Highly anticipated: Baldur’s Gate 3 is scheduled for its PC launch this week, with Larian Studios releasing all the final details. Starting August 3, players will have to initiate an enormous download. In addition, the company has disclosed new gameplay features and information about other supported platforms.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is set to exit early access and will launch for Windows this Thursday at 11 am EST. Unfortunately, significant differences between the last build and the full release require that early access players delete their installations and save files before launch to prevent any conflicts.
The game will come as a 122 GB download and won’t allow preloading. This means all customers, regardless of whether they have pre-ordered or enjoyed early access, must start the massive download post-launch and rebuild their characters from scratch.
On a brighter note, players intending to play Baldur’s Gate 3 on other platforms at their respective launches can carry forward their PC save files. Larian Studios has confirmed cross-save support between the PC and PlayStation 5 versions. The PS5 version is slated for release on September 6. Unsurprisingly, Steam and GOG customers will receive the Mac version when it launches, though Larian has yet to confirm a date.
The company is still working on the Xbox version, but it likely won’t be available until 2024. The main hurdle is optimizing the split-screen co-op mode to run on the Xbox Series S, which is required for Larian to ship on Series X.
The developer is also working to get Baldur’s Gate 3 Steam Deck verified upon or soon after launch, having already determined the right graphics settings for good performance. Combined with cross-saves, this gives console players a way to continue their saved games on the go.
While Larian didn’t provide an elaborate system requirements chart detailing specs for different resolutions like other developers often do, it has provided a few recommendations.
A GeForce RTX 3060 should achieve 60 frames per second at 1440p, but the company recommends an RTX 4080 or 4090-level GPU for 4K gameplay. Those suggestions assume native rendering without any upscaling solutions. The game currently supports DLSS 2 and Larian plans to implement FSR 2.0 by early September. Both options should provide much more performance leeway.
As for gameplay, Larian revealed a new skill tree containing mind-flayer-related psychic abilities available to player characters and party members, which could significantly influence the course of the story. Moreover, players will be able to respec their entire parties, which could further impact the story.
Swen Vincke, the head of Larian, recently confirmed the company’s interest in developing another Divinity title following the critically acclaimed Divinity: Original Sin 2. However, this will happen after shipping Baldur’s Gate 3 and taking a creative break.