Crimson Desert: Charting the Unknown went live worldwide on October 29, 2026 at 22:00 UTC (3pm PT, 6pm ET, 10pm UK). It’s out now on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam and the Epic Games Store, and it costs $24.99 / £19.99 / €24.99 on Steam. It’s Pearl Abyss’s first paid expansion for Crimson Desert. It adds ships, diving, three new character storylines, romance and marriage, rentable businesses, three claimable castles and a boss-rush mode.
The catch is that much of it is gated. You can dive right away, but the three new stories and the Garden of Trials boss rush only open once you’ve finished the main story. Sailing and the new housing system unlock partway through the campaign. Below are the release times by region, the price on each platform, and every unlock condition Pearl Abyss has published, so you know what you can play tonight.
Table of Contents
Quick answer
- Release time: October 29, 22:00 UTC, the same moment on every platform. That’s 3pm PT, 6pm ET, 10pm in London, 11pm in Berlin and Paris, and October 30 at 7am in Tokyo and Seoul.
- Is it out? Yes. Steam’s store data showed the DLC as released by 22:00 UTC (checked 22:05 UTC, Oct 29).
- Price: $24.99 on Steam and the PlayStation Store (US). Steam also lists £19.99 in the UK, €24.99 in Germany and A$39.99 in Australia. It isn’t free, and you need the base game.
- Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC (Steam, Epic). It’s not on the Mac App Store at launch, according to Pearl Abyss.
- Patch first: a base-game update came out alongside the DLC. Pearl Abyss says to install it before launching.
- How to start: diving has no requirements. Ships and the ocean storyline need “Howling Hill” done. The three character stories and Garden of Trials need the main story finished. You start the stories from the Journal menu.
- Free extras: week 1 of the Twitch Drops event (Oct 29 to Nov 4) works for anyone who owns the base game. Week 2 rewards are for DLC owners only.
Crimson Desert Charting the Unknown release time in your region
Pearl Abyss published one global unlock time in its Global Release Times notice on October 28, along with a world map of local times. PlayStation players could pre-download the DLC 24 hours early. On Xbox, Steam and Epic the download only started at the release moment.
| Region / city | Local unlock time |
|---|---|
| UTC | Thu Oct 29, 22:00 |
| Los Angeles (PT) | Thu Oct 29, 3:00pm |
| Dallas (CT) | Thu Oct 29, 5:00pm |
| New York (ET) | Thu Oct 29, 6:00pm |
| São Paulo | Thu Oct 29, 7:00pm |
| London | Thu Oct 29, 10:00pm |
| Berlin, Paris (CET) | Thu Oct 29, 11:00pm |
| Cape Town | Fri Oct 30, 12:00am |
| Istanbul | Fri Oct 30, 1:00am |
| Beijing, Singapore | Fri Oct 30, 6:00am |
| Seoul, Tokyo | Fri Oct 30, 7:00am |
| Sydney | Fri Oct 30, 9:00am |
The date was originally October 15. On September 30, Pearl Abyss moved the DLC back two weeks “to deliver a more polished and stable gameplay experience”. Older articles that still say October 15 or 16 are out of date.
Charting the Unknown price on PS5, Xbox, Steam and Epic
The prices below were checked on October 29 at about 22:05 UTC. Prices can change, so the store page is the final word.
| Store | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Steam | $24.99 / £19.99 / €24.99 / A$39.99 | Requires Crimson Desert Enhanced. The listing shows Windows and macOS |
| PlayStation Store (US) | $24.99 | The listing says owners of Crimson Desert Enhanced or the Enhanced Deluxe Edition got 10% off the pre-order price |
| Xbox Store | Listed, price not public in Microsoft’s catalog when checked | Pearl Abyss announced $24.99 / £19.99 when it revealed the DLC (VGC) |
| Epic Games Store | Listed | Epic’s page didn’t load for us, so we couldn’t confirm the price |
| Mac App Store | Not available | “Will not be available on Mac App Store at launch,” per Pearl Abyss |
Pre-order bonus: the official DLC page lists the Charter’s Diving Set for Kliff and Oongka and the Charter’s Light Diving Set for Damiane. Pearl Abyss said pre-orders were open “until the release”. It hasn’t said whether buyers after launch still get the outfits.
You can build your own ship through a port dispatch or buy one from a Fleet Office manager once the Howling Hill camp is set up. Image: Pearl Abyss
What’s in Crimson Desert Charting the Unknown
These are the headline features, according to Pearl Abyss’s October 20 features overview and the store pages:
- Three new storylines, one each for Kliff, Oongka and Damiane. The store page teases “an ominous presence in the desert”, “a dangerous political conflict”, “a journey beyond time” and “an ancient secret beneath the waves”. There’s also a separate ocean-focused storyline.
- Ships and the Great Ocean: build or buy your own ship and sail to new islands off Pywel’s coast.
- Diving: underwater ruins, treasure chests, and new creatures and mounts.
- Romance, marriage and festivals: build trust with some of Pywel’s inhabitants. That can lead to romance and marriage, and friends visit your Greymane Camp once it’s upgraded far enough.
- Upgraded housing: build a house from the ground up. The regular housing system stays too.
- Management: rent and run businesses, from a restaurant in Vellua to a smithy at Zargan Tankworks.
- Greymane Castles: claim and decorate three specific castles.
- Garden of Trials: a boss rush against bosses from your adventure, with special rewards for clearing it.
