Baldur's Gate 3 - Release Date, Character Creation, And Everything We Know (2024)

By Darryn Bonthuys on July 27, 2023 at 10:56AM PDT

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Fans of the Forgotten Realms have been waiting for two decades to return to Baldur's Gate, and at long last, Divinity developer Larian Studios is ready to release Baldur's Gate 3 in its complete form on PC. The Belgian developer has spent the last three years fine-tuning the game in early access, building on its grand vision and paying attention to fan feedback as it creates an engaging new Dungeons and Dragons adventure.

Drawing from the rich history and lore of Wizard of the Coast's IP, Baldur's Gate 3 is easily one of the biggest games of the year. With dozens of characters to choose from, plenty of classes to experiment with, and relationships to pursue in this fantasy realm. Ahead of its launch in August, here's everything that we know about Baldur's Gate 3.

Baldur's Gate 3 Release date

First the bad news: Baldur's Gate 3 will not officially release on August 31 for PC and PS5. The good news is that it will instead arrive earlier, but only on PC, where it will release on August 3. Larian said in an update that it is releasing Baldur's Gate 3 "in the order of platform readiness," and that's why it's coming to PC first. The studio also hinted that it wants to avoid competition with Starfield, as Baldur's Gate 3 will launch "at a time where you'll have more time to play it."

For the PS5 version, that console's release date is being shifted to September 6, which just so happens to be the launch day for Starfield on PC and Xbox Series X|S. The developer is aiming to have the game running at 60fps by then, as part of its plans to deliver an uncompromised gaming experience on that console. "Baldur's Gate 3 is targeting 60 frames per second and we're close to achieving that on the platform but need a bit more extra time," the studio said. "We don't want to compromise on quality, and feel it would be a shame to downscale to 30fps or make other compromises to hit an arbitrary date."

Baldur's Gate 3 Platforms

For now, Baldur's Gate 3 will be available on PC, Mac, and PS5 when it launches. Xbox Series X|S and Switch ports haven't been confirmed yet, and as for last-gen PlayStation and Xbox systems, the game won't be available on them. For now, technical issues are plaguing Larian's Xbox Series X|S of Baldur's Gate 3, and the studio has said that it's "not confident" enough to announce an Xbox release.

Is Baldur's Gate 3 still coming to Xbox Series X|S?

Larian Studios' creative director Swen Vincke recently revealed that split-screen co-op is "a must" for the Xbox Series S version of Baldur's Gate 3, and the studio doesn't want to release the game without that feature. (Parity is required across Series X|S, so Larian would have to leave it out of the Series X version if it can't work on Series S.) Vincke said that bringing split-screen to the Xbox Series S version is "challenging" but he is "confident" in the team and a 2023 release has not been ruled out yet. " If it's possible, they'll make it happen. But it's a very big game."

While there's no concrete release date for when--or if--Baldur's Gate 3 will come to Xbox Series X|S, the studio is working on addressing the Series S split-screen issue and Microsoft's engineers are helping the studio out.

How long will it take to complete Baldur's Gate 3?

You can bank on anywhere between 75-100 hours for an average playthrough of Baldur's Gate 3, according to Vincke. For anyone looking to do everything there is to do in the game, Vincke expects that total to increase to 200 hours.

How many endings does Baldur's Gate 3 have?

Literally thousands. There are around 17,000 variations of the game's ending, with the differences being subtle or minor. As for how many endings there are for the "main" story, Larian hasn't confirmed that number yet.

Baldur's Gate 3 PC requirements

Aside from taking up a sizable amount of space on your hard drive, Baldur's Gate 3 isn't too demanding with its pc REQUIREMENTS.

Minimum

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 10 64-bit
• Processor: Intel I5 4690 / AMD FX 8350
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: Nvidia GTX 970 / RX 480 (4GB+ of VRAM)
• DirectX: Version 11
• Storage: 150 GB available space

Recommended

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 10 64-bit
• Processor: Intel i7 8700K / AMD r5 3600
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: Nvidia 2060 Super / RX 5700 XT (8GB+ of VRAM)
• DirectX: Version 11
• Storage: 150 GB available space

Does Baldur's Gate 3 have multiplayer?

