Baldur's Gate 3 Launches Today - Iconic RPG Returns After 23 Years

Source: Larian Studios.

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23 years - that's how long we had to wait for a full-fledged sequel to the second Baldur's Gate. Today at 5 p.m. CET / 8 a.m. PST Baldur's Gate III will be released on PC, after an almost three-year period of Early Access of Steam. Those playing on PlayStation 5 will have a longer wait, as the game won't debut on Sony's console until September 6.

The title will be available on Steam and GOG.com. You can also buy the collector's edition of the game, priced at $259.99.

Before you start rubbing your hands together, however, you might find it useful to send a vacation request to play Baldur's Gate 3 on launch. Larian prepared a relevant "document" already a week ago, but now made available its translation into other languages (via Twitter).

Baldur's Gate 3 - preparing for release

Leaving aside this absolutely crucial issue, there are a couple of steps you should take before starting your adventure with BG 3. A handful of tips coming from the creators, about which you can read in our previous post, is a good start.

1. If you played during early access , remember about deleting saved game states - progress from Early Access will not carry over to the full version anyway, because it will be a completely different adventure. The same goes for fan-made modifications.
2. It is also worth considering resignation from the so-called karmic dice, which are enabled by default - assuming that the premiere update does not introduce changes that would make this option tantamount to shooting yourself in the foot (read: increasing the chances of enemies hitting the character).

Baldur's Gate 3 - PC requirements

Before setting out (and assembling your party), you'd also better make sure that your PC meets the system requirements of Baldur's Gate III.

1. We have listed the minimum and recommended configurations below.
2. Keep in mind that playing at 4K resolution will be very demanding. Larian mentioned the need to have an RTX 4080 or even a 4090.
3. For 1440p resolution, a GeForce RTX 3060 is recommended.

Baldur's Gate 3 - minimum PC requirements

1. Operating system: Windows 10 64-bit
2. Processor: Intel Core i5-4690 / AMD FX-8350
3. RAM: 8 GB
4. Graphics card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 / AMD Radeon RX 480 (4 GB VRAM).
5. Disk space: : 150 GB (SSD required)

Baldur's Gate 3 - recommended PC requirements

1. Operating system: Windows 10 64-bit
2. Processor: Intel Core i7-8700K/ AMD Ryzen 5 3600
3. RAM: 16 GB
4. Graphics card: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER (6 GB VRAM) / AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (8 GB VRAM).
5. Disk space: 150 GB (SSD required)

Baldur's Gate 3 makes a big comeback after almost 23 years

Premiere of Baldur's Gate III is stirring up a lot of excitement not only because of its heritage, although that alone must have pumped up fan enthusiasm. It is, after all, a continuation of one of the most iconic cRPG series in history, whose only major installments to date have captured the hearts of gamers back in the last century.

True, much has changed in the gameplay, in part due to the passage of time. After all, it's not just video games that have evolved over the past quarter century, but also tabletop Dungeons & Dragons, which has seen as many as three new editions (the first and second Baldur's Gate were based on Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2e, and the third uses D&D 5e).

Most importantly, however, BG 3 is expected to be a dream project for Larian Studios - a video game that gives players almost as much freedom as pen&paper role-playing games. Character relationships, progression, alchemy systems, mercenaries, etc. - all this is supposed to enable the players to shape the adventure in almost any way they want.

It's hardly surprising that the developers had to appease other independent developers who were concerned that players would consider Baldur's Gate 3 as the benchmark of what RPGs should be. Also in terms of the time it takes to complete the game, because - if Larian is to be believed - most new and old titles in the genre pale compared to BG 3.

Of course, we will verify these and other promises of the developers after the release. Our review of Baldur's Gate 3 will be released along with the game's debut.

Nevertheless, the title is unlikely to disappoint. Just take a look at the reviews from Early Access of Steam. Only in the last 30 days BG 3 has been rated 11,000 times, and 96% of these reviews are positive. So it is almost certain that Baldur's Gate III will be a strong candidate for the title of game of the year.