10 Games Crimson Desert Fans Should Play

Crimson Desert has set the internet and gaming world on fire. It's great, it sucks, it's the worst thing ever, it's the best game since Red Dead Redemption 2 and so on and so forth. You may be curious to jump in and see what all the chaos is about, or maybe you've already moved on and are looking for something similar.

Luckily, the open world genre has been churning out games by the boatload over the last decade. However, Crimson Desert fits into a particular niche. It's not like many other open worlds and demands a lot from you, the player, in terms of how much you're going to ultimately get out of everything. We're going to check out a bunch of games to fans who loved Crimson Desert.

10 Outward

The World with No Direction

Outward is a game that trusts you to be the driver of your own exploration. Releasing in 2019, a time when open world games were just massive checklist simulators, it was a refreshingly brutal take on what an open world could be. There is little to no direction, zero hand holding and entire parts of the game can be missed if you're not dedicating yourself to exploration. Even the game's magic system can be totally missed unless you embark on a particular quest line.

It's a choose your own adventure book in video game form, and that same, open-ended exploration that Crimson Desert gives you is fully available in Outward, and it's in an even more brutal form here. The difficulty is immense, and basic enemies will wreck you if you're not careful. There's also penalties for dying, so if you thought Crimson Desert was a little bit too easy for your tastes, then Outward will promptly whip you into shape.

9 Assassin's Creed: Valhalla

Viking Quest

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla is almost identical to Crimson Desert at a glance. The massive open world, the tons of different people and groups to take quests from, even the open world events that have little direction and where to go seem to be similar as well. The combat also feels wildly similar, with some truly brutal moves, from tackles to using a grappling hook-style device. While Pearl Abyss may not have stated this game directly as inspiration, so much of it feels like a different vision of this game.

There's also the climbing aspect, as, just like in Crimson Desert, you can climb pretty much anything here as well. There is also a ton to explore, including secret locations with hidden entrances and little exploration puzzles to solve as well. It also has the medieval fantasy mixed with a little bit of sci-fi thing going on here as well, so if you vibed with that aspect of Crimson Desert's offerings, the overall experience here should be a pretty solid follow-up.

8 Elex

The Eurojank Adventure

Elex is a game that, much like Crimson Desert, doesn't give you a lot to go on. It's vague, mysterious, but just the same, utterly gripping to explore. Now, the world is a bit different here. However, the fantasy-meets-sci-fi vibe is actually quite similar to what Crimson Desert ultimately is trying to do. There are a bunch of factions to work for, a ton of side content to discover and most importantly, things that you can just find because you found them, not because a map told you to.

It's got some janky combat and a story that is a bit all over the place, but again, Crimson Desert can pretty much claim the same and is dominating the gaming world right now with over 3 million copies sold in a week, so if you can tolerate another game that is perfectly imperfect, Elex is a great bet.

7 Red Dead Redemption 2

The Western Fantasy

Another game that Crimson Desert feels a lot like at times, is Red Dead Redemption 2. Despite the obvious aesthetic differences and themes, the controls, the character weight, the horse riding and the general deliberateness of Kliff as a character are clearly inspired by Arthur Morgan's unforgettable adventure. This realism-focused old west simulator is amazing to explore, much in the same way Crimson Desert is. There are mysteries to solve with nothing but your own mind at play.

The open world is very similar, with vast expanses that are often just there for the scenery. You're not necessarily going to find a surprise side quest in the new location you find. Sometimes, it's just there, and the scenery tells a story itself. It's not about the map markers, it's about the world itself. While the story is a massive focus here, it's not all that different in its concept. In Red Dead Redemption 2, you're part of a gang trying to rebuild itself after a chaotic situation goes wrong. In Crimson Desert, you're part of a group of mercenaries trying to rebuild themselves after a bad situation as well. It's far more story focused here, but there are plenty of parallels between playing as Kliff and playing as Arthur.

6 The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

The Blueprint

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is very much the blueprint for what Crimson Desert was going for when making an open world game. From the tool sets Kliff has access to, like the Axiom Force to The Abyss acting as a second open world to explore on top of the actual one, it's no secret that Pearl Abyss took inspiration here in more ways than one. That whole "climb any surface as long as you have stamina?" That's from Zelda, and Crimson Desert took a huge turn in development when this game came out just so that it successfully emulated it more closely.

