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Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3 (also known as BG3 and Baldur's Gate III) is a role-playing video game by Larian Studios. It is the third installment in the Baldur's Gate series.

Role-playing (RPG)StrategyTurn-based strategy (TBS)Adventure

Time to beat: about 71.3 hours

Overview

Baldur's Gate 3 (also known as BG3 and Baldur's Gate III) is a role-playing video game by Larian Studios. It is the third installment in the Baldur's Gate series. The game's full release for Windows happened on August 3, 2023, with PlayStation 5, macOS, and Xbox Series X/S later in the same year. In the game's narrative, the party seeks to cure themselves of the Illithid parasites infecting their brains. It can be played alone or in a group.

Adapted from the fifth edition of tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, Baldur's Gate 3 takes its mechanics and setting, the Forgotten Realms, from the tabletop game. Players create a customizable character and embark on quests with a party of voiced companions. Alternatively, they can play as a companion instead. The gameplay comprises real-time exploration of large areas, turn-based combat, and narrative choices which impact the party and the wider world. Outcomes for combat, dialogue and world interaction are generally determined by rolling a 20-sided die.

Baldur's Gate (1998) and Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (2000) were developed by BioWare. A third game, subtitled The Black Hound and developed by Black Isle Studios, was cancelled in 2003 following a licensing dispute. Dungeons and Dragons owner Wizards of the Coast declined Larian's first pitch to make the game following the release of Divinity: Original Sin (2014). Impressed by prerelease material for Divinity: Original Sin II (2017), Wizards welcomed a new pitch and eventually greenlit Larian's development. The company grew considerably in the six-year production. In August 2020, Larian released the game's first act in early access, providing them with player feedback and revenue. After the full release, Larian added free new content to the game until the final patch in April 2025.