Up to three players can join you in Baldur's Gate 3 and take control of a character. Companions that you recruit can be assigned to any player, and for the most part, you can all split up and embark on your own adventures. There are some limitations to this, as certain cutscenes and activities require all players to be together. In combat, a party will take turns at the same time if they have an aligned initiative, whereas everyone else will have to wait their turn. Relationships and choices are also independently tracked in Baldur's Gate 3 multiplayer.

Cross-save progression

Good news for anyone looking to hop to a different platform, as Larian says that the game supports cross-save progression between PC, Mac, and PS5.

Character creation

You'll not only choose a race and a class for the adventure that lies ahead, but also a character. In Baldur's Gate 3, you'll be able to customize your gender, face, and physical attributes, and throw in some background traits to help better define your build. Some of these traits will naturally work very well with specific classes, and out of the available choices there's the Criminal who's skilled in deception and stealth, the Sage who has Arcana and history proficiency, and the Entertainer who is a master of performance and acrobatics.

Baldur's Gate 3 classes

Plenty of classic classes will feature in Baldur's Gate 3, as well as a new combat career in the form of the Bard. This musical master is a force to be reckoned with, as combat-focused College of Valour bards can spit hot lyrics that can buff your allies, debuff enemies with Cutting Words through the College of Lore subclass, and gain better rolls of the dice with the College of Valor subclass. It's worth noting that the Monk class isn't in early access, but it is expected to feature in the full game.

• Barbarian
• Bard
• Cleric
• Druid
• Fighter
• Paladin
• Ranger
• Rogue
• Sorcerer
• Warlock
• Wizard

GameSpot recently interviewed Vincke, lead writer Adam Smith, and lead systems designer Nick Pechenin to get their opinions on each of Baldur's Gate 3's playable classes. The developers spoke about the best options for beginners, which character class has the most versatility, and how the new Monk class will benefit tactically-minded players.

Races

Like other DnD games, choosing your race is an important and crucial step when building your character. Each races has its own unique strengths and weaknesses, allowing you to further hone the attributes that you want to focus on when you start pouring time and resources into your personal build. So far, there are 26 races to choose from in Baldur's Gate 3.

• Asmodeus Tiefling
• Deep Gnome
• Drow
• Drow Half-Elf
• Dwarf
• Elf
• Forest Gnome
• Githyanki
• Gnome
• Gold Dwarf
• Half-Drow
• Half-Elf
• Halfling
• High Elf
• High Half-Elf
• Human
• Lightfoot Halfling
• Lolth-Sworn Drow
• Mephistopheles Tiefling
• Rock Gnome
• Seldarine Drow
• Shield Dwarf
• Strongheart Halfling
• Tiefling
• Wood Elf
• Zariel Tiefling

Companions

It's dangerous to go alone, take a friend with! You'll be able to recruit companions to help you out in Baldur's Gate 3, and each one will have their own stats and skills that can be grown over time. So far, the list of companions includes:

• Shadowheart, the High Half-Elf Trickster
• Astarion, the High-Elf Rogue
• Gale, an ambitious Human Wizard
• Lae-zel, the Githyanki Fighter
• Wyll, a Human Warlock

Data-mining has uncovered the names of several other companions that'll be able to adventure with you, and they are Helia, Karlach, Minsc, Halsin, and Jaheira.

Baldur's Gate 3 guides

To give you a head start, you can check out a number of guides for Baldur's Gate 3 already. These include deep dives into how certain powers work, how to romance key characters, and much more, so bookmark these links to get an edge in your journey across the Forgotten Realms.

• How To Recruit All Companions
• How To Gain Inspirations
• True Soul And Illithid Wisdom Guide
• How To Romance The Dreamlover
• Illithid Powers Guide
• How To Romance Minthara
• How To Save Arabella And Investigate Kagha Guide

Romance

Love is in the air, and in Baldur's Gate 3, you'll be able to form dynamic relationships with several of your companions. Larian says that the game uses a reactive system across your entire journey to solidify your chances to find your one true love, and based on how you interact with the companion that has captured your digital heart, they'll form an opinion of you that'll play a key role on whether or not they'll reciprocate your feelings toward them. So far, Lae'zel, Shadowheart, Astarion, Gale, Wyll, and the NPC Minthara are all potential partners.

Or, you can pursue a "tender, consensual romance" with a grizzly bear. It's not as weird as it sounds.

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