Crimson Desert is getting its first paid expansion, and it pushes Pearl Abyss’s open world off the sand and into the water. Charting the Unknown adds four new story threads for Kliff, Oongka, and Damiane, plus a sailable ship, underwater diving, and a housing system that lets you lay out a building room by room.
Quick answer: Charting the Unknown unlocks on October 15th, 2026 at 22:00 UTC for $24.99 (£19.99) on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, and pre-ordering grants the Charter’s Diving Set and Charter’s Light Diving Set.
Release time: October 15th, 2026 at 22:00 UTC (3PM PT / 6PM ET)
Charting the Unknown release date, price, and platforms
The expansion was revealed during a State of Play broadcast with a trailer captured on PS5 Pro. It carries a single global unlock moment, so the calendar date reads as October 15th in the Americas and Europe, and October 16th in Asia.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Release date | October 15, 2026 (October 16 in some regions) |
| Price | $24.99 US / £19.99 UK |
| Platforms | PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC |
| Not available at launch | Mac App Store version |
| Base game required | Crimson Desert |
Regional unlock times
| Region | Unlock time |
|---|---|
| Europe | October 15 at 22:00 UTC / October 16 at 00:00 CEST |
| North America | October 15 at 15:00 PT / 18:00 ET |
| Asia | October 16 at 07:00 KST/JST |
The reveal trailer runs just under two minutes and covers every new system in order, ending with the price and platform card.
Pre-order bonus: Charter’s diving sets
Pre-orders are live across storefronts. They opened first on the PlayStation Store, followed by Steam, the Epic Games Store, and the Microsoft Store later the same day. The bonus is cosmetic gear tied to the expansion’s diving theme, split across the three playable characters.
- Charter’s Diving Set — for Kliff and Oongka
- Charter’s Light Diving Set — for Damiane
Note: the Mac App Store release of Crimson Desert does not get the DLC on day one. Pearl Abyss has said it will announce Mac plans separately if that changes.
Your own ship and the uncharted islands
Sailing is the headline addition. You take command of a crewed ship, leave the coastline behind, and reach islands that are not on the base game’s map. The trailer shows broadside cannon fire, so naval combat is part of the package rather than pure fast travel across water.
Underwater diving, sunken ruins, and treasure
Diving is a separate mode of exploration from sailing. Characters put on a full diving suit and drop below the surface to search sunken ruins for treasure, with hostile sea life waiting down there — including a shark large enough to be a set piece on its own.
Housing, rented facilities, and hired staff
The housing system goes further than picking a prefab. You choose a plot of land first, then place and arrange the rooms yourself, with the camera pulled back far enough to see the whole layout while you build.
Property also becomes a small economy. You can rent shops and workshops, then hire named staff who work for a daily wage while the business earns on its own. NPCs are shown cooking and running the place while you are elsewhere.
Relationships with the people of Pywel
A relationship system sits alongside the housing and staffing features. The description is straightforward — talking to the people of Pywel builds deeper bonds. Pearl Abyss has not detailed how far those bonds go mechanically.
New threats on land and at sea
Combat encounters expand in both environments. On land, fights break out with fire and explosive magic flying around; at sea, the danger comes from what lives in the ruins. New bosses show up across the expansion, along with fresh weapons and armor kits to pull from them.
The four story threads in Charting the Unknown
Pearl Abyss lists four separate story threads rather than one continuous campaign. Kliff, Oongka, and Damiane each push deeper into Pywel as the region destabilizes around them.
| Story | What it covers |
|---|---|
| An Ominous Presence in the Desert | Witches performing a ritual |
| A Dangerous Political Conflict | Public speeches, political figures, and crowds |
| A Journey Beyond Time | Blueprints, crafting, and construction |
| An Ancient Secret Beneath the Waves | A massive underwater mechanical creature |
Charting the Unknown lands about seven months after Crimson Desert shipped in March, on a game that has already absorbed a steady run of updates, cross-save support, and the free Enhanced upgrade that bundled every prior patch alongside story and skill revisions. If you are coming back for the DLC, install that update first — everything in the expansion is built on top of it.
