Baldur’s Gate 3 player numbers soar to over 470,000 on launch day

Critical success for the CRPG

CRPGs have this reputation of being old, dusty, and clunky relics of a bygone era among some circles, but Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 is changing the landscape: The game based on the 5th Edition of Dungeons & Dragons reached 472,136 players at its peak on launch day according to SteamDB, making the title Steam’s second biggest release of the year so far. Only Hogwarts Legacy attracted a higher player count at release on PC gaming’s biggest platform – that’s a massive success.

Even this morning – on a working Friday – the game is being played by over 280,000 people, putting it into third place behind perennial frontrunners CS:GO and Dota 2, so a further increase throughout the weekend is expected.

Twitch records around 100,000 viewers for the game at the moment, which means it’s the third most-watched category on the platform behind Just Chatting and League of Legends. Viewers can obtain some special clothing items via Baldur’s Gate 3 Twitch Drops over the next couple of days.

Baldur's Gate 3 has a Twitch Drops program running to celebrate its launch / Larian Studios

Larian Studios seems to have made a wise decision in advancing the release date forward by a month to avoid Starfield while getting some effective marketing done through their special leave request templates and gameplay streams going viral thanks to some bear love scenes. In terms of timing, it also helps that all things Dungeons & Dragons are on the upswing at the moment: 5th Edition is the most widely played version of the RPG in its history, online content around the game has never been bigger, and a recent Hollywood movie made positive waves as well.

Combine those favorable conditions with a first-rate CRPG and its unlimited possibilities, and you’ve got a stew going. While many reviewers – including ourselves – haven’t put any scores on Baldur’s Gate 3 yet due to review codes being dispensed very late ahead of release, Larian seems to have rolled a natural 20 on this skill check.

Before you dive into this adventure yourself, make sure you’re prepared by checking out our Baldur’s Gate 3 class tier list, read up on the hidden power of Ritual Spells, and learn how to craft potions vital to your survival.