Baldur's Gate 3 is the long-awaited sequel to one of the most beloved Dungeons & Dragons video games of all time. Actually, the Steam Early Access version has been around since 2020, but the full Steam release and console versions will be launching soon. How soon? Why, the Steam version has been bumped up a bit to arrive on August 3, whereas the PlayStation 5 version will now debut on September 6. The Xbox Series S|X versions are still coming but have no firm release date yet.
Originally, all versions of Baldur's Gate 3 had targeted the same launch date: the end of August. Developer Larian Studios (who also made Divinity: Original Sin 2) has now explained that because the Steam version will be ready sooner, they will release it sooner. The PlayStation 5 version is also running at 60 FPS, so it will be ready a short time later, hence the September release.
As for the Xbox versions, here is Larian's update on their progress:
We’re optimistic about Baldur’s Gate 3 on the Xbox Series X, but in order to announce and release the game on Xbox, we need to ensure that the game is performing without compromise across the entire Xbox X|S ecosystem, in multiplayer and with split-screen.
It sounds like the game still requires more optimization before it runs sufficiently well on Xbox Series S. IGN has published an article that outlines the technical challenges in great detail. Hopefully, the wait won't be outrageously long.
Larian also released some stats to help players understand Baldurs Gate 3's massive size:
- Containing more dialogue than three times all three Lord of the Rings books combined, the script for Baldur’s Gate 3 contains over 2 million words
- With over 170 hours of cinematics, twice the length of every season of Game of Thrones combined
- Seven playable protagonists, each with their own rich stories, personalities, desires, and objectives, as well as a best-in-class character creation system for custom characters
- Play as one of 11 playable races and 31 subraces, with multiple body types
- 12 classes and 46 subclasses, compared to Divinity: Original Sin 2’s 10 "schools of spells"
- Over 600 spells and actions (excluding upcasts), compared to Divinity: Original Sin 2’s 225 player spells and actions
For more information, read the recent Community Update.
Baldur's Gate 3 will feature 4-player online co-op and 2-player split-screen co-op on all platforms. We hear it offers a fine single-player experience as well.
Note: The release date shown in this trailer is no longer accurate.
Baldur's Gate 3 will fully launch on Steam on August 3. It can be purchased now for $59.99. The PlayStation 5 version will arrive on PlayStation 5 on September 2. Preorder it now for $69.99 or $79.99 for the Digital Deluxe Edition. Xbox Series S|X versions will arrive at a later date.