The open world of Crimson Desert is bigger than Red Dead 2, twice the size of Skyrim

Crimson Desert already looks like one of the most ambitious open-world RPGs in years, with developer Pearl Abyss recently confirming that Pywel's vast continent will be significantly larger than some of the game's largest worlds. According to new information from PR director Will Powers during an exclusive interview with Gaming Interviews on YouTube, the playable world in Crimson Desert will be at least twice as large as The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim's open world and larger than the map Red Dead Redemption 2. When the game releases on March 19, 2026, players should have plenty of space to explore and a medieval fantasy playground full of activities.

Crimson desert is an open-world action-adventure game from South Korean developer Pearl Abyss, set on the war-torn fantasy continent of Pywel and built on the studio's BlackSpace Engine. In the game, players take on the role of mercenary Kliff as he navigates political conflict, battles mythical creatures, and ultimately forges his own path through quests, exploration, and combo combat. Originally intended as a prequel to Black Desert Onlinethe project eventually evolved into a standalone single-player experience focused on immersive world-building and gameplay.

The open world of Crimson Desert is larger than that of Red Dead Redemption 2 and Double Skyrim

In an interview with YouTube channel Gaming Interviews, Pearl Abyss PR Director Will Powers compared the size Crimson desertopen world for two of the most spectacular open worlds in the industry –The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim and Red Dead Redemption 2. “I don't think the numbers really do justice to how big it is in terms of scale and scope?” Powers said. “But we can say that the world is at least twice the size of the open world, playable area of Skyrim. It's bigger than the Red Dead Redemption 2 map.”

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim's Open World Size

SkyrimThe playable map is generally estimated to be around 37 square kilometers, which is around 14.3 square miles. This measurement comes from calculations using the game's cell grid and height map data, and is generally accepted by players and map analysts.

The size of Red Dead Redemption 2's open world

Red Dead Redemption 2the world is significantly larger than Skyrim'with. The results of community and map analyzes usually estimate it at 70–75 square kilometers (27–29 sq mi). That would mean RDR2's map roughly twice as large as Skyrim'with.

Based on what players and map analysts have discovered, Red Dead Redemption 2The user's map can now be twice as large Skyrim's, with its borders stretching 70–75 kilometers and Skyrimthe open world is about 37 square kilometers in size. However, there are a few things to note. First, accurate official map size figures from the developers are rare, including those based on player measurements rather than official announcements. Second, if the size Red Dead Redemption 2the world leans more on the 70km side of things, then it would actually be less than double Skyrim'with.

That is, assuming that is the case Crimson desertAn open world can really be bigger than Red Dead Redemption 2's open world and twice the size of Skyrim'with. If it is at least twice as large as SkyrimThe open world and player analytics are accurate, so the map scale of the upcoming action-adventure can reach from 74 square kilometers and up. To put that into perspective, a world that size would place Crimson desert well above many modern open-world RPGs, which are often praised for their scale. Even open worlds like those in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Elden Ring would comfortably fall below it in raw land, while few single player fantasy games outside of anything like this The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall have ever attempted such a scale level.

Now it comes down to execution, because open world games aren't inherently considered quality because of their size. History has shown that massive maps can just as easily feel empty as they do immersive, depending on how well they're managed, populated, and designed around player curiosity. If Pearl Abyss can ensure that Pywel can capture the same charm that open world games like Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Elden Ring found success, then the ambitious world of Crimson Desert could become one of its biggest strengths when players finally enter it on March 19, 2026.