*6 min read*
Crimson Desert launched on March 19, 2026, and it immediately became one of the most visually ambitious open-world games in years — powered by Pearl Abyss's proprietary Black Space Engine. The good news: it's surprisingly well-optimized compared to many modern AAA titles. The less good news: even on launch day, dense areas like Kastone city can still stress test your GPU hard.
Here's how to get the most out of it, with every upscaling option explained.
Supported Upscaling Technologies
Crimson Desert supports a comprehensive list of AI upscaling and frame generation options:
• NVIDIA DLSS 4 (all RTX GPUs — upscaling + frame generation on RTX 40/50)
• NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 (all RTX GPUs — note: DLSS 4.5 has a flickering bug at launch; DLSS 4 is more stable)
• NVIDIA DLSS Ray Reconstruction (RTX 20 series and newer)
• AMD FSR 3 (any GPU)
• AMD FSR 4 (RDNA 4 only — upscaling + frame generation)
• AMD FSR Ray Regeneration (AMD GPUs)
• Apple MetalFX (Mac)
The game supports both DLSS 4 and DLSS 4.5. DLSS 4.5 suffers from flickering issues that are not present in DLSS 4. Until Pearl Abyss patches this, use DLSS 4 for the stable experience.
Benchmark Targets by GPU
Based on launch-day testing at 4K resolution:
| GPU | Native 4K Ultra (avg fps) | DLSS 4 Quality (avg fps) | DLSS 4 Performance (avg fps) | |-----|--------------------------|--------------------------|------------------------------| | RTX 5090 | ~95 fps | ~145 fps | ~185 fps | | RTX 5080 | ~75 fps | ~115 fps | ~150 fps | | RTX 5070 Ti | ~60 fps | ~95 fps | ~130 fps | | RTX 4090 | ~65 fps | ~100 fps | ~130 fps | | RTX 4080 Super | ~50 fps | ~80 fps | ~105 fps | | RTX 4070 Ti Super | ~40 fps | ~65 fps | ~90 fps | | RX 9070 XT (FSR 4) | ~55 fps | ~90 fps | ~120 fps |
*Note: 1% lows in Kastone and large-scale combat can be 20–30% lower than averages. Prioritize 1% lows over average fps for a smooth experience.*
Recommended Settings for Each Tier
High-End (RTX 5080/5090, RX 9070 XT) — 4K Ultra 60fps+
• Quality: Ultra or Cinematic
• Upscaling: DLSS 4 Quality mode (or FSR 4 Quality on AMD)
• Frame Generation: Enable (RTX 50: DLSS 4.5 MFG; RTX 40: DLSS FG; RDNA 4: FSR FG)
• Ray Reconstruction: Enable
• Shadow Distance: Ultra
• NPC Density: Ultra
Mid-High (RTX 4080, RTX 4070 Ti Super) — 4K High 60fps
• Quality: High
• Upscaling: DLSS 4 Balanced mode
• Frame Generation: Enable
• Ray Reconstruction: Enable
• Shadow Distance: High
• Volumetric Fog: Medium (saves 8–10% with minimal visual difference)
Mid-Range (RTX 4070, RTX 4060 Ti) — 1440p High 60fps+
• Quality: High
• Upscaling: DLSS 4 Quality mode
• Frame Generation: Enable (if RTX 40 series)
• Shadow Distance: Medium
• NPC Density: Medium (major improvement to 1% lows in Kastone)
The Stuttering Fix (Kastone and Large Battles)
If you're experiencing stuttering specifically in Kastone or during large-scale combat, the key changes are: reduce NPC Density to Medium, lower Shadow Distance, and enable DLSS 4. This significantly improves 1% lows and smooths large-scale combat performance.
Additionally, Crimson Desert uses Pearl Abyss's Black Space Engine with Asynchronous Loading, which nearly eliminates the shader compilation stutter common in Unreal Engine 5 titles from 2024–2025. If you're experiencing compilation stutter, it's almost certainly a driver issue — update to NVIDIA driver 581.29 or AMD driver 25.9.2 minimum.
Will Crimson Desert Get DLSS 5 Support?
DLSS 5 is not out yet — it launches in Fall 2026. Studios have to approve and implement DLSS 5 support for their games when it does. Crimson Desert is not on the current confirmed list of DLSS 5 titles. However, given Pearl Abyss's existing deep integration with NVIDIA (the game launched alongside DLSS 4 and DLSS Ray Reconstruction), DLSS 5 support in a future patch is plausible. Nothing confirmed.
Beyond the Game: Upscaling Your Screenshots
If you're taking screenshots in Crimson Desert — and with Black Space Engine's visuals, you absolutely should be — you can push them further with AI image upscaling tools. Our online tool can take your in-game captures and enhance their detail, lighting, and sharpness using the same diffusion-based AI principles that power DLSS 5's neural rendering. No RTX 5090 required.