Baldur’s Gate 3 coming a month early on PC, has over 170 hours of cinematics

Larian Studios has announced that the hugely anticipated Baldur’s Gate 3 is coming a month earlier on PC, now on August 3rd, while the PlayStation 5 version will be coming on September 6th, a week later than the initially announced date of August 31st. So in other words, if you’re planning on playing on PS5, you’ve got a week longer to wait, while on PC, you have nearly a month less to wait than previously thought.

Director of Publishing, Michael Douse explained, saying “e’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”.

Douse added that “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”.

And yes, you read that right: over 170 hours of cinematics, which Larian says is “twice the length of every season of Game of Thrones combined”. Quote a boast, that one, but on top of that the studio says that combined, there is “more dialogue than three times all three Lord of the Rings books combined, the script for Baldur’s Gate 3 contains over 2 million words”.

Here’s a list of some of the other key features:

• 7 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

CEO and Creative Director Swen Vincke wanted to get in on the action, too, saying: “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!”.

Lastly, Larian wanted to point out there would be more coming on the game on July 7th as part of the “Panel From Hell: Release Showcase” live show.

Baldur’s Gate 3 will be released on August 3rd for PC, and September 6th for PlayStation 5. Grab Baldur’s Gate 2: Enhanced Edition free via Prime Gaming, right now.