Baldur’s Gate 3 is currently soaring up the charts on Steam, and there’s one big reason why (aside from the fact that it’s by all accounts a very good RPG): fans are thirsty for its romances.
Larian Studios offered a sneak peek of Baldur’s Gate 3 numerous romances earlier this year, including one with a Druid featuring, well, bear sex. These romances have sparked considerable interest in Larian Studios’ new RPG, serving to propel it to the top of Steam’s best-sellers list. In fact, it’s so popular that it’s causing Steam to buckle a bit under a bit under the pressure.
Spent the past week or so doing final tests on some companion romance arcs, and… damn, I’m still surprised at just how horny this game is. Bear’s got nothin’ on what’s still to come 🫠#BaldursGate3
— John Corcoran (@mrjohncorcoran) August 1, 2023
‘Bear’s got nothing on what’s still to come’
If Baldur’s Gate 3 senior writer John Corcoran is to believed, there’s more where that came from. Much more.
“Spent the past week or so doing final tests on some companion romance arcs, and… damn, I’m still surprised at just how horny this game is. Bear’s got nothin’ on what’s still to come,” Corcoran wrote on X.
Indeed, with 12 classes and numerous party members, there a large number of potential romantic permutations in Baldur’s Gate 3. And to Corcoran, that’s a big part of its appeal.
“Don’t get me wrong — it’s also affecting, funny, gripping, and worthy of any number of superlatives you can dream up… but also mainstream, big-budget horny in a way I thought went extinct in the mid-90s in movies, and may never have been seen in games of this scale,” Corcoran wrote.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is drawing from a long history. The series began with BioWare, which built its reputation for in-depth romantic options with the first two games in the series. Larian’s previous project, Divinity: Original Sin 2, had multiple romances of its own. But with some 174 hours worth of cinematics, Baldur’s Gate 3 is among the most ambitious RPGs ever, and it’s devoting a substantial part of that time to romance.
Recapturing the magic of CRPGs
Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t the only game with a thirsty fanbase, of course. Tears of the Kingdom, Overwatch, and Fire Emblem: Three Houses have all supported such fandoms over the years, which have been fueled by memes and fanart based on their favorite characters and romances. Elsewhere, The Witcher series has long featured explicit sex scenes.
As we observe in IGN’s review, though, what separates Baldur’s Gate 3 is that it’s arguably the first big-budget isometric RPG since Dragon Age: Origins, which released back in 2009.
“I’ve been waiting 14 years for another alignment of the planets like Dragon Age: Origins, when an old-school CRPG got a big enough budget to look like a high quality animated movie – but the design hadn’t been completely steered in the wrong direction in a misguided attempt to reach a different market like the later two Dragon Ages,” reviewer Leana Hafer wrote. “This is the closest anyone has ever come to recapturing that magic.”
Baldur’s Gate 3 is now available on PC, with a console release set for a later date. For more info, check out how our guide to building a character in Baldur’s Gate 3 as well as our guide to Baldur’s Gate 3’s races and subraces.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.