Baldur's Gate 3 Released, Already Disrupting Steam

The launch of Baldur's Gate 3 has caused major server issues on Steam, indicating its popularity. The game's messy launch and lack of preloads have caused delays in gameplay. The PlayStation 5 edition will release on September 6, while the Xbox version may not launch until next year.

The highly anticipated release of the role-playing game Baldur's Gate 3 has caused a major surge in traffic on Steam's servers, resulting in widespread login issues for players. This is a clear indication of the game's popularity, as Steam rarely experiences such disruptions.

Baldur's Gate 3 was launched at 4pm BST on Thursday, and since then, Steam has been experiencing intermittent outages. Monitoring websites have reported ongoing problems, most likely due to the influx of players attempting to log in and download the game.

The issue is not only due to the game's popularity but also because it did not offer preloads, despite its massive file size of 122GB. As a result, many players will have to endure long download times before they can start playing.

Despite being in early access for over a year, the game's launch has been chaotic. Developer Larian Studios only provided review copies on Sunday evening, leaving reviewers with insufficient time to complete a thorough assessment before release. This is particularly challenging considering the game's estimated playtime of up to 200 hours and the multitude of choices and plot twists that can affect the experience.

The rushed nature of the launch raises questions about the reasons behind it. Performance issues are a concern, and reviewers are waiting for the day one patch before publishing their progress reviews on Friday morning.

While Baldur's Gate 3 is a multi-platform release, the PC version is currently available, while the PlayStation 5 edition will be released on September 6, the same day as the Xbox exclusive Starfield. This has led to the creation of the Baldurfield meme, highlighting the complexity of the situation. Additionally, Larian Studios has encountered difficulties in getting Baldur's Gate 3 to work on the less powerful Xbox Series S, suggesting that an Xbox version may not be available until next year.

In terms of consoles, Baldur's Gate 3 can be considered a timed exclusive for the PlayStation 5, although the state of that version upon release remains uncertain.

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