The concept of post-launch support for video games has been well established for generations now, but some developers manage to go above and beyond all expectations.
Numerous examples come to mind. CD Projekt Red's support for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was incredibly impressive, topped off by a freely upgradable, much improved PS5 Complete Edition almost a decade later.
Circumstances surrounding Cyberpunk 2077 were obviously much more complicated, but that's one where numerous large-scale updates ended up transforming the game into something truly special (at least, in my opinion).
Even right now, I'm looking at ongoing support for titles like Monster Hunter Wilds and Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2, and I'm blown away by how much stuff is being added on a regular basis. But they're a slightly different story, straying into live service territory; they're designed to be built upon over time.
And to me, that's what makes Baldur's Gate 3 an outstanding example of what can be achieved when a development team is fully committed to making a game as good as it can possibly be.
This is a primarily single-player, story and character-driven, tabletop-based RPG, and Larian Studios' support has been shockingly on-point ever since the title's full release in 2023.
Earlier this week, the developer dropped Patch 8, and confirmed that it would be the game's last major update. I was a bit sad when that realisation hit, but then it's near impossible to be disappointed in the longevity that Baldur's Gate 3 has been given.
My perception is that Larian never had to commit so much time and effort to the game. Granted, it was wonky at launch and those original updates were necessary from a technical standpoint, but flash forward to eight massive content-fueled updates later, and it's crazy to think about just how much an already Game of the Year-worthy RPG has been improved.
Speaking of which, I gave Baldur's Gate 3 my own personal Game of the Year award back in 2023 — alongside several other members of staff here on Push Square — but that wasn't even its final form. What I thought was a genuine 10/10 experience back then is now significantly better.
And that's not down to an enhanced re-release or paid DLC — it's thanks to a series of totally free updates that have expanded the game in brilliantly meaningful ways, while also refining the existing adventure across the board.
The fact that we got an entire epilogue, complete with real character development spread across reams of new, fully voiced script, months after the game's release still blows me away.
More cynical onlookers might say that this kind of thing should have been included from the beginning, that Baldur's Gate 3 was initially rushed out the door — but again, I thought the base release was utterly excellent from the start. Larian could have quite easily just polished up those early technical hiccups and moved on; its RPG still would have been drowning in perfect review scores and Game of the Year awards.
The aforementioned Patch 8 is perhaps the best example of all. Full cross-play functionality? An in-depth, feature-rich photo mode? Two additions that make total sense seeing as they're commonplace in other games these days, but then Larian also decided to throw in 12 new subclasses — one for every existing character class.
This is the sort of gameplay branching that you'd expect from a major expansion, but no, the subclasses are just casually bundled into the title's final update. The ideal excuse to start yet another run of a 100-hour fantasy epic that simply never seems to outstay its welcome.
At this point, I've ran out of superlatives for Baldur's Gate 3; I still struggle to think of how it can be topped from a pure role-playing perspective, and it'll rightfully be used as the genre's measuring stick for years to come.
As it turns out, it is possible to improve upon perfection.
Do you agree with Rob's assessment of Baldur's Gate 3, now that Larian Studios is done with major updates? Proudly exclaim how many hours you've spent playing this peerless RPG in the comments section below.
Comments 67
Turn-based… 😏
With baldurs gate there is no in between. You either going to really enjoy it or don't enjoy it at all.
I’m so torn on Baldur’s Gate 3. On one hand, I can acknowledge that it’s a really great game, but on the other hand, for the PS5 version of the game, it released in a ludicrously buggy state. I could not get the multiplayer in the game to work on my PS5 even months after launch, as the game would hard crash on me roughly 30 minutes into whatever session I was in. I bought it to play with other people and I just couldn’t get it to work without severe technical issues. By the time the game was allegedly running smoothly, my group had moved on from the game, so I felt like I missed out on a cultural event. For the bugs, I would say Baldur’s Gate 3 may be the biggest disappointment of the generation for me.
Sorry to be a wet rag about it, but I truly can’t remember a time feeling more frustrated about a game not running well than I did with BG3.
Hmm, the hyperbole is strong with this one
I really need to get back at it, did 6 hours but didn't like the gameplay.
Also spent like an hour trying to open a locked door after the ship crash lmao
This weekend I'll give it another go.
As someone that started playing video games in 1972 with Pong, I can honestly say that Baldur's Gate 3 is hands down the best game ever made, and that Larian are the best of the best developers. I have over 3000 hours in BG3, and now that the final additions are out, I look forward to playing the game again in the very near future. It is simply sublime...
