Crimson Desert’s Charting the Unknown DLC Delayed Two Weeks to October 29

Daniel Carter04/10/20264 min read

You were supposed to be sailing out past Pywel’s coastline on October 15. Now you’ve got two more weeks on dry land. Pearl Abyss says it’s hard at work on Crimson Desert Enhanced: Charting the Unknown, but has determined that it needs additional development time to deliver a more polished and stable gameplay experience, so it’s moving the DLC’s release by 2 weeks to October 29 GMT/PT.

The notice went up on the official Crimson Desert site and the game’s X account. The developer announced the delay on Sept. 30, and the new date is firm rather than a vague “later this year”.

Most of the chatter has been relief rather than frustration, with plenty of players telling the studio to slow down:

Charting the Unknown’s new unlock times on October 29

The regional schedule moves back exactly 14 days. For players in Europe, Charting the Unknown is scheduled to launch on October 29 at 10pm UTC, while the North American release is set for 3pm PT and 6pm ET. The Asian release follows on October 30 at 7am KST/JST.

Korean outlet Inven Global, working from local time, reports the change as moving it back two weeks from the original October 16 to October 30. Same delay, just a different side of the date line.

Here in Australia and New Zealand, it’s a morning unlock. Going by Pearl Abyss’s 22:00 UTC time, the expansion should go live at 9am AEDT on Thursday, October 30 in Melbourne and Sydney, 8am AEST in Brisbane, and 11am NZDT in Auckland. That’s a school-day or work-day morning, so plan your preload around it.

Pearl Abyss gives polish and stability as the reason

Pearl Abyss didn’t name a specific bug or feature behind the slip. The studio said it knows many players have been looking forward to returning to the game, sincerely apologised for the longer wait, and will use the additional time to further refine the content.

Nothing has been announced about cuts to the feature list. That’s the bit to watch, and right now there’s no sign of it.

Our view: two weeks is nothing. Crimson Desert has had a punishing update cadence since its March launch, and a first paid expansion that adds ships, diving and underwater combat is precisely the kind of content that ships broken when it’s rushed. We’d much rather a stable boat on the 29th than a sinking one on the 15th.

Ships, diving and housing in the $24.99 expansion

The pitch hasn’t changed since the reveal. Charting the Unknown was officially announced during State of Play on September 3, 2026, and it pushes Kliff and the Greymanes off the continent and onto the water.

According to RPGamer’s write-up of the announcement, players venture beyond Pywel’s shores, commanding their own ship and exploring uncharted islands, and can also go underwater to find treasures, sunken ruins, and hidden mysteries. The DLC will include new story content as well as new foes and challenges, an upgraded housing mode, the ability to rent and manage a variety of facilities to grow their fortune, and more.

Pricing is unchanged too. The DLC will release for PC, Mac, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, priced at $24.99 in the US, with the UK price set at £19.99/$24.99. Pearl Abyss didn’t announce AUD or NZD pricing alongside the reveal. Its press release told players for other currencies, please check your local store for pricing info.

Pre-order diving sets for Kliff, Oongka and Damiane

If you’ve already pre-ordered, nothing changes except the wait. Charting the Unknown was previously announced as a $24.99 DLC, with pre-orders opening in September. Pre-order customers were also promised exclusive diving outfits for Kliff, Oongka, and Damiane.

It’s cosmetic gear, nothing more. Still, it fits the theme, and it’s the only reason to commit early on a digital expansion that won’t sell out.

Mac players should check before buying. Notebookcheck and other outlets list the expansion across platforms, but at least one pre-launch explainer noted that the Mac App Store release of Crimson Desert does not get the DLC on day one, and Pearl Abyss has said it will announce Mac plans separately if that changes.

The new slot puts it right in the middle of a packed end of year. Game Rant points out that September and October release schedules have been tightly packed due to the impending launch of Grand Theft Auto 6 in November, and Notebookcheck notes that the new date will coincide with the release of Phantom Blade Zero. If you’re in Australia or New Zealand, the boat leaves port on the morning of Thursday, October 30.