Baldur’s Gate 3’s huge launch swelled over the weekend, with the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game breaking the 800,000 concurrent players barrier on August 6.
The peak concurrent count on Steam was 814,666, which puts Baldur’s Gate 3 in ninth-place in Steam’s all-time concurrent players list. It’s chasing down eighth-placed Hogwarts Legacy, seventh-placed Amazon’s New World, and sixth-placed FromSoftware’s Elden Ring.
Clearly, Baldur’s Gate 3 has exceeded all expectations, particularly those of developer Larian. Last week, Larian boss Swen Vincke said he told the developer’s IT team to expect 100,000 concurrent players max. Baldur’s Gate 3 is still the top-selling game on Steam by revenue.
Probably should stay away from the IT team for a while – told them they should expect like 100k or so at max https://t.co/TY0aSrmWEx
— Swen Vincke @where? (@LarAtLarian) August 4, 2023
The huge PC launch is said to have boosted interest in the PlayStation 5 version, which is set to launch September 6 (the Xbox version may or may not come out this year).
“Thank you everyone for all the love and support,” Vincke tweeted. “It brought a tear to many eyes and it’s incredibly motivating for all of us. We can’t thank you enough.”
Thank you everyone for all the love and support. It brought a tear to many eyes and it’s incredibly motivating for all of us. We can’t thank you enough.
That said – Hotfix 1 is cooking in the kitchen and we hope to get it out today.
— Swen Vincke @where? (@LarAtLarian) August 4, 2023
Why is Baldur’s Gate 3 doing so well? Obviously it’s reviewed brilliantly (IGN’s 9/10 Baldur’s Gate 3 review included), but it also benefits from heightened interest in D&D. Baldur’s Gate 3’s had a huge launch bit it will no doubt enjoy a long tail, too, as word of mouth grows and the sheer scope of the game becomes apparent.
If you’re playing, be sure to check out a Baldur’s Gate 3 developer’s top tip for newcomers, IGN’s guide to building a character in Baldur’s Gate 3, as well as our guide to Baldur’s Gate 3’s races and subraces.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.