History of Baldur's Gate 3 in Timeline

Baldur's Gate 3, developed and published by Larian Studios, is a role-playing video game released in 2023. As the third main installment in the Baldur's Gate series, it's based on the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop game. The game was initially released in early access in 2020 for macOS and Windows. The full version was launched for Windows in August 2023, followed by releases on PlayStation 5, macOS, and Xbox Series X/S later in the year.

1998: Original Baldur's Gate Release

In 1998, the original Baldur's Gate game, developed by BioWare and Black Isle Studios, was published by Interplay Entertainment, using a licensed version of the Dungeons & Dragons rule set.

2002: Neverwinter Nights Release

In 2002, Atari published Neverwinter Nights, which was developed by BioWare.

December 2003: Black Isle Studios Shutdown

In December 2003, Black Isle Studios, which was developing Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II, was shut down by Interplay.

2007: Neverwinter Nights 2 Release

In 2007, Neverwinter Nights 2, developed by Obsidian Entertainment, was released.

2014: Larian's Initial Interest in Baldur's Gate

Around 2014, Larian Studios first approached Wizards of the Coast about making a sequel in the Baldur's Gate series after releasing Divinity: Original Sin, but Wizards of the Coast felt the studio was too new.

September 2017: Divinity: Original Sin II Release

In September 2017, Larian Studios released Divinity: Original Sin II, which impressed Wizards of the Coast and led them to contact Larian about Baldur's Gate 3.

September 2019: Descent Into Avernus Release

In September 2019, Wizards of the Coast published the tabletop adventure Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus, a "prequel" to Baldur's Gate 3.

September 2020: Early Access Delay Announcement

In September 2020, Baldur's Gate 3 was originally set to be released in early access on 30 September 2020 before being delayed a week to 6 October.

October 2020: Early Access Release

In October 2020, a partial version of Baldur's Gate 3 was released in early access for macOS and Windows platforms.

October 2020: macOS Release Announcement

On 5 October 2020, Larian Studios announced that Baldur's Gate 3 would be released for macOS in addition to Windows and Stadia.

January 2023: Stadia Version Cancelled

In January 2023, the Stadia version of Baldur's Gate 3 was cancelled following the closure of the Stadia platform.

February 2023: Release Date Announcement

In February 2023, it was announced that Baldur's Gate 3 would be released for Windows, macOS, and PlayStation 5 on 31 August 2023.

August 2023: Full Release for Windows

In August 2023, Baldur's Gate 3 was fully released for Windows.

August 2023: Release Date Announcement

In February 2023, it was announced that Baldur's Gate 3 would be released for Windows, macOS, and PlayStation 5 on 31 August 2023.

December 2023: December Patch

In December 2023, a patch added two new difficulty modes, quality of life enhancements, and a new playable epilogue containing over 3,500 new dialogue lines to Baldur's Gate 3.

December 2023: PlayStation 5 Release in Japan

On December 21, 2023, Spike Chunsoft published the PlayStation 5 version of Baldur's Gate 3 in Japan.

February 2024: Sales Success

By 26 February 2024, Michael Douse, Director of Publishing at Larian, announced that Baldur's Gate 3 had sold "way over 10 [million] in a very short space of time".

March 2024: No DLC or Sequels Planned

In March 2024, Swen Vincke announced that Larian Studios would not be producing any DLC or sequels for Baldur's Gate 3.

May 2024: Physical Version Release

In May 2024, a physical version of Baldur's Gate 3 was released.

November 2024: Modding Support

In November 2024, Michael Douse further revealed that the number of daily active users is up 20% over the previous year, which Douse attributed to the release of the official modding support.