Highlights
- PS5 players of Baldur's Gate 3 are experiencing split-screen issues, particularly with frame rate drops when exploring different parts of the city.
- Despite technical problems, the game has been highly rated and well-received overall.
- The developer, Larian Studios, seems to be aware of the split-screen issues and is working to find a solution for both Xbox Series S and PS5 versions.
Following the PS5 release of Baldur's Gate 3, players are already experiencing some split-screen issues in certain sections of the game. Baldur's Gate 3 was the surprise hit CPRG of the summer on PC and was recently released on PS5 on September 6.
The Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game is a massive title with an exceptionally large map, countless character decisions that continuously alter a branching story, and plenty of customization. With the sheer scope of the game, some bugs are to be expected, and it appears as though split-screen is a troublesome feature for Larian Studios' latest hit. It was announced that Baldur's Gate 3 is coming to Xbox Series S this year without split-screen as an option, however, the team has stated they still want to try and make it work in the future. That said, some gamers are experiencing issues with the newly released PS5 version.
IGN has reported that their reviewer is experiencing some frame rate issues during Act 3 of Baldur's Gate 3 while playing in split-screen mode. While they state that "split-screen mostly works fine," the frame rate specifically tanks when two players are exploring different sections of a city. While the game targets 30 frames per second while in split-screen on the PS5, it can dip down into the high teens when two players are exploring different parts of the city. Later sections of the game are particularly taxing even without split-screen, as Act 3 of Baldur's Gate 3 even runs poorly on some PCs.
Despite that fact, the review claims in Act 3 on PS5 away from this one specific use case, the game is averaging a much better 27.3fps. Whether Larian Studios will release a fix for this issue remains to be seen, however, the team has been hard at work releasing various patches for the game on a consistent basis. In fact, one of the more recent Baldur's Gate 3 hotfixes addressed multiplayer issues.
Despite any technical hiccups, Baldur's Gate 3 recently became the highest-rated PS5 game. It is also generally one of the best-reviewed games of all time, regardless of platform. It certainly doesn't excuse any issues, but it does suggest that fans and critics are enjoying it so much that any inconveniences aren't diminishing the overall experience too much.
For fans of split-screen co-op with Baldur's Gate 3, it seems to be an issue that the team is aware of, as it is currently plaguing the upcoming Xbox Series S release. With the team still hoping a solution can be found on the less-powerful hardware, it certainly stands to reason the PS5 version's issues are potentially fixable as well.
Baldur's Gate 3 is out now for PC and PS5 with Xbox Series X/S versions also in development.
Source: IGN
