The time to play Baldur's Gate 3 is nigh with full release due in August 2023
Minsc, Boo, and Jaheira are back, too, but Larian won't be putting them in early access
We already knew that Baldur's Gate 3 would most likely see its release date revealed this month, and that time has come. Devs Larian Studios have shared a new trailer at The Game Awards, revealing that the RPG threequel will head out of early access in August 2023. Not only that, but some well-known heroes from the first two games are returning too. Watch the trailer below to see how old hands Jaheira and Minsc are faring these days, and get a peek at the city of Baldur’s Gate.
As you saw, half-elf druid Jaheira’s a smidge older than she was in the original Baldur’s Gate and its sequel Shadows Of Amn, what with more than a century having passed between those and BG3. Time hasn’t affected Minsc quite the same though, because the legendary ranger was petrified all those years. A short teaser trailer ahead of The Game Awards showed him, and giant miniature space hamster companion Boo, being released from their stony imprisonment.
Larian say that Minsc and Jaheira won’t be in the early access version of the game, arriving with the full Baldur’s Gate 3 next year instead. When you do meet them, it’ll be possible to piss them right off so they become enemies rather than friends. If you’re nicer, then you'll have the chance to recruit both Minsc and Jaheira as companions, which I’m sure will please many people who played the earlier games. May I be the first to shout: “butt kicking – for goodness!”
Along with the release date announcement, Larian also showed off a limited Collector’s Edition for a whopping £220/€260/$270, which comes with a bunch of Baldur’s Gate paraphernalia. This ranges from stuff such as vinyl stickers of the game’s notable personages and a diorama of a mindflayer fighting a drow, to D&D characters sheets for the origin characters and a silk satin cloth map of Faerûn. Tabletop players might want to look out for the oversized, custom-engraved dice that resembles Baldur’s Gate 3’s in-game dice.
There’ll be more to report about Baldur's Gate 3 on December 14th when Larian host another of their Panel From Hell events, subtitled Holy Knight. The panel promises to give deets of the upcoming Patch 9, such as the newest playable class. You can expect an appearance from host of The Game Awards Geoff Keighley too, for some reason. Baldur’s Gate 3 heads out of early access on Steam and GOG in August 2023.
Disclosure: Adam Smith (RPS in peace) is a writer for Larian Studios, and works on Baldur’s Gate 3.
For more of the latest news and trailers, check out our Game Awards 2022 hub. We also live-blogged the show as it happened right here.