Baldur’s Gate 3 Arrives One Month Early on PC With a New Release Date in August

Written by Brandon Hofer on June 29, 2023

News: In a move that almost never happens, PC players will get to play an upcoming release a month earlier than expected.

In a Community Update that was posted earlier today, Larian Studios has revealed that Baldur’s Gate 3 will be released ahead of schedule. It will now be available on August 3rd on PC, which is almost a month earlier than originally planned. If you want to play it on console you will have to wait a little longer as Baldur’s Gate 3 is set to arrive on the PlayStation 5 beginning on September 6th. In contrast to the PC version arriving a month ahead of schedule, it looks like the PlayStation 5 version will be a week later than was originally planned.

“We’ve always been a studio that aims to release on as many platforms as possible, in order of readiness. We’ve also aimed for the highest possible quality on every platform we’ve released on. We’re at a point where we’re reaching 60fps on PlayStation 5, which is remarkable considering the breadth and depth Baldur’s Gate 3 aims for. It features over 170 hours of cinematics, more than twice the length of the entirety of Game of Thrones, and more than three times the dialogue of all three Lord of the Rings novels combined. It is a massive, expansive game that truly brings D&D to life, with multiplayer and split-screen co-op, and at a scale that’s roughly 4 times that of our previous game, Divinity: Original Sin 2.”

"Reaching a technical bar that matches our design ambitions felt like the right move, while holding back the PC version when we knew we’d be ready felt like the wrong move in such a busy launch period,” said the Director of Publishing, Michael Douse.

In a feature-filled community update, Larian reveals many long-awaited details about the content of Baldur’s Gate 3 – from which D&D races and classes will appear in the game, to new playable characters and companions, to a wide array of new character customization options – as well as some staggering statistics about the RPG’s scope.

Larian has pulled these stats to put the scale of Baldur’s Gate 3 into perspective:

Containing more dialogue than three times all three Lord of the Rings books combined, the script for Baldur’s Gate 3 contains over two 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 & 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 & actions (excluding upcasts), compared to Divinity: Original Sin 2’s 225 player spells & actions.

“We set out to make a game that would reward player creativity and truly bring D&D to life in a cinematic way that explores the breadth and depth RPGs can offer. Baldur’s Gate 3 has become an astronomical game that never fails to surprise, and I’m super proud of the team. We couldn’t have done this without our Early Access community, but it’s crazy to think that all this time they experienced less than a quarter of what BG3 has to offer. I cannot wait to hear the stories our players will tell when the full game releases. It’s time to Gather your Party,” offered CEO and Creative Director Swen Vincke.

Larian will finally explore the full scope of their sprawling RPG on July 7th during the Panel From Hell: Release Showcase live show. What do you think about the PC version being released a month earlier than expected? That almost never happens. Will you be playing Baldur’s Gate 3 on PC or waiting to get it on PlayStation 5?