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Baldur's Gate 3 is my game of the decade. I doubt I'm alone in making such sweeping assertions about Larian's mammoth RPG – it stole the show at every gaming awards ceremony last year, and continues to pull focus in 2024 with its 20% daily playercount increase still going strong. But all of that begs the question: why are so many of us, in greater numbers than ever, still exploring the Sword Coast?
Last year, me and my fellow GamesRadar+ Features writers took a crack at explaining what makes Baldur's Gate 3 so replayable. The crux of it largely came down to the sheer wealth of opportunities offered up by its myriad character classes, races, and dialogue options, with the slightest change often resulting in brand new outcomes. I never dreamed that 13 months later, I would be back here again to tell you that so much more has been added and enhanced in the short space even since then. So much so, I'm wondering why I can't consider Baldur's Gate 3 to be my GOTY all over again.
Power to the people
A few months ago at a BAFTA Masterclass talk, I watched Larian Studios' Swen Vincke answer a near impossible question: "how do you know when a game is finished?" His response was simple; you're never really finished, but there comes a time when the developer must relinquish control so that players can implement "their own ecosystems". Eventually, the game must be handed back to us, the players, to take the next steps. I'm paraphrasing a little, but that sentiment has been knocking about in my skull for weeks now as I ponder how utterly sincere Vincke was in saying so.
Larain was already a successful independent developer before Baldur's Gate 3's blew our collective socks off when it launched out of Early Access in 2023. However, just how far it's been able to drive that success is a phenomenon unto itself. True, the studio has the prestige backing that comes with the license of a Dungeons & Dragons game, courtesy of publisher Wizards Of The Coast, but Larian continues to impress me with its sheer passion for putting more and more content into players' hands. We already know that the studio is looking ahead to projects beyond the D&D RPG – and sadly, if there ever is a BG4, it won't be a Larian game. But that said, there was so much more Larian wanted to add to the game before passing the baton.
That passage is something the developer is still very much geared towards. 2024 has seen two major content patches released, with numerous hotfixes in between for both console and PC platforms. From kiss animations to evil endings and the implementation of a mod manager, all of these could be considered mere finishing touches. It's icing on a cake with so many layers, the whole thing risks toppling over whenever you dig in for another slice. But they're a lot more than that. All of these updates – and the frankly huge sounding barrage of new subclasses still to come in Patch 8 next year – speak to Larian's commitment to excellence.
Reflecting on the impact of all of these patches on the game's ongoing popularity, Larian recognizes the importance of one change in particular: the modding client. It's proof of Larian's desire to put a greater focus on player agency as it looks ahead to its next big project. Larian's goal is clear: it wants BG3 to be the best possible game it can be, and is charging players precisely zero dollars for the privilege of not only enjoying it, but being a part of that process.
I can't help but feel a little bit emotional writing this. Baldur's Gate 3 is a game that means so much to so many people. Here at GR+, me and my colleagues have invested nearly 4,000 hours into it between us. Those hours are bound to rack up even further come 2025, and you know what? For that fact alone, BG3 deserves to be my Game of the Year until somehow, someday, someone else can match it.
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