Additionally, the story is also not really the focus of Tears of the Kingdom. It's more of a sandbox game, where you make your own adventure, build pretty much anything you can imagine and use the extensive set of tools Link has at his disposal to traverse the world and fight in the way you want to. There are, of course, epic set piece bosses and some really cool side activities to discover, and the additional and massive area known as The Depths provides a great challenge for those looking to go beyond what the surface level of the game offers. If you don't mind being a bit aimless with your exploration and just enjoying the ride, this one will hit just like Crimson Desert did.

5 Elden Ring

There's so Much to See

Elden Ring is one of the most incredible open world experiences of all time. It gives you this massive map and very little direction on where exactly you should go and rewards your exploration at every single turn. Generally, if you think you might find something down the unbeaten path in Elden Ring, you will and when you get there, it's usually a tough boss waiting to reward your efforts. That sort of open-ended exploration, aided by a vague story connecting it all, is present in Crimson Desert as well, and it's part of why the game has gripped so many people.

Elden Ring's world is far different though, with a dark, melancholy and almost post-apocalyptic feel to everything. It feels like a world where humans no longer belong and whether it's the terrifying monstrosities you'll face in boss fights or the lore you discover from reading a description on a seemingly innocuous item, the game makes that very clear. It's also got some co-op capabilities, and one of the most expansive DLCs in Shadow of the Erdtree, so you can find yourself lost in this one for hundreds of hours easily.

4 Dragon's Dogma 2

A Would-Be Great

Crimson Desert feels a lot like what Dragon's Dogma 2 was supposed to be. However, that's not to say Dragon's Dogma 2 isn't without its merits. The iconic monster-climbing combat is back for the sequel and better than it ever was with more weapons and some of the best-looking graphics in terms of scenery that we've seen.

The world of Dragon's Dogma 2 is very similar to Crimson Desert's as well, with very little hand holding, and an incredible amount of land to explore and find everything from option bosses to new weapons, armor and even the ability to learn different weapon techniques. The scale of the fights in Dragon's Dogma 2 is still pretty unmatched, with crazy showdowns against Dragons, Medusa creatures and Cyclopes still being the star of the show. It's more combat-centric than Crimson Desert, but exploring the world just to see something new and cool is heavily in the DNA of both of these games.

3 Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

A Lone Soldier in a Big Land

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a groundbreaking open-world RPG that puts you in the boots of a soldier named Henry tasked with delivering important information. You quickly get sidetracked and get set back to square one, having to figure out a way to make money and survive in this often brutal world. Much like Crimson Desert, you are your own compass, both exploration-wise and morally. You will find so many interesting things in the open world, but you have to dedicate yourself to exploration in order to find them.

It's staggeringly beautiful to look at in action, and the story feels like your own personal Game of Thrones playing out. The writing in particular is top-notch, and the realistic combat will give you plenty of challenge throughout the game. If you thought Crimson Desert had a ton to see in its initial hours, wait till you see what the pre-wedding segment of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has to offer you. It's one of the best RPGs ever made, and a must-play for any fan of the genre.

The Original Open World King

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is one of the most important open world RPGs of all time. There are games pre-Skyrim and there are games post-Skyrim, and every game in the genre after its launch, has a whole of Bethesda's moneymaker embedded inside. To this day, I don't think there is a better "what's that over there?" simulator. There is constantly something to see, a quest to go on, an emergent open world event to see, or a strange-looking location to discover.

It's a massive amount of content, but it's all so beautifully handcrafted and in tune with the lore of the world, that it all feels natural and well-thought-out. Before your map gets filled with icons, much like Crimson Desert's, it's empty, and only by actually visiting the tons of locations do you get to have the location mapped.

​​​​​​​There are also incredible sights to see, from the Blackreach, to the gates of Sovngarde, to the peak of the mountains of High Hrothgar. The combat is a bit dated for sure, but your build variety is still impressive and whatever style of combat you'd like is generally here for you to try. Overall, it's one of the most played games ever made in the RPG genre, and it's a consistent contender in the greatest game of all time talks.

1 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Standard

I think it will be a long time before a game tops what The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt did for gaming and open world games in particular. It's pretty obvious that Crimson Desert was really trying its best to emulate The Witcher 3, from its gruff protagonist Kliff to things like the memory investigations, where you try to discern what happened in a particular scene to even the battle music. So much is derived from CD Projekt Red's timeless masterpiece.

If you've somehow never played it, The Witcher 3 is among the best games ever made. It's got the best side quests for any game ever, a compelling main story, unforgettable characters, gorgeous graphics and an awesome set of monsters and human enemies alike. It's also got a unique combat system that is heavily based around your timing and your preparation for battle. There are aspects of The Witcher 3 that set a new standard for RPGs and even the little things have inspired other games.