Crimson Desert runs on a full day and night cycle, and sooner or later you will want to skip ahead, whether that is to explore in better lighting, trigger a quest NPC, or push your Dispatch Missions forward. The good news is that passing time is easy once you know where to look. Here is everything you need to know.
How to Pass Time in Crimson Desert
Crimson Desert gives you three ways to pass time, and all three are available very early in the game:
| Method | How to Use It | Time Skip Options |
| Sleep in a Bed | Approach any accessible bed and interact with it | 3, 6, or 12 hours |
| Rest at a Campfire / Bonfire | Press CTRL / LB (L1) to aim at the fire, then select Wait | 3, 6, or 12 hours |
| Quest Time Skip | Arrive at a quest marker when the NPC is absent, then press ESC / Start | Skips to quest time |
One important thing to keep in mind is that you cannot spam time skips. There is a cooldown built into the system, so Kliff needs to actually feel tired before he will rest again. Generally, you need to wait at least 10 in-game hours, which equals roughly 50 real-time minutes, before you can rest again. There is also no visible fatigue meter, so you simply have to try and see if Kliff is ready.
Sleeping in a Bed
Sleeping is the most straightforward way to pass time in Crimson Desert. You can use any accessible bed in the game, including ones inside houses owned by villagers or at random campsites, as long as the area is safe to reach.
Key points to know:
- Any bed works once the area is accessible to you
- You choose between 3 hours, 6 hours, or 12 hours
- Sleeping also restores your fatigue, which carries a minor combat and exploration benefit
- Once rested, Kliff will not sleep again until enough time has passed in-game
- Your own tent bed at the Greymane Camp on Howling Hill is one of the most convenient early resting spots once you unlock it in Chapter 3
Campsites across the Pywel continent tend to be the most reliable spots to find available beds, particularly if you are mid-exploration and far from a town.
Resting at Campfires and Bonfires
If you cannot find a bed nearby, a campfire, bonfire, or cooking pot works just as well. These are scattered all across the wilderness of Pywel, so you are rarely far from one.
How to rest at a campfire:
- Approach the campfire or cooking pot
- Press CTRL on keyboard or LB / L1 on controller to aim directly at the fire or pot
- Three options appear: Cook, Off, and Wait
- Select Wait and choose your time increment
- A short cutscene plays and you regain control at the chosen time
One thing worth noting here is that you need to aim the lantern directly at the campfire or cooking pot for the Wait option to appear reliably. Simply standing nearby sometimes only shows the Cook option, so make sure you are properly locked on before selecting.
The same 3, 6, or 12-hour increments apply here, and the same rest cooldown is in effect. However, campfires are much easier to find in the open world than beds, which makes them the more practical option during long exploration sessions.
Skipping Time for Quests
The third method is specifically designed for quest progression. If you arrive at a quest location and the NPC you need has not appeared yet, the game will display a context prompt at the bottom of the screen telling you to wait.
How it works:
- Arrive at the quest marker at the wrong time
- Look for the “Wait for the right time” prompt on screen
- Press ESC on keyboard or the Start / Menu button on controller
- Time automatically skips to the moment the NPC or event becomes available
This method does not require a bed or campfire and does not consume your rest cooldown. It is purely a quest convenience feature and one of the most useful time tools in the early game. So if your rest cooldown is still active and you need to progress a quest, this is your go-to workaround.
Does the Day/Night Cycle Actually Affect Gameplay?
Yes, and quite a bit. Here is a quick breakdown of how time affects gameplay in Crimson Desert:
| Time-Sensitive System | Why It Matters |
| Quests | Some quest segments only trigger at specific times of day |
| Visibility | Wilderness areas get very dark at night, making exploration harder |
| Vendor Refresh | Vendors restock their wares at midnight (00:00) each in-game day |
| Dispatch Missions | Missions sent from your Greymane Camp can take hours or even days in-game to complete |
| Pet Interactions | Daily pet actions like feeding and petting reset each in-game day |
A particularly useful trick here is sleeping to just past midnight if you want to buy out vendor stock repeatedly. Since vendors restock at 00:00, timing your rests around that window lets you make the most of limited shop inventories.
Crimson Desert Time Conversion
Since one in-game hour equals five real-time minutes, here is how the rest increments break down:
| In-Game Time Skipped | Real Time Equivalent |
| 3 hours | 15 real minutes |
| 6 hours | 30 real minutes |
| 12 hours | 60 real minutes |
| Rest cooldown | ~10 in-game hours / ~50 real minutes |
| Full in-game day | ~2 real hours |
This is especially relevant for Dispatch Missions from your Greymane Camp, also referred to as Freesword Missions. These can run anywhere from a few in-game hours to several in-game days. Knowing the time conversion helps you plan your rests more efficiently instead of waiting around.
Can You Pass Time Whenever You Want?
Not always. Outside of the quest-specific time skip, Kliff will refuse to rest if he is not tired enough. If you try too soon after your last rest, you will see a message telling you he cannot sleep right now. Since there is no fatigue meter to reference, your best approach is simply to try the nearest bed or campfire and see if the option is available.
If resting does not seem to be working even after waiting a reasonable amount of time, try moving to a different bed or campfire. A small number of players have reported occasional issues tied to specific story progress points or locations, and switching spots tends to resolve it.
Key Takeaways
- Beds and campfires both let you skip 3, 6, or 12 hours at a time
- Aim directly at the campfire or pot with your lantern to make the Wait option appear
- There is a rest cooldown of roughly 10 in-game hours between each rest, with no visible meter
- The quest time skip via ESC / Start is a separate system with no cooldown attached
- 1 in-game hour = 5 real minutes, making a 12-hour skip equal to one full real hour
- Vendors restock at midnight, so timing your rests around 00:00 is worth doing
- Your Greymane Camp tent bed is one of the most convenient early resting spots in the game
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