The release of Baldur’s Gate 3 is only a few days away. Fans are wondering why they still can’t pre-download the title. With its considerable size, it takes some time to complete the download on a slow internet connection.
When does the preload come? To make it short: Never. In an interview, Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke revealed that he expected someone to do something about it (via YouTube).
The game is very large and has constantly changed in Early Access, therefore it would be cool if there was a preload.
However, the development studio has confirmed in an update that there will be no preload. As a user explained on Reddit, this is because Baldur’s Gate 3 was previously in Early Access. Steam would not implement a preload for such titles (via reddit.com).
Baldur’s Gate 3 has a lot to offer, as proven by the video from MeinMMO:
When is the release of Baldur’s Gate 3? Since there is no preload, you can download the game on August 3, 2023, at 5 PM Central European Summer Time. At release, you will need to download a substantial 122 GB.
Fans of Baldur’s Gate 3 are annoyed and fear worse
For many players, it is not good news that they cannot pre-download the title. Due to slow download speeds, it will be impossible for many to play Baldur’s Gate 3 on the release day (via reddit.com). After all, a total of 122 GB must be downloaded to play.
In the linked Reddit thread, many users complain about the lack of a preload. Some now have to change their plans because they were supposed to play right after work that day. But now they are looking for ways to start the download from work, for example.
Some users have such a slow internet connection that they expect to be able to play only the next day. Some of them even predict that this will be the case for most players because the Steam servers will collapse due to the simultaneous massive download.
MeinMMO has summarized some concerned voices from the community:
- mug3n: “Seems to be a massive miscalculation, the release will probably be a total chaos because everyone will be storming the Steam servers.”
- oNamelessWonder: “Don’t worry, the Steam servers will crash anyway, we’ll probably all play on the 4th :’)”
- Conner_S_Returns: “For me, it will be the 5th [August], maybe even the 6th.”
Depending on where on Earth the players live, they will have to rearrange their day to download the game at release. In Germany, the download starts at 5 PM, so many of you could start the download directly after work.
The 17,000 alternative endings will also require some storage space for Baldur’s Gate 3: 17,000 alternative endings: New role-playing epic on Steam apparently wants to redefine “replayability”
