Baldur's Gate 3's Patch 8 stress test is planned for early January across PC and consoles as Larian wants to "catch things before they can become an issue"

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Try out those new subclasses early in the stress test

Baldur's Gate 3 companion Shadowheart, a young woman with braided black hair and plated armor, smirking while glancing to the side
(Image credit: Larian Studios)

Baldur's Gate 3 is set to get even bigger very soon with another massive update that'll add 12 new subclasses, cross-play, and more. While there's no release date yet, the developer has confirmed that it's aiming to kick off stress testing in January.

In its latest community update, Larian says that players across PC, Xbox, and PlayStation will all be able to "join us for a period of stress testing" in order to "go beyond our internal testing and help us catch things before they can become an issue once a patch has been released." As Larian publishing director Michael Douse says on Twitter, "That means an early look" at those juicy new subclasses (as well as the photo mode, cross-play, and progression), which is sure to be an exciting prospect for any RPG fans ravenous for more ways to play.

It sounds like the test won't just be to test the fresh features, though. Larian mentions it'll also be "integrating a large selection of bug fixes and polishing up cinematics, including ensuring Shadowheart's hair dye no longer washes away when she takes a dip with her romantic partner." That might be the most important part of the patch, actually.

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Although it's unclear exactly when, Larian says RPG fans will "have the opportunity to register your interest" before the testing starts. Douse notes that "we'll be stress-testing Patch 8 through to release," so it sounds like the devs are planning to be fully confident that the update is player-approved before it's released more widely. 

There's loads to look forward to, and Larian says it'll let us all know soon exactly "what's being tested and how you can take part!" Curiously, it also mentions that "things will be done a little differently this time 'round," so we'll have to wait and see what it means.

Baldur's Gate 3 is doing even better in 2024 than it did in 2023, with daily users up 20%, and Larian thinks it knows why: "Mods are very good."

Catherine Lewis
Catherine Lewis
Deputy News Editor

I'm GamesRadar+'s Deputy News Editor, working alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.