Crimson Desert in 8K with 'Complete RT' mod looks incredible

Crimson Desert has proven to be one of the biggest and most notable releases of the year. This sprawling open-world action-adventure also pushes PC visual fidelity and performance to the limit with vast, detail-packed environments. That said, there's always room for improvement, especially when it comes to the game's ray-tracing.

Beyond Dreams, a YouTube channel that regularly mods the look of games via the ReShade post-processing injector, has uploaded a new video showcasing what Crimson Desert looks like running in 8K with a 'Complete RT' overhaul that dramatically improves Global Illumination (RTGI) and Ambient Occlusion, with cinematic changes made to grass rendering, color grading, and depth of field effects. It also adds a shaky-camera effect to give the presentation a more realistic, photoreal look.

Although the depth of field effects while you're playing an open-world action-adventure don't make a lot of sense, the improvements to Global Illumination are immediately apparent. With ReSTIR GI, Crimson Desert's environments and lighting look more natural, transforming the game from its "video game" look to something that definitely showcases the benefits of RTGI.

The full video is essentially eye candy, showcasing the greener areas of the continent of Pywel. Naturally, as the footage was reportedly captured from playing the game in 8K with DLSS 4's DLAA mode, it required a GeForce RTX 5090. That said, running this sort of ReShade mod at a lower resolution with DLSS 4 Super Resolution should deliver playable results on a wide range of GPUs.

Hopefully, the developers at Pearl Abyss see this video and update the game's ray-tracing features to include a comprehensive RTGI solution. With the team actively updating the game and addressing player feedback, it's not out of the realm of possibility and will only add to the game's already impressive immersion.