The long-awaited and highly anticipated Xbox Series X/S port of Baldur’s Gate 3 has finally released, coming as a surprise reveal following The Game Awards 2023. Delayed due to development issues, Baldur’s Gate 3‘s Xbox release window had remained nebulous, with developer and publisher Larian Studios aiming to get it out before the end of the year. Those still waiting to jump into the smash hit CRPG on Xbox are in luck, however, as the game is available now.
The announcement of BG3‘s surprise release on Xbox was made after the game won the coveted Game of the Year award at The Game Awards 2023. Taking to X to make the announcement, developer Larian Studios shared a trailer, stating: “Xbox players, it’s party time.” This concludes Xbox users’ four-month wait following the initial Baldur’s Gate 3 release on PC in early August.
The Xbox release of Baldur’s Gate 3 also comes three months after the CRPG’s release on PlayStation 5. Although the delay was unfortunate, Xbox players will be getting a game significantly more polished, as numerous patches have added content and fixed many of the game’s bugs.
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BG3 Xbox Version Was Delayed Because Of The Series S
While console versions for Baldur’s Gate 3 had long been planned – albeit after the PC release, which itself was in early access for years – the Xbox port was delayed due to issues bringing the game to the Series S, Microsoft’s notably weaker current-gen machine. According to Larian’s director of publishing, Michael Douse on X, the developer was obligated to include feature parity between the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S versions of the game, likely a firm stance from Microsoft to ensure its consoles both remain desirable for their target markets.
This feature parity requirement seems to have been waived, however. Nearly a month after the Series S was blamed for the delay in BG3‘s Xbox version, the game’s director, Swen Vincke, announced that Baldur’s Gate 3 would come to the digital-only console without split-screen co-op. This exception was seemingly agreed upon by Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming.
It’s not entirely clear what other hurdles had to be surmounted in bringing BG3 to Xbox, but the three-month span following its release on PS5 seems to indicate that other concessions had to be made for it to run well on the Series S. Regardless, Baldur’s Gate 3 finally coming to Xbox is great news for those who have been holding out hope. It’s one of the premiere games of 2023, and will undoubtedly go down as an all-time classic in the CRPG genre; it’s only right that the game should reach as many players as possible.
Sources:Larian Studios/YouTube, Michael Douse/X, Swen Vincke/X
Baldur’s Gate 3
- Franchise:
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- Platform(s):
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- Released:
- 2023-08-31
- Developer(s):
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- Genre(s):
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- Multiplayer:
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- ESRB:
- M
- Summary:
- Baldur’s Gate 3 is a long-anticipated sequel to Baldur’s Gate 2, released in 2000 from BioWare and now being handled by Larian Studios. Set 120 years after the events of Shadows of Amn, Baldur’s Gate 3 puts players in the role of a customizable protagonist who has been captured and infected with a parasite that will turn them into a mind flayer. Before the process is complete, the ship they are on crashes, leaving them on a quest to cure themselves as they meet up with other survivors. Gameplay is turn-based and can be played co-operatively online or tackled alone in a single-player campaign with NPC allies.
- How Long To Beat:
- 50 – 100 hours
- Prequel:
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