The PC release of the highly anticipated Baldur's Gate 3 is being moved forward, while the PS5 version is getting pushed back just a few days. It's been over 20 years since the last mainline installment in the beloved RPG franchise, and Baldur's Gate 3 will be looking to capture a new generation of RPG fans.
Baldur's Gate 3, officially announced in 2019, had previously stamped a release date for August 31 of this year. As it's been such a long wait for Baldur's Gate fans since the first two BioWare-developed titles, the excitement surrounding this massive third installment has been palpable. 2023 has been a behemoth year for video game releases with legendary, long-established franchises dropping massive mainline installments like Diablo 4, Final Fantasy 16, Mortal Kombat 1, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and Street Fighter 6. As the upcoming Fall season of games isn't intent on slowing down, Larian Studios has had to adjust its landing for Baldur's Gate 3.
In a community update on Steam, Baldur's Gate announced it's moving its PC release date forward almost a whole month to August 3, and that the PS5 version will see a slight delay to September 6. In speaking with IGN, Baldur's Gate 3 director and studio founder Swen Vincke cites the business of 2023's competitive release calendar, pointing to massive titles that have recently been released like Tears of the Kingdom,Diablo 4, and Final Fantasy 16, as well as the imminent Starfield, which serves as direct competition to Baldur's Gate 3 as a western RPG, even more so now with Baldur's Gate 3's PS5 version landing on Starfield's release day.
According to Larian, the purpose of shifting the PC version of Baldur's Gate 3 forward to August 3 was to give gamers a better opportunity to spend time with the game before other big RPG competitors like Starfield launch in the Fall. Holding firm on that August 31 release date would mean Larian would be launching its game one day before Starfield's early access period begins on September 1. This decision may seem sound in a vacuum, but seeing that Larian is simultaneously pushing the PS5 version of Baldur's Gate 3 onto Starfield's exact release day seems questionable. However, Vincke clarified that this daring move was made for the purpose of the team having extra time to make sure it hits its 60 FPS performance target on PS5.
While it's true that Baldur's Gate 3 and Starfield are two RPGs of different settings, one fantasy and one sci-fi, Larian knows that there are still many gamers wanting to dive into both of them. It's incredibly rare to see a studio thinking about its playerbase's time like this and making schedule changes to ensure its fans have the time to play what they want. While PC and PS5 gamers get to delve into the world of Baldur's Gate 3 this year, the jury's still out on when Xbox's version of the massive fantasy RPG will arrive.
Baldur's Gate 3 is coming to PC on August 3 and PS5 on September 6.
Source: Baldur's Gate, IGN
