Crimson Desert Overtakes Pokémon Pokopia in Metacritic User Reviews

When Crimson Desert launched, its reviews—especially those from very early reviewers—were good, although less than stellar, however, the player retention figures painted a more positive picture. Now, it looks as though the reviews have caught up to those high early player counts, at least on Metacritic. As of the time of writing, the review aggregator site ranks Crimson Desert as the second highest-rated game of 2026 so far. With its 8.8 user score, Crimson Desert only trails Resident Evil Requiem, which has a strong lead, at 9.4 points. Following Crimson Desert are Pokémon Pokopia, with 8.5 points, Resident Evil Village Gold Edition, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard Gold Edition, and Cairn, with 8.5, 8.4, and 8.3 points respectively.

When it comes to the Metascore, however, Pokopia still holds onto its number-one spot, with 89 points, trailed by Resident Evil: Requiem, at 89 points, and Mewgenics, with a score of 88. Meanwhile, Crimson Desert has not yet been reviewed enough for an overall review score, but it currently has a PC Metascore of 77, which is based on very divided reviews, some giving it as low as 50 points, while others give it as much as 100 points. It’s clear Crimson Desert will have a lot of competition in 2026, though, given what a packed year it is stacking up to be in the gaming industry. Aside from the already-launched hits like Resident Evil, Pokémon Pokopia, and Slay the Spire 2, massive launches like GTA VI, Pragmata, and Gears of War: E-Day are also slated to launch in 2026.