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Crimson Desert Denuvo Explained – Will DRM Impact PC Performance?

Crimson Desert will launch with Denuvo DRM on PC. Here’s what the anti-tamper software does & whether it could impact the game’s performance.

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Crimson Desert will use Denuvo DRM when it launches on PC, according to its Steam Store page. Here’s what the anti-tamper software means for players, and whether it could impact the game’s performance.

Does Crimson Desert Use Denuvo on PC?

Yes, Crimson Desert DRM will include Denuvo when it launches on March 19, 2026 on Steam and PC. The feature was discovered by players a week before the game’s release after it was updated on the Steam Store page listing. The DRM notification can now specifically be seen on the side of the page, next to the pre-order buttons.

Here is what the Crimson Desert DRM details read: “Incorporates 3rd-party DRM: Denuvo Anti-tamper: 5 different PCs within a day machine activation limit.” So yes, the PC version of Crimson Desert will in fact feature the anti-tamper software when it launches next week. This shouldn’t be too surprising, though, as most major AAA games use DRM.

Regardless, Denuvo isn’t exactly popular among many PC players, largely because its implementation in previous games has led to lower FPS or other technical issues. However, Denuvo might not actually impact Crimson Desert’s PC performance at all, according to a new report.

Will Denuvo Impact Crimson Desert PC Performance?

Following the news about the Crimson Desert Denuvo feature, many players speculated whether this would result in worse performance on PC devices. However, according to Forbes journalist Paul Tassi, this might not actually be the case. In a post on X, Tassi revealed that Crimson Desert developer Pearl Abyss released a statement to him about its use of DRM.

“The benchmark videos and performance specs we released were all created with the exact same implementation of Denuvo that is in the launch build. This includes the performance videos by Digital Foundry. It’s important that reviewers’ and benchmarkers’ experience with the game is ultimately representative of the final consumer’s experience.”

This is significant, since Digital Foundry just released their analysis of Crimson Desert PS5 performance – and it’s glowing. According to the tech outlet, the build Pearl Abyss gave them is one of the most impressive AAA games they have seen in years. So if Digital Foundry’s analysis was based on a Denuvo build, then it means the performance impact from the DRM will likely be minimal.

What Is Denuvo and Why Some Players Dislike It

If you aren’t super well-versed in DRM, I don’t blame you. Security in most PC games is kind of an afterthought. If implemented well, most casual players will not even know that it’s there. That said, Denuvo DRM in particular has become pretty unpopular over the years in the PC gaming community.

Denuvo is DRM, which stands for Digital Rights Management. It’s essentially software that verifies that a person legally has purchased or has the right to access copyrighted content. In the simplest terms, it constantly checks that your version of Crimson Desert is legitimate and not stolen.

The issue, though, is the way Denuvo is implemented. When Denuvo first released in 2013, the anti-tamper software immediately came under fire for being too intrusive. This was particularly a problem with video games, as it would result in worse performance. A famous example of this is Resident Evil Village in 2021, which had low-FPS and stuttering issues on PC because of the security software.

Capcom eventually removed Denuvo from RE8 in 2023, which saw its performance rise dramatically. All that said, not every game with Denuvo has performance issues. With Crimson Desert’s Digital Foundry performance analysis being based on a build where Denuvo is factored in, it sounds like it won’t be too much of an issue. Crimson Desert launches on all platforms March 19.

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