Key Takeaways
1. Baldur’s Gate 3 has sold over 15 million copies since its release in August 2023, but only 23.4% of players have completed the game.
2. The game’s vast content leads to many players not reaching Act 3, with 76% of users still exploring earlier parts of the game.
3. Baldur’s Gate 3 has a slightly better completion rate than other popular titles like The Witcher 3 and Skyrim, especially regarding early achievements.
4. Larian Studios has released major updates and hotfixes, including improvements for performance issues in Act 3.
5. Larian is rumored to be developing two new titles, possibly including a sequel to Divinity: Original Sin, with a release expected between 2028 and 2029.
It’s been over two years since Baldur’s Gate 3 made a splash in August 2023. By November 2024, the game has reached sales of more than 15 million copies worldwide. Even though it remains one of Steam’s best-selling titles, less than a quarter of PC gamers have actually completed the game.
Completion Rates and Player Engagement
According to Steam achievement statistics for Baldur’s Gate 3, a mere 23.4% of players have earned the completion trophy named “All’s Well That Ends Well.” This figure doesn’t even include players who replay the game, as the trophy is only awarded once per playthrough.
A significant portion of Baldur’s Gate 3 users, about 76%, seem to be wandering around the Forgotten Realms. It’s not unusual for many players, since countless gamers haven’t even reached Act 3 due to the game’s vastness and the plethora of side content available.
Comparing with Other Popular Titles
This situation isn’t unique to Baldur’s Gate 3. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which debuted in 2015, has a completion rate of around 27%, with only 65% of players advancing beyond White Orchard. Likewise, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition, released in 2016, shows a rather disappointing completion rate of just 11.1%, likely because many players choose to engage with side quests instead of following the main storyline.
Interestingly, Baldur’s Gate 3 does slightly better in some areas: only 10% of players have yet to achieve the “Descent from Avernus” trophy by escaping the tutorial-like Nautiloid ship in the prologue, which is a significant improvement over The Witcher 3.
Updates and Future Projects
Larian has wrapped up major updates for Baldur’s Gate 3 but continues to release hotfixes. The latest update, Hotfix 34, has added native Steam Deck support and reduced framerate spikes in busy locations like Act 3 across all platforms.
Act 3 became notorious at launch for its high number of NPCs in the lively city of Baldur’s Gate, causing even powerful CPUs like the Intel Core i9 12900K to struggle, leading to frame time spikes and FPS drops of about 20%. This performance issue may have contributed to some players deciding against finishing the game.
Baldur’s Gate 3 marked its second anniversary last month, with Larian’s head Swen Vincke sharing insights about how the game’s incredible success has allowed the studio to focus on upcoming projects.
As the rumors go, Larian is developing two new titles. Speculation hints that one might be a brand-new IP while the other could be a sequel to one of Larian’s earlier franchises, potentially Divinity: Original Sin 3. Vincke mentioned that Larian’s next game is expected to launch sometime between 2028 and 2029.
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