson Desert hands-on report: four hours in the RPG’s massive open world

Crimson Desert hands-on report: four hours in the RPG’s massive open world

Crimson Desert hands-on report: four hours in the RPG’s massive open world https://ift.tt/o2gAapR

Crimson Desert seems huge — not just in how much there is to do, but simply how enormous its world is. As an open-world RPG, that’s to be expected, but it’s only when you’re standing on a strange island floating in the sky, seeing the whole world stretch out beneath you, that it’s clear just how expansive the world of Pywel really is.

I recently went hands-on with the beginning portion of Crimson Desert and played about four hours, and while I never made it out to the landmarks I could see in the distance, even the area in and around the city where the game begins felt enormous and full of life.

Helping out in Hernand

You play Kliff, a member of a faction called the Greymanes — warriors renowned for their swordsmanship and their reputation for helping others. The early part of the story takes place in a town called Hernand, where you get your first taste of just how big and bustling Crimson Desert is. Even with four hours of playtime, there was so much to do in and around Hernand that I never made it far from town.

Quests in and around Hernand have you helping out various townspeople with their problems. But there are also plenty of activities and encounters to discover on your own. Often, you’ll find spots and buildings that outlaw factions have taken over, and they’ll attack you if you enter their territory. Defeat enough of them, though, and you’ll liberate the place so the townspeople can reclaim it.

Clearing bandits out from different locations unlocks access to new quests and activities, too. When I drove the bandits out of a fish market, fishermen moved back in, and I was able to observe them and learn to fish myself.

One of the cooler aspects of Crimson Desert is how Kliff can learn new skills not just by unlocking them from his character skill tree, but by observing them from other people. That can even happen in combat.

Fast, fluid combat

Fighting in Crimson Desert is a fast-paced, intense affair, with smart enemies who constantly work to surround and overwhelm you. Luckily, you’re a well-trained swordsman with quite a few abilities. Kliff can chain together fast strikes with R1 and slower, more powerful slashes with R2, but he’s also strong enough to grab enemies and throw them when you press Circle and Triangle buttons together.

Crimson Desert doesn’t really contain character classes or builds — unlocking new skills just adds more and more moves to Kliff’s repertoire, which you can use by pressing different combinations of buttons. Your fighting style is more determined by the weapons you choose to use. Kliff starts with a sword and shield, but you can also find weapons like great swords, spears, axes, and more to change how you approach combat.

You can block with L1, and if you time a block correctly as an attack lands, you can parry an enemy’s blow, knocking them briefly off-balance. Holding L1 also lets you lock onto an enemy, but the fluidity of the combat system means you’ll often quickly drop a lock so you’ll be free to attack in all directions.

Fighting stronger opponents can increase your arsenal of abilities. Midway through one early boss battle, a knight attempted to kick Kliff in the chest — and after seeing the move, Kliff learned it, incorporating it into his fighting style. From then on, I could give enemies the boot to send them flying.

The final battle of my preview was by far the toughest I faced, against Kailock, the Hornsplitter, the leader of a local merchant guild who’d been scouring Hernand for Abyss Artifacts. These are magical items that have fallen from the Abyss, a realm of floating islands above Pywel, and they imbue their wielders with strange powers. Kailock’s artifact makes him very fast and agile, while also allowing him to generate waves of magic from his weapon.

Kailock makes it clear it’ll take understanding your opponents’ abilities and using skills like parrying and powerful attacks to defeat them. And thanks to Abyss Artifacts, it seems like you’ll face enemies throughout Crimson Desert with capabilities that rival your own.

A strange, mystical world

Following the early steps of the main quest quickly leads you to the Abyss, a place seemingly powered by some mix of magic and technology, and home to some mystical folks who’ve taken an interest in Kliff.

It’s here that you start to gain special magical abilities that allow you to complete puzzles, explore the world, and gain an edge in combat. These include turning some objects weightless so you can manipulate them, picking up heavy items that would otherwise block your path, and donning a glider that lets you survive falls and cover distances.

The Abyss gives the first taste of Crimson Desert’s puzzles, which often have you fixing and manipulating Abyss technology. It sounds like you’ll solve quite a few puzzles throughout the game — some in the course of the story, and others that you’ll uncover through exploration.

Abyss Artifacts falling to earth seem to be a major driver for the story, and you can find them throughout the game and use them to unlock character upgrades and new abilities. But you’re not the only person hunting them and their power.

Freedom to explore

Beyond a short trip to the Abyss and the wilderness around Hernand, I didn’t get too far into the world of Crimson Desert, but it does seem like there’s going to be plenty of interesting things to find within the world if you’re willing to look for them.

After leaping off an Abyss island to return to the surface, I floated down near Hernand’s castle and found a man hanging from a cliff. I ran over and pulled him up, and he explained that he was trying to climb down to a chest before slipping. It was a momentary encounter, but provided a clue about what I might find below.

With my glider, I was able to jump down to the chest no problem, uncovering some loot that was part of another trading activity. Kliff could also climb back up the cliff with little difficulty. Your ability to climb, glide, swim, and sprint is dictated by a stamina gauge, and you can scale most cliffs and walls with relative ease, so long as the gauge doesn’t run out.

You also have a horse to help you cross the vast distances of Crimson Desert. You can whistle for the horse by pressing down on the D-Pad, summoning it to wherever you are. Between your mount and your glider, you have some decent options for traversing a lot of distance quickly, but you’ll need to earn upgrades to increase their stamina, and thus, their usefulness.

PS5 and PS5 Pro enhancements

With an enormous, gorgeous open world, Crimson Desert can be pretty graphically demanding, and Pearl Abyss will leverage the PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro to help deliver some impressive visuals, particularly at long distances. The PS5’s SSD is key for streaming the huge world, for a start, and developers will make  heavy use of the PS5 Pro’s High CPU Frequency Mode to make viewing and moving through the world as seamless as possible.

Pearl Abyss also told me it optimized Crimson Desert for the PS5 through a number of features to help maintain all that detail at its large scale, making use of Geometry Shader Oversubscription and NGG Culling to render lots of elements without losing detail. On PS5 Pro, the recent upgrade to PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) makes it possible for Crimson Desert to hit 4K resolutions at higher frame rates, and its raytracing capabilities make lighting effects more realistic and natural.

The DualSense controller adds a lot to the experience, too, especially when it comes to combat. A big part of fighting in Crimson Desert is the feeling of weight, and you can feel haptics especially when weapons clash as you execute a parry or when you land a powerful hit on an enemy. The adaptive triggers also add intensity to actions like drawing back a bowstring. The DualSense additions work to bring you closer to Kliff and help deliver a lot of information, especially in tense combat situations where enemies can be all around you.

Even after playing for four hours, I only scratched the surface of what’s waiting in Pywel. From vast lands to explore and secrets to discover, to formidable foes to face down and powerful skills to master, Crimson Desert looks to offer a lot for RPG fans who want to lose themselves in a fantastical world.

You can see for yourself just what’s hidden in Crimson Desert when it releases on March 19 on PS5.