Baldur’s Gate 3 won’t have a preload on PC, but will run on Steam Deck

You win some and lose some

RPG epic Baldur’s Gate 3 is launching very soon – make sure you check out the release time in your region – on PC, but if you haven’t purchased the Early Access version yet, then you’re likely going to have to wait for a while before you can jump into your adventure on launch day. It’s been confirmed by developer Larian Studios that Baldur’s Gate 3’s PC release won’t feature the usual preload period, which would allow players to download the game before it unlocks. That means you’ll have to download the 122GB-sized title in full on launch day before you can begin playing, so make sure you plan ahead accordingly.

On the bright side, Larian confirmed that Baldur’s Gate 3 will be Steam Deck-verified at launch, which means you should be able to run it on the handheld gaming PC without a hitch. The PC version is also confirmed to support 4K and ultrawide resolutions for those with monitors that are able to display these. All of your saves on different platforms will be cross-compatible, so you can alternate between playing on PC, Steam Deck, or PS5 to your heart’s content.

Larian Studios will run a Twitch Drops campaign between August 3 and 17, 2023, allowing you to obtain some fancy camping clothes for your characters by watching two hours of Baldur’s Gate 3 content on the streaming platform. Held in Twitch’s purple color, this clothing set is sure to grab the attention of your adventuring companions. It contains matching shoes, undergarments, tabards, and trousers.

You'll have the entire camp's attention with this attire / Larian Studios

The most recent update from the developers contained even more news, though: Larian stated that Baldur’s Gate 3 has a complete skill tree for players wanting to adventure as a Mind Flayer – while that decision will definitely have huge consequences for the story, it’ll also unlock some massive powers for you to play around with. Choices over choices, eh?

At least you’ll be able to freely re-skill all of your companions, which is nice. Again, though, this might have implications for available dialog choices and the story, so be smart about it.