I really, really, really want to get into BG3, but I was so overwhelmed after like 5 hours. I’m going to give it another chance soon because I bet once it clicks, I’ll be obsessed
Tbh I was struggling hard to steal stuff from people. It’s a hobby of mine to absolutely steal everything in sight in RPGs when I can.
@somnambulance same thing with KCD2. It released with so many bugs that made the game unplayable for me, like the sound stuttering bug. It seems to be fixed now but I refunded the game and will probably get it later again but on sale. But yeah the hype went down very fast and I don't understand how games released on such state can get 10/10.
I played it for around 30 hours but I bounced off of it. I just don't like the way it plays. The move wheel system just feels so unpolished to me that I just couldn't stand it anymore.
I do respect the amount of depth available in it though. It is impressive in many ways but it just isn't for me. I much prefer more structured RPGs which is probably why I generally gravitate towards JRPGs more.
Honestly, the third act turns into an incomplete disaster that doesn’t even finish or reach the climax of all the question lines or companion quest lines. The evil ending is still a bad add-on that wasn’t taken seriously either and forgets your companions have stories, even the evil ones. (Frankly the upside to the evil endings after almost a year was almost an insult because it looked like it was cobbled together in two weeks)
It throws away your choices big time and stops respecting them.
This update needed to address many story issues, not had more subclasses.
I have never seen a game start as a real 10/10 and then crash and burn so hard and still get called a 10/10 while it’s clear they have no plans of ever finishing the game.
Ngl, I bounced off this quite hard when I first played it. Everything just seems to take so long. I should give it another go really, but there are just so many other games coming out this year. Kudos to Larian though, it’s always good to see devs show such excellent post launch support.
I agree that this is game is an all time masterpiece. It will be decades before it is topped.
@Bamila Latter is me, I just couldn't enjoy it when I tried it out on ps plus premium. Not a fan of top down camera views and this type of turn based combat.
I'm replaying the witcher 3 because I never thought anything would ever top that but after playing baldurs gate 3 I need to find out if that opinion is still true because I'm really unsure now. BG3 is mind blowing and deserving of all the praise. Plus it has shadowheart in it 😉
I really didn't vibe with the gameplay of BG3 at first, but after playing actual D&D 5e, I have a newfound love for the game. From a "video game" perspective, I still wish exploring out of combat felt better (I was really hoping for a 3rd person camera mod on console), but once you get invested in the characters and story, there really is no going back.
@QualityGeezer I'll save you some trouble. The Witcher 3 is still better 😂
@QualityGeezer I wanted to like Witcher 3 so much I just did not like the combat system at all. Which is a drag because the story and world building seemed amazing from what I did play.
@CWill97 Take it slow and use quick save. Once you got through the learning curve, it's 1 of the most rewarding games out there.
Can't wait to jump in for a fifth time or is it sixth? Leaning shadow mage. Will be great making a group of shadow mages and 4 hounds. Sending darkness all around. You can't hit what you can't see.
I personally still like Divinity: Original Sin 2 better
I really, really need to play this at some point.
But my unfamiliarity with D&D and my lack of willingness to add yet another huge RPG to my pile when my backlog is chock full of them is really keeping me away.
Ah, I see all 15 people in the world who don't like Baldur's Gate 3 have descended upon the comments section!
@Frmknst I mean, I can't say much without actually playing it, but it seems like the developers did interesting things with the narrative and role-playing aspects of this game, which will become a reference point for other Western RPG devs going forward.
It could burn me, of course. God knows critically acclaimed darlings like The Last of Us, Journey, and Bloodborne weren't my cup of tea, either.
What didn't you like about this game, if you don't mind me asking?
I wish I could enjoy this game. Especially after all the great reviews led me to buy it digitally for more than I would normally buy a non tradable game.
Unfortunately the constant feeling that I’m missing things - well, the knowledge that I am in some instances - just leads me to not.
@Ralizah Whoever convinces you not to pick this one up at some point, don’t listen to them. It’s worth a shot, even if you don’t like these sorts of games. A rare achievement.
Struggled with this game due to the depth and complexity. I never truly knew what i was doing and why i was doing it with regards to battles. I would just pick an attack and hope it paid off. Im going to have to give it another go tho.
@B0udoir There’s a large overlap in fanbase between KCD2 and BG3 in people I know. Most people I know that have played KCD2 played on PC and had no issues. I’ve got it on PS5 and I went maybe 15-20 hours before dropping it and the game just wasn’t for me. Atomfall’s the only broken game I’ve played so far this year. It does feel weird how so many games just haven’t played like complete products this generation.
@ShogunRok Happy to help ensure the comments section remains diverse!
I've just re-downloaded it for a fourth playthrough. Might play as a Drow again for the extra unique dialogue.
