Here’s Exactly How Long It Takes to Beat Baldur’s Gate 3
A really long time.
After years of being in early access, Baldur’s Gate 3 is finally out in its entirety. Which means there are a whole lot of hijinks players can get up to in Larian Studios' massive RPG set in one of Dungeons & Dragons' most iconic settings. As a D&D adventure, a Larian game, and an RPG players should expect to spend a lot of time in the Forgotten Realms, still it might come as a shock just how long the game truly is.
Here’s exactly how long it takes to beat the enormous experience that is Baldur’s Gate 3.
How Long Is Baldur’s Gate 3?
Larian Studios managed to pack what seems to be an endless amount of content into Baldur’s Gate 3. Head of Larian, Swen Vincke told IGN at the end of June that the average playthrough of the main story will take “between 75 and 100 hours”. That does not account for the numerous side activities you can get up to.
This lengthy playtime makes sense as Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 typically take over 50 hours to beat. In comparison, Larian’s previous games such as Divinity: Original Sin 2 have a comparable runtime that quickly reaches 100 hours.
However, according to Howlongtobeat.com, some players have managed to complete the main story of Baldur’s Gate 3 in as little as 25 hours. Though it is safe to assume that this approach only sees the critical path with little exploration or side content.
For the majority of players, Baldur’s Gate 3 will be a long adventure filled with exploring the map in search of secrets and pursuing side quests that build out the game’s incredibly dense world full of fascinating characters to spend time with. Don’t be shocked when you roll credits and find that not only have you reached 100 hours players, but you are closer to 200 when all is said and done.
How Many Acts Are in Baldur’s Gate 3?
Exploring everything Baldur’s Gate 3 has to offer will rack up a large playtime.
The herculean effort of beating Baldur’s Gate 3 is made slightly more manageable by breaking up the game into different acts. Baldur’s Gate 3 has three acts in total.
This is less than the meaty five acts of Larian’s own Divinity: Original Sin 2 but helps the game follow a more traditional story structure of opening, middle, and finale. If you are worried that three acts means less content to explore you need not have any such fear.
How Long Is Each Act in Baldur’s Gate 3?
The lengthy playtime is not split evenly between the game’s three acts.
The tens of hours that it will take you to beat Baldur’s Gate 3 are not split evenly amongst the game’s three acts, however. The opening act of Baldur’s Gate 3 will likely take you close to 25 hours to complete at a normal pace.
Act 2 will make up the bulk of the game’s time, as the middle act holds the majority of the story development that needs to be done in the lead-up to a climactic finale. This means that completing Act 2 is likely to take 50 hours on its own, so be sure to take plenty of breaks during this long stretch.
Once you make it through Act 2 the finale is within sight in a brisk 20 hours, making Act 3 the shortest act in Baldur’s Gate 3 as the action races towards its conclusion.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is currently available on PC and comes to PS5 on September 6.
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