Only 9.7% of Crimson Desert Players Have Completed the Main Story on Steam, Despite Spending Hundreds of Hours in-Game

Nearly five months after its release, Crimson Desert is showing an unusual split between overall player engagement and story completion. Achievement data indicates that just 9.7% of Steam players have completed the game’s main story, while the corresponding figures on Xbox and PlayStation are higher but still relatively low.

The numbers suggest that many players are spending significant amounts of time in Pearl Abyss’ open-world action RPG without reaching the end of Kliff’s central storyline. That does not necessarily mean players are abandoning the game, however, as Crimson Desert offers a large amount of exploration, side content, progression systems, and optional activities outside its main campaign.

Crimson Desert Players Are Spending Time Outside the Main Story

According to achievement data compiled from Steam Community, TrueAchievements, and PSN Trophy Leaders, the percentage of players who have earned the trophy or achievement for completing all main quests sits at approximately 9.7% on Steam, 13% on Xbox, and 15.2% on PlayStation.

Across the three platforms, the median completion rate is around 12.6%. Meanwhile, player activity indicates that a portion of the community has already invested well over 200 hours into Crimson Desert, making the low story-completion figure particularly interesting.

The campaign itself is not necessarily short. Data from HowLongToBeat estimates that completing the main story takes roughly 69 hours, meaning players would need to commit a substantial amount of time before reaching the ending. However, the low completion percentage combined with lengthy play sessions suggests that many players are choosing to spend their time elsewhere in the world.

Exploration, side quests, character progression, collectibles, combat challenges, and discovering different areas can all compete for players’ attention. For an open-world RPG, reaching the credits is therefore not always the primary objective for the audience.

The story has also received criticism from some players since launch, and Pearl Abyss has previously acknowledged feedback surrounding the campaign. The developer has said it is working on improving the “coherence of key scenes,” potentially addressing some of the issues that have discouraged players from prioritizing the main narrative.

That could become increasingly important as Pearl Abyss continues expanding Crimson Desert. The developer has already confirmed additional DLC, although specific details about its story and content have yet to be fully revealed.

Despite the completion statistics, Crimson Desert has performed strongly commercially. The game has sold more than six million copies, while its Steam reviews currently indicate generally positive reception.

With more updates and DLC planned, the percentage of players finishing Kliff’s story could still increase. For now, though, the available data paints an interesting picture: Crimson Desert players appear more interested in living in its massive world than rushing to finish its main story.