Update, March 20: A Pearl Abyss spokesperson confirmed to us: “At the moment, we do not support Intel Arc.” However, it didn’t add any further comment on whether this might change in the future.
Original story as follows…
- Crimson Desert won’t boot on systems using Intel Arc GPUs, according to multiple users
- Pearl Abyss states Intel Arc GPUs are unsupported and suggests referring to the refund policy
- The game currently has mixed reviews on Steam, with some negative ones from Intel Arc users
Pearl Abyss’ long-awaited Crimson Desert has finally arrived after almost 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 major issue Intel hardware users should be aware of.
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Crimson Desert is currently unsupported on Intel Arc GPUs, according to Pearl Abyss’ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, including multiple Reddit and Steam users.
This means handheld, laptop, or desktop systems using either integrated or discrete Arc GPUs won’t boot Crimson Desert, often displaying a message of ‘the graphics device is currently not supported’.
Pearl Abyss’ answer on its FAQ page raises a bigger concern for Intel Arc users, as it states: “If you purchased the game expecting 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 worry that there may not be any urgent push for support in the near future. We’ve reached out to Pearl Abyss on the matter, but haven’t received a response yet.
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Crimson Desert doesn’t run if it detects an Intel ARC GPU. Like straight up, the devs just deliberately chose not to support ARC cards. No previous announcement about it too until they added in the info to their FAQ. Might be the first time I’ve seen a dev deliberately block a GPU brand. from r/pcmasterrace
(Image credit: Future / Isaiah Williams)
Crimson Desert already has a lot riding against it in terms of some gamers not taking well to the onboarding experience. The control scheme and user interface aren’t popular, no options for custom controls (for controllers), and now, no Intel Arc GPU support, might drive some gamers away.
Fortunately, Pearl Abyss has shown its commitment to implementing changes based on feedback, both in the review period and post-launch, so there’s a good chance Intel Arc users won’t have to wait long to finally dive in.
However, as it stands, it might be best if Intel Arc users completely steer clear of purchasing 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 use in owning a game that you can’t play.
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