Baldur’s Gate 3 is available for PC since August 3, 2023. The PS5 version is due to follow on September 6, 2023. However, the late preload seems to be causing such great concern for a fan that they fear there may be issues with the PS5 version.
What makes them think so? The user compares it to Bethesda’s role-playing game Starfield. The release of Starfield is, like that of Baldur’s Gate 3, on September 6, 2023. Both titles are role-playing games.
However, Starfield can already be downloaded a few weeks in advance. For Baldur’s Gate 3, this is only possible on the PS5 a few days before the release.
For comparison:
- Starfield: Preload on August 17, 2023 (for Xbox)
- Starfield: Preload on August 30, 2023 (for PC)
- Baldur’s Gate 3: Preload on September 4, 2023 (for the standard version of PS5)
For owners of the “Digital Deluxe” version of Baldur’s Gate 3, the preload and the release are each moved forward by four days. But for both versions of BG3, there are only two days between preload and release.
This situation occurs with Starfield only if a player has pre-ordered the Premium or Collector’s Edition on Steam. The early access starts here on September 1, which is why there would also be two days between preload and release here.
However, in the longest case, that is between the regular launch on September 6 and the purchase for Xbox, there would be three weeks between preload and release. Therefore, the user assumes that something must be wrong with the PS5 version of BG3.
Baldur’s Gate 3 can be seen in more detail in the following trailer:
Developers provide reasoning for late preload
The Director of Publishing at Larian Studios, Michael Douse, did not let the claim stand unaddressed and provided reasoning as to why the preload of Baldur’s Gate 3 for the PS5 version has taken so long.
The reason is that the team wants to incorporate the PC patches into the PS5 version by that time so that both versions are on the same level. According to him, this is the consumer-friendly way. It’s not complicated.
This makes sense because otherwise players would need to start a second download with all the PC patches at release and accordingly would have to wait before they can start playing. A preload would have only shortened the waiting time, but either way, players would not have been able to start immediately with Baldur’s Gate 3.
Therefore, fans looking forward to the PS5 version of Baldur’s Gate 3 probably do not need to worry. However, things are currently looking bleak for an Xbox version. The problem lies here with the split-screen mode: Baldur’s Gate 3 for PS5: When will the game come to console?
