Crimson Desert Guide: How to Save

Alexandre Jollier March 23, 2026 at 3:00 PM

In brief

Crimson Desert offers a comprehensive save system with both manual and automatic saves. This guide explains how to use each method, manage your save files, and optimize your gaming experience.

In Crimson Desert, saving your progress is essential: this guide aims to explain all the possible saving methods, the available options, and potential tips to improve your experience.

Manual saving in Crimson Desert

To manually save your progress, you need to:

Press Esc or Start/Options on your controller.
Navigate using the scroll wheel or the directional arrows to this section.
A list of your save files will appear, choose an empty slot to save your progress.

Note

You can perform this save at any time, even in dangerous situations. If you reload this same save, you will reappear in a safe location.

Automatic saving

Crimson Desert also offers an automatic save system. It saves your progress every 10 minutes. But it also performs automatic saves at the end of important events (completed quests or freed enemies, for example).

This is particularly useful before boss fights, since this system allows you to resume the fight directly if you are defeated.

Managing PC save files

PC players can find their save files at the following location:

\AppData\Local\Pearl Abyss\CD\save\

To find it easily, open the Run dialog box with Win + R, and type %localappdata%. This will allow you to easily find your save folder.

Manual and automatic saves

In Crimson Desert, you'll notice that several slots exist for your saves:

Three slots are reserved for automatic saves, which cannot be overwritten.
Nine slots can be used for manual saves, it's up to you to manage them as best you can; you may find yourself having to overwrite some saves to preserve others.

Which save method do you prefer in a game?

Frequently asked questions

Can I save my game in the middle of combat?

Yes, you can perform a manual save at any time, including in dangerous situations. If you reload that save, you'll respawn in a safe location.

How often does the game save automatically?

Crimson Desert saves your progress automatically every 10 minutes, as well as at the end of important events such as completing quests or defeating specific enemies.

How many save files can I create?

You have 12 save slots in total: 3 reserved for automatic saves (non-editable) and 9 for manual saves to manage as you need.

Where can I find my save files on PC?

On PC, your files are located in AppData\Local\Pearl Abyss\CD\save\. To access them quickly, press Win + R and type %localappdata%.

Key takeaways

You can save manually at any time via Escape/Start, even in dangerous situations.
Automatic saves occur every 10 minutes and after each important event.
Three automatic save slots are protected and cannot be overwritten.
Nine manual save slots are available for you to manage your progress as you see fit.
On PC, locate your files via %localappdata% for direct access to your saves.