Crimson Desert Charting the Unknown: release date, price and what is in it
On 15 October 2026, Crimson Desert gets its first paid expansion: Charting the Unknown, $24.99, on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam and the Epic Games Store. Pearl Abyss announced it on 3 September during Sony's State of Play, and what it adds is water. Kliff takes command of a ship, sails past the coastlines the base game stops at to uncharted islands, dives for sunken ruins and underwater treasure, and builds a house on the shore with the base-building system the main game already taught you. The story picks up after the ending, following Kliff, Oongka and Damiane. There is no Mac App Store release at launch.
What Charting the Unknown adds
Five things, in the order Pearl Abyss put them.
A ship you command. You set sail across the ocean and explore islands off the coast, past the boundaries the base game draws. Until now Pywel offered walking, riding and the Abyss; this is the first new way to move through it.
Underwater exploration. Below the surface there are sunken ruins, underwater treasure and, in Pearl Abyss's own phrasing, hidden mysteries. Diving is central enough that the pre-order bonus is a set of diving gear.
Housing on the shore. The base-building system carries over into a beachside house, described as an upgraded version of the existing housing mode rather than a reskin of it.
Relationships. Kliff can talk with the people of Pywel to form deeper bonds, which is a system the base game did not have.
New stories, new enemies and more to do. Pearl Abyss names new stories, new enemies and additional activities, and outlets that watched the reveal report new weapons and armour kits alongside them. No count has been published for any of it.
Release date, price and pre-orders
The expansion unlocks on 15 October 2026 in the Americas and on 16 October in Europe and Asia, because Pearl Abyss set one global moment and let the calendar fall where it does:
- North America: 15 October, 15:00 PT / 18:00 ET
- Europe: 16 October, 00:00 CEST
- Asia: 16 October, 07:00 KST and JST
It is $24.99. Pre-orders opened on the day of the announcement: the PlayStation Store at 15:00 UTC on 3 September, then Steam, the Epic Games Store and the Microsoft Store at 21:00 UTC the same day. Pre-ordering gets you the Charter's Diving Set for Kliff and Oongka and the Charter's Light Diving Set for Damiane.
One platform is missing from that list. Crimson Desert sells on the Mac App Store, but Pearl Abyss's own notice says Charting the Unknown will not be available there at launch, with a promise to post an update if that changes.
The name confuses people, and it is worth untangling. The full title is Crimson Desert Enhanced: Charting the Unknown. Enhanced is the free 2.00.00 update from 25 August that renamed the base game for everybody who owns it. Charting the Unknown is the paid expansion on top. Owning Enhanced does not mean you own this.
What the trailer shows, and what players have read into it
The reveal trailer ran about two minutes at State of Play, and most of what is being written about the expansion comes out of it.
On screen. Kliff at the wheel of a ship in open water, in a style outlets compared to Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. Kliff diving, and at one point holding onto the back of a large shark to cover distance underwater. A beachside house going up piece by piece. Several large boss encounters, on land and below the surface, including a giant mechanical enemy that GamesRadar described as a giant evil robot.
What players read from it. The shark ride is being read as an underwater traversal mount rather than a scripted moment, on the strength of how long the shot holds. Ship customisation and upgrade tiers are widely assumed from the Black Flag comparison, though nothing in the announcement mentions either. The number of islands is the most-asked question and the least answered: guesses on ResetEra and the Steam forums run from a handful of set pieces to an archipelago the size of a region. Pearl Abyss has published no count.
What it changes for a map. A sunken ruin needs a depth as well as a position, and out past the coastline the landmark vocabulary Pywel runs on stops working, so island approaches will get described by heading and distance from a known port.
Frequently asked questions
When does Crimson Desert: Charting the Unknown come out?
15 October 2026 at 15:00 PT in North America, which is 16 October at 00:00 CEST in Europe and 07:00 KST in Asia. Pearl Abyss announced the date on 3 September 2026 during Sony's State of Play, and pre-orders opened the same day.
How much does Charting the Unknown cost?
$24.99, on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam and the Epic Games Store. Pre-ordering adds the Charter's Diving Set for Kliff and Oongka and the Charter's Light Diving Set for Damiane, and no other edition or bundle has been announced.
How many islands are in Charting the Unknown?
Pearl Abyss has not published a number. The announcement says islands off the coast, plural, and the trailer shows several distinct ones. Community guesses on ResetEra and the Steam forums range from a handful of set pieces to an archipelago the size of an existing region, and none of them is sourced.
Is Charting the Unknown the same as Crimson Desert Enhanced?
No. Enhanced is the free 2.00.00 update from 25 August 2026 that renamed the base game for everyone who owns it. Charting the Unknown is the paid expansion on top of it, and the DLC's full title being Crimson Desert Enhanced: Charting the Unknown is what makes this confusing.
Do you need to finish Crimson Desert before playing the expansion?
Pearl Abyss has not published a requirement. What it has said is that the story continues after the ending of the base game, following Kliff, Oongka and Damiane, which places the narrative rather than gating the content. If a level or progress condition exists, it has not been announced.
Is Charting the Unknown on Mac?
Not at launch. Pearl Abyss's own notice says the expansion will not be available on the Mac App Store on 15 October, even though the base game sells there, and promises a separate update if that changes. No later date has been given.