Black Desert ▶ Trailer
Black Desert screenshot 1Black Desert screenshot 2
ActionAdventureMassively MultiplayerRPGStrategySandboxAction RPGExplorationMMORPGWar

12,430 playing#83 on Steam by players#83 on Steam

Peak in the last 24 hours: 17,198

Peak in the last 7 days: 18,415

Black Desert Steam store

Game description

Played by over 20 million Adventurers - Black Desert Online is an open-world, action MMORPG. Experience intense, action-packed combat, battle massive world bosses, fight alongside friends to siege and conquer castles, and train in professions such as fishing, trading, crafting, cooking, and more!

Basic info

DeveloperPearl Abyss
PublisherPearl Abyss
PlatformsWindows
Release dateMay 24, 2017
Price

Prices by IsThereAnyDeal

Minimum specs

OSWindows 10 (64-bit)
ProcessorIntel Core i3 (4th Generation)
Memory8 GB
GraphicsGeForce GTX 970, Radeon RX 480
Storage80 GB
steamyze

Review Analysis Score

Based on 388 reviews from the past 1 year

64.5/ 100
Bottom 20%

Steam rating: Mostly Positive (73%)

Metacritic: 80 /100

Review analysis summary (Reviewed Oct 22, 2026)

Lavish visuals and flashy action combat define this sprawling online role playing game, which scores 64.5 across 388 analyzed reviews.

👍 Strengths

72 reviews praise the graphics, and some single out stunning environments, detailed monsters and a highly detailed character creator. Visuals & Sound ranks 364th of 1249. 55 say they enjoy it, and some call it a chill game to explore or an addictive loop they keep reinstalling. 50 praise the combat, describing fluid, responsive controls, flashy combos and distinct classes. Content Volume ranks 478th of 1351.

👎 Where it falls short

59 reviews say it is hard for new players, with an overwhelming interface, many poorly explained systems and a need for outside guides. 52 criticize the progression, and many single out the grind of fighting the same monsters for small gains and gear upgrades that fail again and again. 47 call it pay to win, and some point to costly items, pets and storage tied to real money. Pricing & Fairness ranks 1144th of 1399, Gameplay ranks 1063rd of 1396, and Multiplayer ranks 521st of 642.

Representative reviews Original reviews ↗

“incredible graphics and character editor” · 72 reviews
“UI mess with overwhelming items, poor new player support” · 59 reviews
“fun, chill game to explore” · 55 reviews

How it holds up

−50+5

Controls, difficulty, progression and depth
Mentioned in 68% of reviews · Bottom 30% of the games we've analyzed

Onboarding -2.71 · How easy it is to learn — tutorials and the first hours
Negative “UI mess with overwhelming items, poor new player support” · 59 reviews

Progression 41% · Difficulty 3% · Freedom 21% · Strategy 16% · Controls & feel 29%

Plot, characters and the world
Mentioned in 30% of reviews · Bottom 20% of the games we've analyzed

World +2.41 · Lore, atmosphere, and how immersive the setting is
Positive “dense, beautiful, vast universe with strong community aspect” · 6 reviews

Story 20% · Characters 4%

How much there is to do, variety and replay value
Mentioned in 40% of reviews · Top 40% of the games we've analyzed

Volume +3.28 · How much there is to play, including endgame, for the price
Positive “11111 hours playtime, huge map with many future content updates” · 19 reviews
Negative “lacks content in group activities” · 5 reviews

Variety 27% · Replayability 2%

Graphics, art style, music and sound
Mentioned in 32% of reviews · Top 30% of the games we've analyzed

Visuals +3.50 · Graphics, art style, and animation
Positive “incredible graphics and character editor” · 72 reviews
Negative “visual diarrhea and really bad UI navigation” · 3 reviews

Audio 4%

Playing with others, the community and servers
Mentioned in 24% of reviews · Bottom 20% of the games we've analyzed

Community -1.23 · Who you play with — how many, and how friendly
Negative “toxic relationship dynamic, agobias suggests frustration with community or design” · 4 reviews
Positive “active community with many helpful players to learn from” · 1 review

Playing together 19% · Servers & Connection 1%

Pricing, cheaters, balance and matchmaking
Mentioned in 27% of reviews · Bottom 20% of the games we've analyzed

Pricing -0.54 · Whether the price, DLC and microtransactions are reasonable, and how much paying gives you an edge
Negative “pay to win, requires 5000 rubles minimum and 2000 monthly” · 47 reviews
Positive “not P2W, paying only adds comfort not advantage” · 1 review

Anti-cheat 0% · Balance 11% · Matchmaking 2%

Bugs, performance and developer support
Mentioned in 23% of reviews · Bottom 40% of the games we've analyzed

Developer support -0.09 · Updates, patches, and how devs respond to players
Negative “developers ignore overwhelming player feedback, no meaningful change or accountability” · 11 reviews
Positive “game develops and improves considering community feedback” · 6 reviews

Stability 6% · Performance 5%

Grey means too few reviews mention it to trust. — means almost no reviews mention it.

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