If you’re an Xbox player staring patiently at the Microsoft Store hoping to see Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 pop up in the ‘new releases’ section, you’ll be pleased to know that – despite the comparative radio silence – the developer’s plans remain the same; the hotly anticipated Baldur’s Gate 3 Xbox release is still expected to arrive in 2023. As annoying as its absence might be, you really just need to wait for it.
Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t just one of the best new PS5 games we’ve seen in recent months, it’s one of the best RPG games of all time. When you think about all the best games for consoles, you have to consider it – even if it isn’t available on Xbox right now. We know it’s frustrating to look at the selection of new Xbox games available and not see Baldur’s Gate 3 on that list, but it is on the way. Larian Studios’ director of publishing is finding himself once-again reiterating that the Baldur’s Gate 3 Xbox release date is going to arrive in 2023.
Responding to IGN executive editor Ryan McCaffery, who cast doubt on whether Baldur’s Gate 3 is coming to Xbox in 2023 due to the fact that “we haven’t heard a peep” about it, Larian Studios’ director of publishing Michael Douse simply says “it is” – which sums it up nicely.
If you look at Douse’s other recent responses to similar questions, though, it’s clear to see that the constant calls for the title on Xbox is frustrating him – at least, to a point. This is something Larian Studios has said numerous times, after all – and even something CEO Swen Vincke has mentioned in the past.
When someone states how tiring it must be to continually need to reiterate this information, he says that it’s “just a matter of thirst for more information clashing with a genuine lack of anything new to say” – which, we understand as Larian Studios not being in a position to actually provide anyone with a specific release date just yet.
However, just a handful of days prior, he also – alongside reiterating the fact that Baldur’s Gate 3 is coming to Xbox in 2023 – says that “this has been said a few times, but dudes with 33K Twitter followers keep talking shit for likes“. Now, we don’t know for sure, but that comes across as a little frustrated to us.
So, while the good news is that Larian Studios has reinforced earlier claims that Baldur’s Gate 3 is coming to Xbox consoles as recently as October 25, it might be best to just stop asking developers about it. It’s clearly just something the studio will announce when it’s ready; radio silence, importantly, doesn’t mean the plan is changing – at least, for now. With The Game Awards coming up in early December, we could see an announcement made there. However, only time will tell.
We know this Bethesda developer reveals that Starfield just couldn’t risk doing what Baldur’s Gate 3 does, but that only makes Larian Studios’ RPG even better – in our opinion. It’s a triumph and, if you’re looking forward to capturing that triumph when it arrives on Xbox – or, of course, if you’re buying it on your PlayStation 5 – you’ll be pleased to know that a Baldur’s Gate 3 Photo Mode is officially on the way.
One way we thought Larian Studios would reveal the Xbox release date for Baldur’s Gate 3 was through Xbox’s new Partner Preview showcase, the first of which was broadcast on October 25. We don’t know the cadence of these presentations, so we’re not sure when the next one is coming just yet, but you can find out all the new reveals from the latest Xbox Partner Preview stream right here. As you can see for yourself, with games like Alan Wake 2 and Ark Survival Ascended featuring, a Baldur’s Gate 3 announcement would fit right into things.