Baldur’s Gate 3’s Huge Sales Milestone Shows Larian Shouldn’t Stop Just Yet

March 19 saw Baldur’s Gate 3 hit an incredible milestone: two years on the Top Global Seller chart on Steam. This achievement is significant not only because Baldur’s Gate 3 stood alone as a paid, single-player game among free-to-play multiplayer games during its time at the top of the chart, but also because it’s been at the top for longer than its full release, with its Early Access earning its debut onto the list. Many love Baldur’s Gate 3, and have made it clear that more will continue to buy it as word spreads about its quality, freedom of gameplay, story, and lack of microtransactions.

In a gaming era where many studios run on the premise that games don’t make money unless they include microtransactions and add-on content, Baldur’s Gate 3 is proof that it runs counter to that premise. Larian has continued to support Baldur’s Gate 3 with major updates and patches, essentially giving players new experiences and features with every new free update. Patch 8 is set to be the last major update, but its success proves that Baldur’s Gate 3‘s time may not be over yet.

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Baldur’s Gate 3’s Free Add-On Content

Every update and any additional content that Larian has created for Baldur’s Gate 3 has been free. Past updates for Baldur’s Gate 3 have included an epilogue, new endings for characters, several new endings for evil playthroughs, new animations, additional lines for characters, the ability to customize a custom character’s appearance throughout the game, and an Honor Mode. These all fundamentally changed the player experience of Baldur’s Gate 3, offering players more potential for meaningful gameplay, party builds, strategies, and storytelling.

Patch 8 is currently in stress testing and is set to be released sometime in 2025. It’ll bring several highly anticipated features to Baldur’s Gate 3, including a photo mode, cross-compatibility for multiplayer, and eight new subclasses that include features from both Dungeons and Dragons and features homebrewed by Larian. Patch 8 has been announced as the last major update for Baldur’s Gate 3, as Larian will move on to its unannounced project, with any other planned updates for Baldur’s Gate 3 being limited to small bug fixes.

Reaching Baldur’s Gate 3’s Full Potential

Baldur’s Gate 3‘s place at the top of the Steam Global Top Seller chart shows that gamers still haven’t gotten enough of it. As Baldur’s Gate 3 requires just one transaction when buying the game, it remained on the Top Seller chart through new purchases rather than because of gamers buying add-on content and extending its lifecycle. Larian’s updates have all significantly improved Baldur’s Gate 3, giving players new reasons to buy it. Patch 8 shouldn’t be the end of Baldur’s Gate 3‘s updates, as there’s still plenty of support for the game and any additional content. Updates with new content, such as more classes and additional scenes, could push more players into buying.

Baldur’s Gate 3 continues to disrupt the industry as a single-player experience that only includes a one-time purchase. It proves to studios and developers that AAA games can be profitable even without resorting to practices that gamers have spoken out against, such as microtransactions, releasing in an unfinished state, hidden costs, game-breaking bugs, and paywalls. A one-time cost with free updates has become a rarity in the industry, where the normal model has become free-to-play with paid add-on content, which is often essential to having an enjoyable experience.

Abducted, infected, lost. You are turning into a monster, but as the corruption inside you grows, so does your power. Forge a tale of fellowship and betrayal, sacrifice and survival, and the lure of absolute power. Caught in a conflict between devils, deities, and sinister otherworldly forces, you and your party will determine the fate of the Forgotten Realms.

THE ULTIMATE D&D EXPERIENCE
Choose from a wide selection of D&D races and classes, or play as an origin character with a hand-crafted background. Adventure, loot, battle, and romance as you journey through the Forgotten Realms and beyond. Play alone or as a party of up to four in multiplayer – and select your companions carefully.

A CINEMATIC STORYTELLING EPIC
Forged with the new Divinity 4.0 engine, Baldur’s Gate 3 gives you unprecedented freedom to explore, experiment, and interact with a world that reacts to your choices. A grand, cinematic narrative brings you closer to your characters than ever before, as you venture through our biggest world yet. Romance, deceive, aid, obstruct, and grow alongside your friends thanks to Larian’s next-generation RPG engine.

Released

August 3, 2023

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence