NO. 1 IN THE INDEX · RPG · TURN-BASED · CO-OP
Baldur's Gate 3
The party that argues back.
By the editorial desk · Larian Studios, 2023 · Steam version
Sovereign
Tier S · 96/100
THE VERDICT
The reference RPG of the decade. Clear your calendar.
A Dungeons & Dragons campaign run by a game master who has prepared for everything you might try. The most reactive RPG of its generation, and the one every other entry in this codex is measured against.
The ledger
- Developer
- Larian Studios
- Publisher
- Larian Studios
- Released
- 3 August 2023
- Steam builds
- Windows, macOS
- Steam Deck
- Verified
- Modes
- Single-player, Online co-op
- Steam price
- $59.99
- Typical playtime
- ~75 hours
- Cost per hour
- ≈ $0.80
The world
A mind flayer ship drops you on the Sword Coast with a tadpole in your skull and a handful of strangers who share the same problem. What starts as a cure hunt widens into a war over Baldur's Gate itself, and the writing never loses track of the small, personal stakes. Companions are the heart: Shadowheart, Astarion, Karlach and Lae'zel each have arcs that bend around your choices, and they will leave, betray or love you depending on what you do.
Baldur's Gate 3 key art
The fight
Turn-based fights built on fifth-edition rules, with elevation, surfaces and the environment doing as much work as your spells. Shoving an enemy off a ledge, dropping a chandelier or soaking a room before casting lightning are all real tactics. Fights are hard on the higher difficulties and generous on the lower ones; the custom mode lets you dial individual rules.
The build
Twelve classes, dozens of subclasses and multiclassing make build depth almost bottomless. The game rewards experimentation and rarely punishes it: respeccing is cheap and available from the first act.
The trial
The default difficulty is a fair challenge for newcomers to tactical RPGs. Tactician and Honour Mode, with a single save, are where veterans go to suffer.
The port
A demanding game in the third act, where the city of Baldur's Gate is dense enough to strain mid-range CPUs. Valve rates it Verified on Steam Deck, with a dedicated preset. Full controller support and a native macOS build.
Worthy
- Choices with consequences that surface dozens of hours later
- Companions written and performed at an extraordinary level
- Combat that rewards creativity over arithmetic
- Online co-op for up to four that shares one story
Unworthy
- Act 3 performance on mid-range CPUs
- Inventory management is a chore by the end
- The sheer length can stall a first playthrough
Who should enter
Anyone who has ever wanted a tabletop campaign without scheduling one. If turn-based combat is a hard no, start with The Witcher 3 instead.
How the score was reached
- Combat 25%
- 93
- World & lore 25%
- 98
- Builds & systems 20%
- 97
- Fair challenge 15%
- 92
- PC port 15%
- 90
Holds the top of the Index on world, builds and sheer reactivity.
Kindred worlds
Chosen for how they feel to play, not just the genre tag.
