Baldur’s Gate 3 turned out to be a huge phenomenon this year, with PC and PS5 players having a grand time gallivanting across the Forgotten Realms. However, the popularity of the game also means some gamers have been pondering about one thing – “When will BG3 come to Xbox?”
A recent leak purported a potential date, and a developer from Larian has commented on the matter as well.
For the uninitiated, fans and critics have been quite impressed with Baldur’s Gate 3, and the game has only gotten better since launch – with the inclusion of AMD’s FSR 2.2 making it more compatible with handheld consoles like the Steam Deck.
But, as mentioned above, what about the Xbox? Owners of Microsoft’s console have been kept in the dark for a while, but we’re excited to inform you that we’ve got some good news.
Will ‘Baldur’s Gate 3’ come to the Xbox?
Larian Studios confirmed that Baldur’s Gate 3 will be coming to the Xbox by the end of 2023.
Not to mention, rumours were awash recently about a potential Xbox release date that was slated for 6th December, as reported by Eurogamer. However, Larian director of publishing Michael Douse – quite ironically – doused them on X (formerly Twitter).
News to me https://t.co/ktaQ4sfuvR
— Very AFK (@Cromwelp) November 5, 2023
More concerned about getting it right than out the door in a hurry, Douse continued and left the door open to a potential release in the new year.
We’ll know the release date once we’re confident in the release version. The plan is still before the end of the year. The key takeaway here should be that we want a really good version that Xbox fans deserve. This means we’ll work on it until we’re happy to release it.
— Very AFK (@Cromwelp) November 5, 2023
The reason for the delay in the first place was that Larian were struggling to get split-screen co-op working on the weaker Series S.
Microsoft gave them a pass, though, and Larian Studios’s CEO Swen Vincke tweeted that the game will be arriving, albeit without a co-op split screen on the Series S:
All improvements will be there, with split-screen coop on Series X. Series S will not feature split-screen coop, but will also include cross-save progression between Steam and Xbox Series.
— Swen Vincke @where? (@LarAtLarian) August 24, 2023
Not ideal for those of you wanting to play with a buddy on the couch, but we’ll take what we can get for now!
Once we have a confirmed date, we will update you as soon as we can.
When will ‘Baldur’s Gate 3’ come to Xbox? Our best estimate
In the same series of tweets, Vincke said that the Xbox release will drop in 2023 – although it’s not certain that the devs will manage that deadline.
Everyone was assuming we’d have to wait until next year, though, so this push for an earlier release is a pleasant surprise indeed. Check out the tweet below:
Super happy to confirm that after meeting @XboxP3 yesterday, we’ve found a solution that allows us to bring Baldur’s Gate 3 to Xbox players this year still, something we’ve been working towards for quite some time.
— Swen Vincke @where? (@LarAtLarian) August 24, 2023
We were also aware that there was no exclusivity deal, and there were only a few technical issues to clear up.
Still, it’s great to know that those with an Xbox Series console can join the party Faerûn sooner rather than later.
This story first appeared on www.radiotimes.com
© Immediate Media Company London Limited, 2023. All rights reserved. First published on RadioTimes.com and reproduced with permission of Immediate Media Company London Limited. Reproduction in any manner in any language in whole or in part without prior written permission is prohibited. Radio Times and the Radio Times logo are registered trade marks of Immediate Media Company London Limited and used under licence.