@NotTelevision That's the sense I got. It's one of those games you play, even if you don't play these sort of games. Excellence transcends genre.
But I do appreciate hearing a diverse set of opinions on any game, as long as they're constructive, as opposed to a chorus of voices glazing it. Circlejerks can be fun, but are rarely informative.
I might wait to see if the price drops more tbh.
@Bamila I enjoyed it, but it didn’t stick with me. Fizzled out after a dozen hours. Can still recognize it’s greatness though, just not the right time for me I guess.
I finally purchased this a few weeks ago when bc it was on sale. I had no idea about this update but seems it was perfect timing. I just hope I can get used to combat as I’ve never really played a game like this.
@Ralizah Oh yeah I totally get it, and I consider myself to be pretty particular about games. I just consider this game to be an important contribution to the medium, similar to something like Breath of the Wild.
Even if it is flawed in some crucial ways and can be slow-paced and cryptic, it’s still something worth experiencing yourself.
Played the demo on PS5.
Zero interest in that turn based, plodding, tedious gameplay. A total drag.
Most over rated game in recent times. Thats coming from a 20 year WoW veteran and walking sim fan.
@HRdepartment @wildcat_kickz you might be right mate it's the only Game that's come close but I still think the witcher 3 is the greatest game of all time. And HR that's cool mate some games just don't click each to their own mate
I know myself, and I'm not touching BG3 until it's on a system I can bring to bed with me. I have a Portal, but the copy I have of BG3 is physical, and my PS5 's disc drive is kaput.
@Cornpop76 I'm not sure that last bit is relevant experience. Have you considered a position commenting on IGN?
@Cornpop76 You played the demo and because of that you think its the most overrated game ever because of what 3 hours or so? 😂😂😂
Its turn based for a reason as it would be impossible to offer the level of freedom this game offers if it was real time combat. Also if you only played the demo you barely touched the combat.
I’m so excited to play this but have no idea when it will happen. Anyone I know who’s played it all agree it’s one of the best games they’ve ever played. One day!
Took me over 300 hours to complete a single play-through on hard difficulty — and I didn't lose many battles or get stuck forever on bosses. The game is just so vast. I love BG3, it's definitely in my top two or three of all time, but there's no way I would replay it with it being that long. There's just way too much other good stuff out there and on its way.
@Jaz007 Sorry but that's just an awful take imo.
@somnambulance BG3 is probably my number two game all time after Elden Ring, but I have zero interest in KCD2.
@RawnDawn The game doesn't really take off until you've gathered your party members after the crash. I know multiple people who gave up prior to that. Try to push through further. Also, for the most part, the longer you play, the more interesting the game becomes, as you get more diverse skills, more characters, and more interesting plot reveals and enemies.
I need to give bg3 another go with some of the mods and on toddler difficulty. I liked it but I’m not familiar with d&d and I kept f**king up the minor stuff.
I get that this game might be daunting for new players. It may not even be a type of game you enjoy. I could be completely wrong here, but I do believe that before BG3 exploded there hasn't been a "classic crpg" that did this well since the infinity engine games, and before that the classic Fallout games. Well in the sense that the game was picked up by players who normally wouldn't play these type of games.
Baldur's Gate 3 asks a lot from the player, aside from the fact that it's a very long game. The mechanics, grounded in D&D tabletop rules that take a while to master, are not pick up and play.
Big games can become a victim of their own success. By looking at the comments here, BG3 is now experiencing the backlash that great games receive when they are praised so highly. The hype gets so high that the game can simply not live up to the expectations of some people.
BG3 has turned me towards turn based combat. I loved all my time with it.
I may go back one day, but my queue is already too long. That being said, I'm about to go back to Nier: Automata so it may happen
I understand why people don't dig BG3. Art is subjective
It's an amazing game but I'd say the 3rd act and how much it drags and gets a little boring stops it from being a masterpiece.
Glad I waited until the game was complete.
Baldur's Gate 3 is one of the easiest 10/10s I've ever played. I don't mean in difficulty, I mean in saying it's a 10. I get why it might not be for some people. Not every masterpiece - be it movies, paintings, whatever - is going to hit for everyone. But I would think even people who don't like it because it's not their kind of thing would have a hard time arguing that it's not an incredible piece of craft.
I'm probably going to go back in for another run at it somepoint in the near future. A really special game.
The way the game reacts and has an answer to every little completely wild idea you have is truly stunning. Playing other RPG’s, I feel I constantly compare that aspect. It can be challenging, fun, creative. It’s a real masterpiece.
It does however have one unfortunate flaw, the main story is bollocks. “Crew of weirdos must beat evil thing. Why is evil thing there? To be evil. Can you stop it? Oh, looks like you can, well done.”
