Black Desert Online (Korean: 검은사막; RR: Geomeun samak) is an open-world fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) created by Pearl Abyss, a Korean game company. It was first released for Microsoft Windows in 2015. A mobile version called Black Desert Mobile was launched in Asia in early 2019 and globally in December 2019. Versions for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, simply named Black Desert, were released in 2019. The game is free to play in some regions but uses a buy-to-play model in other versions, including those in English.
In 2018, Pearl Abyss started developing a prequel to Black Desert called Crimson Desert. However, during development, it became a separate game with its own story and characters. In 2021, Kakao Games ended its service for the game, and Pearl Abyss regained the publishing rights.
Gameplay
The combat in Black Desert Online is fast-paced and requires players to aim manually and move freely, similar to games where players see their character from the side. The game includes features like building homes, fishing, farming, trading, and large battles between players, such as castle sieges. It is known for allowing players to customize their characters in detailed ways.
The combat system requires players to aim precisely, dodge, and use attack sequences. Unlike some games where players select targets by clicking, this game uses a system where skills are activated through specific movement and attack patterns. Players can also fight while riding mounts. These mounts are captured in the wild or bred by mating specific animals. Mounts need food and care, cannot be stored in a player's inventory, and may be killed in battle.
The game includes features that help create an immersive experience. A changing weather system affects the entire game world, with events like typhoons that influence gameplay. Local weather changes, such as temporary fog, can be used to surprise enemies. The game also has a day and night cycle with gradual lighting changes. At night, some computer-controlled characters (NPCs) are not available, and monsters drop more items. Some game activities are only available during the day or night. Player housing is unique to each player and varies in size and location. Players can add furniture and decorations by buying items from NPCs or crafting them themselves.
Setting
Black Desert Online is set in a world of magic and imaginary places. It focuses on the conflict between two countries, the Republic of Calpheon and the Kingdom of Valencia. Calpheon values wealth and possessions, while Valencia values beliefs and religion.
Long ago, four main regions—Calpheon, Serendia, Balenos, and Mediah—lived in peace. This changed when the Black Death spread through merchants from Valencia in an area east of Mediah, which controlled trade. Many people died from the disease. Others were forced to leave their homes because of fear caused by the plague. Eventually, three of the main regions formed an alliance and fought a war that lasted 30 years. During this time, Mediah gained the most wealth by mining black stones and selling them to others.
After the war, the alliance slowly began trading with Valencia again. Problems arose when other regions learned how valuable black stones were. Desperate to earn money, they searched for black stones. Calpheon could not find black stones in its own land, so it stole them from others. This caused more conflict with Valencia, as Valencia has a large desert filled with many black stones.
Classes
Black Desert Online currently has 31 different classes available. These include the Warrior, Ranger, Sorceress, Berserker, Tamer, Musa, Maehwa, Valkyrie, Kunoichi, Ninja, Wizard, Witch, Striker, Mystic, Lahn, Archer, Dark Knight, Shai, Guardian, Hashashin, Nova, Sage, Corsair, Drakania, Woosa, Maegu, Scholar, Dosa, Deadeye, Wukong, and Seraph.
Development and release history
Black Desert Online has been under development since 2010. The Korean company Pearl Abyss was created in September 2010 by Kim Daeil, who had previously worked at Hangame and NHN Gaming. Soon after its founding, Pearl Abyss began working on Black Desert Online. The game uses a special game engine developed by Pearl Abyss called the Black Desert engine. This engine is designed to handle fast graphics needed for the game’s large, continuous world and big battles with many players.
In September 2012, Pearl Abyss signed a publishing deal with GameOn Japan. This allowed them to share information about the game with the public. In November 2012, the game was shown at G-Star. It was also displayed at Gamescom 2013.
Black Desert Online started closed beta testing in October 2013. A second closed beta test lasted three weeks and took place in April 2014. The open beta version of the game was released in December 2014.
The game was first released in Korea, Japan, and Russia in 2015. It was later released in North America and Europe on March 3, 2016. The game was made available in South America, Turkey, and countries in the Middle East and North Africa in 2017, and in Southeast Asia in 2018. In Korea, Japan, and Russia, the game is free to play. In other regions, such as Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Europe, North America, and South America, players must buy the game.
The Mediah Expansion was added to the North American and European versions on March 30, 2016. Mediah Part 2 was released on May 4, 2016. New character classes, including the Musa, Maehwa, Kunoichi, and Ninja, became available in 2016. The Dark Knight and Striker classes were added in 2017, the Lahn class in 2018, and the Shai class in 2019. The Valencia I Expansion was added to the North American and European versions on June 29, 2016. All expansions and new classes were free for players who bought the game. No plans to charge for future content were announced. A new PC version called Black Desert Remastered, with updated graphics and audio, was released on August 22, 2018.
In October 2015, the Russian version of the game was published and translated by a Cypriot company called GameNet. This agreement ended on October 12, 2018, without an agreement on player data. Pearl Abyss apologized to Russian players and said they would publish the game themselves in Russia once their own translations were ready. In April 2018, Pearl Abyss announced they would change their service provider for North American servers to improve stability. In February 2019, the Marketplace was updated to create the Central Market, which allows players to buy and sell items more easily.
A major update called the Drakania & Eternal Winter update was released on April 6, 2022. This update added a new area and a new character class.
In Japan, Pearl Abyss Japan stated that the game is available in 150 countries. Players who log in receive bonus points as a gift for the 150-country operation.
At the Taipei Games Show in January 2017, Pearl Abyss said versions for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 were being developed. This was confirmed again in March 2017. The Xbox One version, called Black Desert, was announced during Microsoft’s E3 2017 press conference. It was released in North America and Europe on March 4, 2019, after several beta tests starting in 2018. The Striker, Dark Knight, Lahn, and Musa classes became available for Xbox One players in April 2019. The PlayStation 4 version was released on August 22, 2019. When the Xbox One version launched, it was about three years behind the PC version in terms of content. Over the years, updates helped the Xbox and PlayStation versions catch up to the PC version, though some content differences remain.
Cross-platform play between Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 consoles began in March 2020. However, the console versions later moved to newer platforms. Native versions for both consoles were released on June 26, 2025, and support for older consoles ended due to technical limitations.
In August 2017, Pearl Abyss released a teaser for Black Desert Mobile. The mobile version was launched for Android and iOS devices in February 2018, first in Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. A global version for North America, Europe, and Asia was released in December 2019 during The Game Awards 2019.
In late 2025, Pearl Abyss launched Black Desert TV, a platform that features content from Twitch and YouTube creators. This platform helps promote the game and provides educational material for new and existing players.
Reception
The Black Desert beta version received good reviews. The full game has received some mixed or average reviews from critics, with an average score of 73 out of 100 across PC, PS4, and Xbox One versions on Metacritic.
In April 2016, the publisher Kakao Games reported that Black Desert Online sold 400,000 copies in its first month on European and North American markets and had an average of 100,000 players online at the same time. By March 2017, the game had 3.4 million registered players in North America and Europe. By May 2018, more than 1.2 million copies of the game had sold on Steam in Europe and North America. As of September 2018, the game had over 10 million registered users worldwide.
By April 2019, the game had reached over 18 million players, and its total revenue had passed $1 billion. As of September 2020, the game had reached 40 million players and made $1.7 billion worldwide.