Update, March 20: A spokesperson for Pearl Abyss confirmed to us: “We currently do not support Intel Arc.” However, it did not add further comment on whether this could change in the future.
Original story as follows…
- Crimson Desert will not launch on systems using Intel Arc GPUs, according to several users
- Pearl Abyss states that Intel Arc GPUs are not supported and suggests referring to the refund policy
- The game currently has mixed reviews on Steam, with some negative from Intel Arc users
Pearl Abyss’ long awaited Crimson desert has finally arrived after nearly a decade of development. While it’s received mixed reviews from users, many of the quality-of-life issues (and controls) are the culprit — but there’s another big issue Intel hardware users should be aware of.
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Crimson desert is currently not supported on Intel Arc GPUs, according to Pearl Abyss’ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, including several Reddit and Steam users.
This means that handheld, portable, or desktop systems using either integrated or discrete Arc GPUs will not boot Crimson desertthat often shows a ‘the graphics device is not currently supported’ message.
Pearl Abyss’ answer on its FAQ page raises a bigger concern for Intel Arc users, stating: “If you purchased the game and expect Intel Arc support, please refer to the refund policy of the platform where the game was purchased for available options.”
While that doesn’t completely rule out any chance of eventual Intel Arc support, it’s a slight concern that there might not be any urgent push for support in the near future. We have contacted Pearl Abyss about the matter but have not yet received a response.
Crimson Desert will not run if it detects an Intel ARC GPU. Like straight up, the developers just deliberately chose not to support ARC cards. No prior notice of it until they added the information to their FAQ. This might be the first time I’ve seen a developer deliberately block a GPU tag. from r/pcmasterrace
Crimson desert already has quite a bit of controversy regarding some players not taking kindly to the onboarding experience. The control scheme and UI are not popular, no options for custom controls (for controllers) and now no Intel Arc GPU support may drive some players away.
Fortunately, Pearl Abyss has shown its commitment to implementing changes based on feedback, both during the review period and after launch, so there’s a good chance that Intel Arc users won’t have to wait long to finally dive in.
But as it stands, it might be best if Intel Arc users steer clear of buying altogether Crimson desert until Pearl Abyss adds further clarity to the situation and when (or even if) we should expect support. After all, it’s a great game, and one that runs well on most hardware, but there’s no point in owning a game you can’t play.
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