Crimson Desert’s first expansion, Charting the Unknown, is out now on Xbox Series X|S, and Pearl Abyss has thrown in a free five-hour trial of the base game for anyone who hasn’t set foot in Pywel yet. The DLC launched at 10pm UK time on 29 October and costs £19.99 / $24.99.
Crimson Desert: Charting the Unknown at a glance
- Out: Now, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox on PC, with Xbox Play Anywhere
- Price: £19.99 / $24.99 (requires Crimson Desert Enhanced)
- Free trial: Five hours of the base game, until 7 January 2027
- Game Pass: Not included
What’s in Charting the Unknown?
The headline addition is the sea. You can build or buy a ship, sail out to new islands and dive beneath the waves to find sunken ruins, treasure chests and new creatures and mounts. There are also three new storylines, one each for Kliff, Oongka and Damiane, which open up in the Journal once you’ve finished the main story’s “Journey’s End” quest.
Life in Pywel gets deeper too. Relationships with some of its residents can lead to romance and even marriage, an upgraded housing mode lets you build a home from the ground up, and selected castles can become yours to decorate once liberated. You can also lease facilities such as a restaurant or a smithy and run them yourself. For those who’d rather fight, the Garden of Trials is a boss rush that throws the bosses you’ve already beaten at you one after another.
Pearl Abyss says another hotfix, version 2.04.02, is on its way to Xbox, fixing issues such as ships staying stationary, missing crew and quest rewards not being granted.
The Crimson Desert: Charting the Unknown launch trailer
How does the Crimson Desert free trial work on Xbox?
The trial covers Crimson Desert Enhanced, the current version of the base game that rolls in the free post-launch updates, and it’s open to all Xbox players. You get five hours, once per account, and the clock can’t be restarted. It doesn’t include Charting the Unknown, but your progress carries over if you buy the full game, which is £54.99 / $69.99 on the Xbox Store. The Deluxe Edition is £64.99 / $79.99.
The Xbox Store lists the trial until 7 January 2027, as does Pearl Abyss’s notice, though the body of the Xbox Wire post says 6 January, so don’t leave it to the last minute. The game supports Xbox Play Anywhere, and our Crimson Desert game hub has the essentials.
Heading out to sea, or finally giving Pywel a go with the trial? Let us know on X or Facebook.
Sources: Pearl Abyss notice (29 October 2026), Xbox Wire, Patch Notes 2.04.00 and 2.04.02 (Pearl Abyss), Xbox Store, launch trailer (Crimson Desert).
