Pearl Abyss released Crimson Desert hotfix 1.04.02 on April 24, 2026, delivering targeted fixes for difficulty bugs, horse gear dyeing, PS5 Pro PSSR instability, and UI issues across all platforms.
Pearl Abyss shipped Crimson Desert hotfix 1.04.02 on April 24, 2026, making it the third patch released in just two days. The update targets bugs introduced by the major 1.04.00 title update, which added difficulty settings, new pets, inventory category tabs, new skills, and distant scenery quality improvements. With over 5 million copies sold in under a month, Pearl Abyss continues to demonstrate one of the fastest post-launch support cycles in recent memory.
Why Three Patches in Two Days?
The 1.04.00 update was Crimson Desert’s biggest content patch since launch, introducing easy and hard difficulty modes alongside dozens of combat, UI, and camp management changes. A patch that large inevitably surfaces new bugs. Pearl Abyss responded with hotfix 1.04.01 on the same day and followed up with 1.04.02 the next morning. Console players may see this update labeled as version 1.000.234. The pace is consistent with how the studio has handled post-launch support overall: five patches shipped within the first 16 days after the March 19 release.
The Difficulty Setting Bug That Could Ruin a Fresh Playthrough
The most critical fix in 1.04.02 addresses a problem with the newly added difficulty system. If a player started a new game while another save file already existed, the game could apply a different difficulty setting than the one actually selected. For anyone starting a fresh run on Hard mode, this meant potentially playing on Normal without realizing it, or vice versa. The hotfix ensures the selected difficulty is now applied correctly regardless of existing save data.
Horse Gear Dyeing Finally Works
Crimson Desert’s customization system is deep, covering character outfits, tattoos, and equipment colors. Horse gear, however, could not be dyed since the 1.04.00 update. This was a notable gap in a game where mount customization matters to a large portion of the player base. Patch 1.04.02 restores horse gear dyeing, bringing it in line with other equipment categories.
Full Patch Notes for Version 1.04.02
- Changes to the Minimum Font Size setting now apply immediately
- Fixed difficulty setting mismatch when starting a new game with an existing save file
- Fixed disabled elements in the Guides UI
- Fixed layout issues in the fishing dock vendor and tanner shop UI
- Fixed pet renaming affecting non-pet animal names in trust notifications
- Fixed keyboard and mouse input not working during HDR adjustment
- Fixed UI interaction priority when the Extra Rewards List and Content Guide overlapped
- Fixed slow fade-out transitions in some shop cutscenes
- Fixed inability to dye horse gear
- Fixed multiple localization errors across all languages
PS5 Pro: PSSR Sharpness Brightness Fix
PlayStation 5 Pro owners encountered screen brightness instability when PSSR Sharpness was enabled. Crimson Desert is one of the titles that supports Sony’s PSSR 2.0 upscaling technology on the Pro hardware, and this brightness fluctuation undermined the visual gains that PSSR is supposed to deliver. The 1.04.02 hotfix resolves this issue directly. Players who previously turned off PSSR Sharpness as a workaround can now re-enable it safely.
Camp System Improvements Carried Forward
Several changes listed in the 1.04.02 notes were technically applied in 1.04.00 but are documented here for visibility. These include a slight increase in character movement speed, the addition of a Greymane Contribution Shop with Carl at the Greymane Camp, and a quality-of-life fix ensuring that furniture placed in the house is no longer retrieved when expanding the camp. Additionally, relocating the Greymane Camp to Pailune now moves placed furniture along with it. These adjustments make long-term camp management significantly smoother, especially for players deep into Crimson Desert’s progression systems.
Known Issues Still Active After 1.04.02
Pearl Abyss published an updated known issues list alongside the hotfix. Several problems remain unresolved and are worth tracking:
- Intel Arc A770 GPUs may crash when using XeSS
- Intel XeSS 3.0 and Intel XeSS Frame Generation can cause display problems on Intel Arc A-series cards
- NVIDIA GTX 1060 GPUs show a white screen when FSR Upscaling and Frame Generation are both enabled
- FSR4 upscaling causes rain to disappear or the screen to blur in rainy environments
- ROG Xbox Ally X has a launch issue on the latest driver (workaround: use driver V32.0.21025.27003)
- Greymane faction quests cannot progress while playing as Damiane or Oongka
- If Damiane dies immediately after Shield Toss, she loses access to shield skills (fix: save and reload)
- NPCs required for quest progression cannot ride Legendary Animal mounts
For GPU-related issues, the safest approach is to disable experimental upscaling features until Pearl Abyss confirms a fix in a future patch.
Crimson Desert’s Post-Launch Track Record
Crimson Desert launched on March 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), and macOS. It sold 2 million copies on day one, crossed 3 million in four days, hit 4 million within ten days, and surpassed 5 million in 26 days, the fastest pace for any Korean-developed console game. Steam reviews have climbed from mixed at launch to very positive, driven largely by the rapid patch cadence. Pearl Abyss has confirmed a larger content update for June 2026, promising expanded challenges, gameplay refinements, and system enhancements.
The 1.04.02 hotfix is not a headline-grabbing content drop, but it is exactly the kind of maintenance work that keeps a live game healthy between major updates. For an overview of the bigger 1.04.00 changes that preceded this hotfix, including difficulty modes, new skills, and inventory overhauls, see the GamerMarkt breakdown of the 1.04.00 update.
Questions Players Are Asking
Do I need to download 1.04.02 manually?
No. The hotfix is delivered automatically on Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and Epic Games Store. The Mac App Store version may arrive slightly later.
Can I change difficulty mid-game?
Yes. The difficulty setting added in 1.04.00 is accessible through the Settings menu at any time. Easy reduces incoming damage and widens parry windows. Hard increases enemy health, aggression, and speed while adding new boss attack patterns.
Is the PS5 Pro PSSR issue fully resolved?
The specific brightness instability caused by PSSR Sharpness has been fixed. If you still want to fine-tune visuals, reducing PSSR Sharpness to around 50% and disabling motion blur can further improve the image on Pro hardware.
When is the next major Crimson Desert update?
Pearl Abyss has announced expanded challenges and system enhancements for June 2026. Smaller hotfixes may continue to arrive between now and then as new issues surface.
Are Intel Arc GPUs fully supported now?
Intel Arc support was added in patch 1.03.00, and Intel’s Game On driver version 32.0.101.8629 enabled Arc GPUs to run the game. However, XeSS-related crashes on the Arc A770 and display issues with XeSS 3.0 remain on the known issues list. If you are on an Intel Arc card, avoid XeSS until a confirmed fix arrives.
