Baldur’s Gate 3 Saw More Players This Year Than Its Release in 2023

Since its release in 2023, Baldur’s Gate 3 has taken the world by storm. It isn’t much of a surprise, really, considering how much content and customization there is, as well as some truly lovable (and hateable) characters that you can romance or kill. The main thing is that most things in the game are completely up to you, and you can choose to play the game in a myriad of ways, with each playthrough having the potential to be different from the previous one. When it comes to single-player RPGs, they tend to die off relatively quickly, as people will have completed the story shortly after it comes out. However, Baldur’s Gate 3 continues to remain healthy, with a strong and consistent player base. According to Larian’s Director of Publishing, Michael Douse, Baldur’s Gate 3 performed better this year than it did in 2023.

Michael Douse revealed that the daily peak player counts were up by 3% compared to last year, with average daily users up by 20% and average daily Steam Deck users up by 60%. There are many factors that could be contributing to the fact that Baldur’s Gate 3 continues to be popular. A lot of it likely revolves around the fact that Larian Studios has had great community support, and has patched the game where it needs, as well as adding new content. Since it was released, the game has received multiple new endings for the main companions, as well as official mod support.

Even Douse has said that mods are a huge reason as to why more people are playing Baldur’s Gate 3. While mods were available on PC previously, they didn’t have official support from the developers and required a fair few steps to install, which could lead to your game bricking. However, the developers have now added an official mod manager, which allows people to mod their game with ease and makes the removal of them significantly more accessible.

One of the most monumental moves made by Larian was allowing those on console access to the mod manager. It’s a huge rarity that games on console can get any sort of modding. For example, games like The Sims 4 are notorious for being modded on PC, but that just isn’t an option for console players. This was a huge move by Larian and has definitely helped keep the game relevant, as well as their consistent updates to the game.