That’s what they can improve next time. But with a lot of classic fantasies, it’s the journey and characters that count.
BG3 and KCD2 have been two great RPGs releases in a great state on console. I wish more developers took their time and released them so polished. I think I had a few FPS drops in act 3 for BG3 doing a few fights in the city. KCD2 I think Pebbles spawned up some stairs once and some lighting issues at night. Hardly anything compared to CP2077 which crashed constantly, though I still loved it on release. Just wish I had time these days to put in the hours they really require to see everything, especially BG3 that needs multiple runs.
Easily a 10/10 game, but I did play it on PC and had zero bugs so I can't comment on the PS5 version. I could easily see it being the game of the generation for technical achievement, character development and story telling. The fact that some industry types had to lash out against Larian for seriously elevating what an RPG can be is telling enough as to how big an impact it made.
I still need to revisit it for my evil playthrough and the extra classes are a nice addition, especially Arcane Archer as that was what I played for the NWN DLCs
@Ralizah if you enjoy deep RPGs with mechanics that reward the player for clever thinking and strategy then you should love it.
I can understand why it's an outstanding game from everything I've seen.. But unfortunately it just feels to overwhelming for me to dive into with my current responsibilities in life.. Which sucks
@Cornpop76
I agree with you, for turn-based games I prefer X-Com or even Jagged Alliance 3.
Still not got around to playing it the whole throwing dice puts me off
@DennisReynolds that's the old "you have to play for 20 hours before it stops being dull, trust me bro" narrative.
In fairness, turn based is not for me or the majority of of gamers. We only need ten mins to know that.
I will say the game did a very poor job of tutorialising, which doesn't help bring those who aren't into turn based gameplay on board.
Can't criticise a game for being in a certain genre, but you can criticise it for poor onboarding.
The wealth of YouTube videos trying to make up for that deficit and the amount of views they have, demonstrates what a poor job the game did.
With some experience from DoS2, I've been able to move pretty fast in BG3 compared to the former. DoS2 was more punishing and the inconsistent art direction didn't push me to keep going, one time it looks nice, other times not so nice. BG3 on the other hand looks so sweet I know I'm going to play it to the end. Simply one of the best RPGs I've ever played, such memorable characters in an RPG I've seen in a long time!
I like many others fell for the hype and quickly realised this game was not only unfinished when it came out but really grindy which is something I just don't enjoy in games. I tried to get into it for about 30 hours but realised I could just play a better turn based game like Persona 5 Royal or Like a Dragon.
Crossplay has just opened up the doors to even more fun. Now started a 3 player party, across PS5 and Xbox/ PC, eith each using their own character. Feels about the closest to playing tabletop DnD as 3 people can get across being in 3 different places.
Thanks for the article/shout:
BG3 is an 11/10 by now, as I think KCD II is for me with all the future updates coming ♥️
I just started GOW: Ragnarok, and it is a nice palate cleanser before Hogwarts. I will rush through as I try to keep my subbing to a month. We'll see.
I completed one playthrough in September, and gave it an 8/10 (Great). I had issues with the control scheme on PS5, some of the pathfinding was annoying, and the 3rd act started to drag. I wasn't really into the main plot for some reason. It is the kind of game that may get better over time, and I see myself playing it again, and probably double dipping on PC when it gets sub $30. My GOTY for 2024 was Unicord Overlord (9/10), and the best older game I completed last year was Persona 5 Royal (10/10), so I am into these types of games.
@doctommaso Oh I'll definitely will give it another go, got Friday off so I'll be playing for a while.
@doctommaso Why? Gale’s quest talks up the crown as a huge event, and then the quest journal never says finished, it says to get the crown, telling that’s an in-game thing and the quest has the best yet to come. Then it never happens, the game ends and Gale says he’ll just go do that on his own. Gale’s quest was set up to be one of the most epic things to ever be in a game, except it just didn’t and you never do or see the big event he talks about. They just didn’t finish it and have no plans to.
Probably the best game I never finished. Got to act 3 and ran out of steam. It's maybe more gruelling than Elden Ring (in a good way) due to the amount of decisions you need to make in combat and dialogue. The only game that comes close to the complexity of BG3 would be Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 (another one I haven't finished). An outstanding achievement by Larian but maybe make the next one a bit shorter
@AhmadSumadi ? turned based is the way to be, Trails series has mastered this with hack and slash/turn based. rest of it is just nonsense (b ' ' )b
I bought mine on PC and my big gripe and what puts me right off playing is the way characters move around. I end up with them way off in the distance and no amount of clicking or zooming makes it not irritating. Anyway, maybe not a thing on PS.
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