- New enemies on land and at sea.
Here’s Pearl Abyss’s official features overview video:
How to start Charting the Unknown: every unlock requirement
This is the part most players will need tonight. The table combines Pearl Abyss’s prerequisites with chapter details from GamingBolt’s prep guide.
| Feature | What you need first | Where to start it |
|---|---|---|
| Diving / underwater exploration | Nothing. Breath runs out underwater, so a diving suit or items help you stay down longer | Any water |
| Ocean storyline | Complete “Howling Hill” in the main story | Becomes available after Howling Hill |
| Your own ship | Set up the Greymane Camp at Howling Hill, then finish the related questline | Send comrades on a ship-building dispatch at a port, or buy one from a Fleet Office manager |
| Upgraded housing | Camp at Howling Hill, plus Luke’s Request in the “Grounds of the Sunrise” Greymanes faction quest (Chapter 3, per GamingBolt) | The housing system |
| Businesses (management) | Finish the faction quest that liberates the region, with your Greymane Camp set up | The world map |
| Romance and camp visits | Build trust with inhabitants. Visits need a camp upgraded “to a certain level” (no number given) | Talking to NPCs |
| Kliff, Oongka and Damiane stories | Finish the main story | The Journal menu |
| Greymane Castles (3) | Finish the main story and the relevant quests, then liberate each stronghold | The castle missions that unlock |
| Garden of Trials | Clear the main questline | Not specified |
Step by step: playing the DLC tonight
- Own the base game. On Steam, the DLC requires Crimson Desert Enhanced, the name the base game now goes by on stores.
- Buy Charting the Unknown on the same platform as your base game.
- Install the base-game update. Pearl Abyss released a patch at the same time as the DLC and asks players to install it before launching. As of 22:05 UTC, the patch notes hadn’t been posted. Pearl Abyss had said more details would come in patch notes on release day.
- Load your save and check your progress. If you’re past Howling Hill, you can head for a port and work toward a ship. If you’ve seen the credits, open the Journal to start the three character stories.
- If you’re early in the campaign, you can still dive. The rest of the DLC opens as you play through Chapter 3 and the main story.
Diving needs no unlock, but breath runs out, and diving suits extend your time underwater. Image: Pearl Abyss
Do you have to finish Crimson Desert to play the DLC?
For the main new content, yes. Pearl Abyss lists “after completing the main story” for the three character storylines, the castles and the Garden of Trials. The ocean, ships, housing and businesses open earlier, around Howling Hill and the Greymane Camp. Diving is available straight away. If you’re mid-campaign, finishing Chapter 3 unlocks most of the sandbox side of the DLC before the story content.
Charting the Unknown Twitch Drops: dates and who can claim them
A two-week Twitch Drops event started with the launch. Rewards include equipment, a pet and customizable parts for your ship. You claim them through Pearl Abyss’s event page.
| Week | Dates (UTC) | Who can use the rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Oct 29, 22:00 to Nov 4, 23:59 | Anyone who owns Crimson Desert Enhanced |
| Week 2 | Nov 5, 00:00 to Nov 11, 23:59 | Charting the Unknown owners only |
Note that US clocks go back on November 1. The UTC times above don’t change, but your local times shift by an hour after that date.
Rentable businesses include a restaurant in Vellua and a smithy at Zargan Tankworks, opened from the world map. Image: Pearl Abyss
Is Charting the Unknown worth it? What we know so far
Reviews of the DLC weren’t out when it launched, and we haven’t played it. What we can say is what $24.99 buys: three story campaigns gated behind the ending, plus a big set of systems you can reach mid-game (sailing, diving, housing, businesses, romance). Players who already finished the main story get the most on day one. Players still in Chapter 2 or 3 get mostly the sandbox side until they reach the credits. Crimson Desert itself is up for Ultimate Game of the Year, PC Game of the Year and Best Soundtrack at the Golden Joystick Awards 2026. If you’re choosing between big action games this week, our Phantom Blade Zero beginner’s guide covers the other launch of the moment. Our November 2026 release calendar shows what’s coming next.
FAQ
Is Crimson Desert Charting the Unknown free?
No. It’s paid DLC: $24.99 on Steam and the US PlayStation Store, £19.99 on UK Steam. Only the week 1 Twitch Drops rewards are free for base-game owners.
What time does Charting the Unknown come out?
It came out on October 29 at 22:00 UTC on every platform. That’s 3pm PT, 6pm ET, 10pm UK and October 30 at 7am in Japan and Korea.
Is Charting the Unknown on Mac?
Not through the Mac App Store at launch. Pearl Abyss says it will make a separate announcement if a Mac release is planned. The Steam listing does show macOS as a supported platform.
How do I start the new stories in Charting the Unknown?
Finish the main story, then start the Kliff, Oongka and Damiane storylines from the Journal menu. The ocean storyline opens earlier, after “Howling Hill”.
Can I pre-download Charting the Unknown?
Only on PS5, where pre-download opened 24 hours before launch. On Xbox, Steam and Epic, the download became available at 22:00 UTC.
Follow today’s launches on our Gaming News Today live page.
Sources: Pearl Abyss (Global Release Times, Features Overview, Release Date Update, Twitch Drops, DLC page); Steam; PlayStation Store; VGC; Insider Gaming; GamingBolt. Prices and status checked October 29, 2026, 22:05 UTC.
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Featured image: AI-generated illustration
