Just five days ahead of its official release, Crimson Desert is already showing signs of success. Recently, the game was even dubbed as having the potential to be this year’s second-best-selling title after GTA 6, a major statement for a year packed with huge releases.
On the subject of comparisons to GTA 6, Crimson Desert has recently had a few interesting developments. Over on Google, the game has even managed to outperform GTA 6 in terms of searches and global interest.
Comparing the number of searches for GTA 6 and Crimson Desert on Google Trends over the last year shows that the latter has now pulled ahead by a small margin.
Interest in GTA 6 was much higher last year, but because Rockstar Games has yet to kick off marketing in 2026, Pearl Abyss’ title has a major advantage ahead of its release. The marketing difference aside, this feat is still impressive when comparing Crimson Desert to an already-established IP like Grand Theft Auto.
At the time of writing, the game is also doing well on Amazon. Crimson Desert is currently the 2nd best-selling PS5 game on Amazon, losing out only to the critically-acclaimed Resident Evil Requiem.
The Steam charts tell a similar story, with the title ending up among the top 3 best-sellers. Looking at the pre-order situation so far, Pearl Abyss’ marketing efforts seem to have paid off.
Positive word of mouth regarding the title has also spread rapidly over the last few months, with many enjoying the endless nature of the experience. All in all, it seems audiences have already signed up to play the game once it arrives on March 19.
Even with the recent criticism surrounding Crimson Desert due to the inclusion of Denuvo, the game is showing all the signs of a huge release for this year. Some even believe the open-world adventure has a shot at Game of the Year in 2026.
