Larian Studios and the rest of the gaming world will never forget the weekend that Baldur’s Gate 3 launched.
The long-awaited sequel to the legendary role-playing series came out on August 3 and roared onto the gaming scene, shattering Steam’s concurrent and all-time user records. Perhaps, more importantly, Baldur’s Gate 3 proves that smaller, independent studios and niche titles can and will sell well if given enough time, energy, commitment, and passion.
As of the time of writing, Baldur’s Gate 3 has broken into Steam’s top ten list of all-time concurrent player records after it peaked at 814,666 players. The surge has shown no signs of stopping to date, with the numbers spilling over and it’s now sitting on top of Steam’s charts as a single-player title in a sea filled with multiplayer giants such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, DOTA 2, and Apex Legends.
Larian Studios’ monumental success shouldn’t be understated. This is a company known for its intricate and traditional role-playing games, such as the Divinity series. The scale of Baldur’s Gate 3’s success took even them by surprise.
Larian’s CEO, Swen Vincke, humorously tweeted that he had initially advised his IT team to prepare for a peak of “100k or so at max.” The game not only exceeded these expectations but also stands as Steam’s current top-selling game in terms of revenue.
Basically, Baldur’s Gate 3 will appear in most if not all records on Steam if you look it up right now. But, that’s not all – it’s even out-selling Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on the PlayStation 5 and it’s not even exclusive to Sony’s flagship console.
This vast in-game universe, coupled with Larian’s dedication to detail, has earned the game a tie for this year’s highest-rated spot on Metacritic, alongside the formidable The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Now, what once was considered a one-man race for the Game of the Year award with a sizable gap between Nintendo’s presumed swan song for the Nintendo Switch and the likes of Diablo 4, Final Fantasy 16, and Resident Evil 4, among a handful of others, has become a close two-way race that may nudge towards Baldur’s Gate 3’s favor if its current run is an indication.
The massive popularity led to post-launch crashes, which is easily attributed to the overwhelming number of players in-game all at the same time. Still, this hiccup didn’t dampen spirits for long. Players were soon sharing funny anecdotes and stories. Such community engagement is likely to lead to an even bigger player count in the coming weekends, mirroring trends seen with other hits like Elden Ring and Hogwarts Legacy.
Amidst the explosion of Baldur’s Gate 3, other games and platforms made notable appearances. Microsoft/Bethesda’s upcoming title, Starfield, showed promising movement in the charts, even though it’s still a month away from coming out. Its pre-order numbers are already turning heads, indicating it could be another major hit. Meanwhile, Remnant 2 remains a stalwart presence in the top five.
Steam’s platform dynamics were influenced by other factors, too. The Steam Deck, for instance, is a standout performer, with the recent summer sale seemingly aiding Linux in overtaking macOS in platform share. The surge in demand was so great that some configurations sold out, although these stock issues are expected to resolve in the near future.
So, what’s next for Baldur’s Gate 3? As Larian continues its journey, balancing the demand of their new-found fame with the technical challenges that come along with it, like the integration of split-screen co-op for the Xbox Series S, one thing is certain: the tale of Baldur’s Gate 3 is far from over.
Given its record-breaking launch, the steady hum of community discussions, and the sheer expansiveness of its lore, this legend has only just begun to unfold.
