Crimson Desert Will Be Playable at an Upcoming Event

Crimson Desert will feature a brand-new playable demo at Gamescom 2025, giving all attendees a chance to try out the highly anticipated open-world action-adventure game first-hand. Developed by Pearl Abyss, Crimson Desert has made waves thanks to its fighting-game-esque approach to combat, gorgeous visuals, and a single-player focus that helps it stand apart from the studio’s previous game, Black Desert Online. Where BDO was an ambitious attempt at an MMORPG, Crimson Desert is exclusively single-player, something that has only helped the game gain more traction among fans looking for a true AAA medieval ARPG.

Pearl Abyss has been gradually lifting the curtain on Crimson Desert with boss fight gameplay videos, extended looks, teaser trailers, and occasional demos. The hype surrounding Crimson Desert has been steadily growing as the game’s late 2025 release date approaches. A playable demo for the game was also made available at Summer Game Fest 2025 just a few weeks ago, but it was limited to certain pre-approved individuals. Gamescom will mark the first time a Crimson Desert demo has been made available to the wider public.

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Pearl Abyss announced that Crimson Desert’s next demo will be held at Gamescom 2025 at the Koelnmesse Exhibition Center in Cologne, Germany, from Wednesday to Sunday, August 20-24. Both media personnel and public attendees are welcome to experience the demo in the Entertainment Hall in Hall 06.1 | Stand B041 - A040. According to Lybee Park, CEO of Pearl Abyss Europe, the team is excited to let fans venture into the Crimson Desert’s continent of Pywel directly to get “hands-on with the experience we’ve crafted.”

Crimson Desert Public Demo Coming to Gamescom 2025

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The booth will include themed decor modeled after the game world and will be playable on AMD-powered PC hardware and Samsung’s Odyssey G6/G8 gaming monitors. Though there is no word on maximum capacity yet, the event runs for five full days, making it likely that most fans will probably get a chance to play. Pearl Abyss has also announced that those who do try out Crimson Desert’s demo will also receive exclusive event merchandise as a thank-you for participating.

Early hands-on impressions of Crimson Desert from reviewers have been generally positive, but input from the general public matters more when getting players excited about the game. Gamescom 2025 marks a pivotal moment in the pre-launch cycle as it could solidify public perception surrounding the game and give it a greater air of legitimacy. Despite marketing efforts to ensure otherwise, Crimson Desert still appears too good to be true, and while previous demos and extended gameplay trailers have alleviated some concerns, a public demo will go a long way toward convincing fans that the game isn’t just a collective fever dream but something real.