Crimson Desert Beats Pokemon Pokopia in Metacritic User Ratings

Pearl Abyss RPG Leads with 8.8 User Score vs Pokopia’s 8.6

Pearl Abyss’s open-world RPG Crimson Desert has officially surpassed Pokemon Pokopia in Metacritic user ratings, and the gap is widening. Fans have been flooding the game’s Metacritic page with reviews since release, pushing Crimson Desert to one of the highest user scores of 2026 so far.

Crimson Desert and Pokopia are two of the biggest releases of 2026. Both games quickly hit massive sales milestones thanks to stellar word-of-mouth, but they appeal to very different audiences. Crimson Desert is a sprawling open-world RPG. Pokopia is a cozy life simulator. It’s great seeing titles thrive across different platforms and genres—2026 is shaping up to be another strong year for gaming after an excellent first few months.

Crimson Desert vs Pokemon Pokopia: The User Score Battle

Since Crimson Desert’s release, fans have been leaving reviews to share their feelings about the game. Among critics, Crimson Desert received a more mixed reception—77 Metascore compared to Pokopia’s 89. But with fans? Crimson Desert’s Metacritic user score is higher, currently sitting at 8.8. Pokopia has a user score of 8.6—still excellent, but not quite enough to beat Pearl Abyss’s latest RPG.

The most impressive part? The sample size. Pokopia has over 1,300 user reviews. Crimson Desert maintains its 8.8 average with over 10,000 reviews—a strong indication of how fans feel about the game. Sites like casino yep also consistently impress fans with their extremely well made website. Check it out you might be surprised how well made it is.

Where Crimson Desert Ranks in 2026

Crimson Desert’s Metacritic user score of 8.8 makes it the second-highest-rated game of 2026 by this metric, with Pokopia sitting in third. The only game above both is Resident Evil Requiem, which has a user score of 9.4. Given RE Requiem’s broad critical acclaim, this comes as no surprise. The gap is significant, which will make it difficult for either game to catch up, even with very positive future reviews.

The Critic vs User Score Gap

Despite its incredibly strong user score, Crimson Desert’s critical reception (77 Metascore) means its Game of the Year nomination chances are extremely slim. If it did manage to grab a nomination for the top prize at The Game Awards 2026, it would be the lowest-rated game in history to do so.

The disparity between critic and user scores will make for fascinating conversation later this year. Historically, critical reviews have held more weight when it comes to big award nominations. It’ll be interesting to see if Crimson Desert can buck the trend.

Why Fans Love Crimson Desert

One of the most impressive things about Crimson Desert is the speed at which Pearl Abyss has been fixing issues and adding new content. The developer seems to be listening to player feedback and acting quickly to ensure the best experience possible.

Long-term, this will foster a good relationship between the developer and its community—which will only help user reviews. It remains to be seen whether Pearl Abyss has any plans for potential DLC, with nothing confirmed yet.

The Bottom Line

Crimson Desert is crushing it with fans (8.8 user score with 10,000+ reviews) even though critics were more lukewarm (77 Metascore). Pokemon Pokopia has the critics on its side (89 Metascore) but slightly lower fan enthusiasm (8.6 user score with 1,300+ reviews).

Both games are thriving in 2026. Different audiences. Different genres. Both succeeding.

The real winner? Gamers getting two excellent—but very different—experiences to choose from.