Baldur's Gate 3 is a fantasy roleplaying videogame made by Larian Studios in which the main campaign takes place in the Forgotten Realms setting. It's based in a modified version of the 5th Edition of Dungeons & Dragons as a sequel to Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn and their respective expansions. The game was announced on June 6th, 2019 and released as an Early Access game on October 6th, 2020. The full release is scheduled for August 3, 2023 for PC users and September 6, 2023 for PS5 users.
| Developer | Larian Studios |
|---|---|
| Genre | RPG Adventure |
| Platform | Microsoft Windows Mac Linux GeForce Now PS5 (Full release only) Stadia (2020-January 2023) |
| Release date | October 6, 2020 (Early Access) August 3, 2023 (Full release, PC) September 6, 2023 (Full release, PS5) |
Plot
For a thorough walkthrough see Prologue
The game starts in the year of 1492 DR, over 120 years after the events of Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn and months after the events of Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus. The player character can be one of the pre-made characters or a custom origin (the default name is Tav, however the player can name their character whatever they like). The protagonist has been taken captive by the mind flayers, who have launched an invasion of Faerûn. They have implanted the protagonist, as well as a host of other creatures, with illithid tadpoles, parasites capable of enthralling and transforming them into other mind flayers; however, before the mind flayers can transform their victims, the nautiloid flying ship upon which they are all aboard comes under attack from githyanki warriors and their red dragons, and flees through multiple realms, including Avernus, the first of the Nine Hells. The protagonist is freed during the fighting and steers the damaged ship back to Faerûn, where it crashes. As the protagonist searches for a way to remove their parasites, they encounter other survivors of the wreck: the human wizard Gale, the half-elf cleric Shadowheart, the high-elf vampire rogue Astarion, the human warlock Wyll, the barbarian tiefling Karlach and the githyanki fighter Lae'zel.
System requirements
PC
Minimum:
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 10 64-bit
- Processor: Intel I5 4690 / AMD FX 8350
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia GTX 970 / RX 480 (4GB+ of VRAM)
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 150 GB available space
- Additional Notes: SSD required
Recommended:
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 10 64-bit
- Processor: Intel i7 8700K / AMD r5 3600
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia 2060 Super / RX 5700 XT (8GB+ of VRAM)
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 150 GB available space
- Additional Notes: SSD required
Mac
Minimum:
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: macOS 10.15.6
- Processor: 2.6GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: AMD Radeon460 4GB
- Storage: 150 GB available space
- Additional Notes: Minimum specs can run the game on low to medium settings. To meet minimum specs, you'll need a MacBook Pro 15 inch from 2016 or newer, with the above mentioned GPU. Or, a MacBook Pro 13 inch from 2018 or newer. M1 Chip requirements: MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or Mac mini with Apple M1 chip and 8GB of RAM. SSD recommended.
Recommended:
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: macOS 10.15.7
- Processor: 2.3GHz 8-Core Intel Core i9
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 8GB
- Storage: 150 GB available space
- Additional Notes: Recommended specs can run the game on high or ultra settings. You'll meet recommended specs if you have a MacBook Pro 15 inch or 16 inch from 2019 and upwith the above mentioned GPU. An iMac from 2017 or newer will also pull it off. M1 Chip requirements: MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or Mac mini with Apple M1 chip and 16GB of RAM.SSD recommended.