Report: Windrose edged out Crimson Desert with 1.7M April sales

Windrose may have pulled off April’s biggest surprise. A new data write-up estimates the co-op pirate RPG sold roughly 1.7 million copies in its first two weeks, narrowly topping Crimson Desert’s 1.6 million for the month across Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox.

Where the claim comes from

The numbers originate from Alinea Analytics, which aggregates cross-platform sales and engagement estimates. Its May 8 post lists Windrose at 1.7 million sold in April despite launching only on Steam, with Crimson Desert in second at 1.6 million as its March momentum carried through April. Wccftech first framed the takeaway for readers as Windrose "reportedly" outselling Crimson Desert, citing Alinea’s breakdown.

For reference, Windrose launched into Steam Early Access in April and has publicly cleared seven figures on Valve’s platform, while Pearl Abyss previously announced multi‑million sales milestones for Crimson Desert post‑launch. The Alinea figures attempt to line up total monthly sell-through across the big three storefronts.

What’s confirmed, what isn’t

• Confirmed: Windrose has sold at least 1 million copies on Steam, per the developer’s prior statements; Crimson Desert has exceeded several million life‑to‑date sales since its March release.
• Not confirmed: The exact 1.7M vs. 1.6M April split. Those are third‑party estimates, not official publisher accounting.

Why it matters

If accurate, Windrose topping April while being PC‑only is a noteworthy shake‑up. It suggests survival‑flavored open worlds can still rocket to the front of the pack when the on‑ramp is frictionless and word of mouth is strong. It also shows Crimson Desert sustaining healthy month‑two conversion even with heavyweight competition and live service noise crowding the calendar.

The fine print

Alinea’s charts exclude Nintendo’s platform and rely on modeled data. Treat the rankings as directional, not definitive. Still, they match the public signals: Windrose’s rapid Steam milestones in mid‑April and Crimson Desert’s continuing sales pace into April line up with the reported gap being narrow rather than a blowout.

For now, consider this a credible snapshot of April’s race rather than a final ledger. If publishers or storefronts issue official monthly breakdowns, we’ll update accordingly.

Read the original coverage in Wccftech’s report and the underlying figures via Alinea Analytics’ newsletter.