Crimson Desert Earns Three Nominations at 2026 Korea Game Awards, Including Voice Actor Lee Jae-hyun for His Role as Kliff

Pearl Abyss’ Crimson Desert has received two nominations at the 2026 Korea Game Awards, earning places in both the Main Awards and the Popular Game Award categories. The Korea Game Industry Association announced the finalists on October 26, putting the open-world action-adventure among the contenders for this year’s top honors in South Korea’s gaming industry. 

The nominations recognize the game in two distinct award categories. Its Main Awards nomination puts it among 12 finalists competing across the Grand Prize, Best Award, Excellence Award, and Technology and Creative Awards. Crimson Desert joins titles such as Aion 2, MONGIL: Star Dive and Chaos Zero Nightmare in the competition.

Meanwhile, its Popular Game Award nomination places it among nine titles competing for recognition based on public and media voting. 

Crimson Desert Competes for Two Awards After Strong Global Sales

Developed by Pearl Abyss, Crimson Desert launched on March 19, 2026. The game features an expansive fantasy world, action-focused combat, and an adventure centered on protagonist Kliff and his companions.

Its commercial performance has been a major milestone for Pearl Abyss. According to the developer’s announcement published on June 11, Crimson Desert surpassed six million copies sold worldwide within 83 days of release. The game had already sold two million copies on launch day, demonstrating substantial early demand for the new intellectual property. 

The game is also represented in the Popular Voice Actor Award category through Lee Jae-hyun, also known as Lee Hyun, who voices Kliff. However, this is a separate nomination from the two game award categories and does not constitute a third nomination for Crimson Desert itself.

Public voting for the 2026 Korea Game Awards opened on October 26 and will remain available until 5 p.m. Korean Standard Time on November 16. For the Main Awards, the final results combine jury evaluations worth 50%, public votes worth 25%, and media votes worth 25%. The Popular Game Award places greater emphasis on public opinion, with public voting accounting for 80% of the result and media voting making up the remaining 20%. 

The awards ceremony will take place at BEXCO in Busan on November 18, one day before G-Star 2026 opens. Winners will be announced across 13 award categories, celebrating games developed and released in South Korea during the eligibility period.

For Crimson Desert, the two nominations provide an opportunity to secure recognition from both industry judges and players as the competition approaches its conclusion.