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Baldur’s Gate 3 Early Access Passed 70,000 Concurrent Players On Day One
It seems that the steep price of the Baldur's Gate 3 Early Access period has done little to diminish the enthusiasm for the game, as it has already reached nearly 74,000 concurrent players on Steam during the first day of its release. Baldur's Gate 3 finally hit Early Access for both Google Stadia and PC on October 6, following a number of delays.
The Early Access version of Baldur's Gate 3 has the first of three planned acts, which should each take over twenty hours to complete. There are only a limited number of classes and races to choose from in this early version of the game, but more will be added over time. The game is set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting from Dungeons & Dragons, and it follows a group of adventurers who have been infected with parasitic tadpoles that grant them psychic powers but are slowly turning them into monsters.
Baldur's Gate 3 costs full price already, despite being an Early Access game. The high cost of entry hasn't turned away the crowds, as the game reached 73,980 concurrent players on Steam. According to the official Steam stats page, Baldur's Gate 3 is the fifth most-played game on its launch day, sitting behind only PUBG, Among Us, DOTA 2, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. This also makes it the highest-ranking single-player game for the day, though the game does feature multiplayer support as well. The launch of Baldur's Gate 3 in Early Access briefly caused Steam to crash, which shows the demand for the game.
These figures also don't take into account players on Stadia or PC players not using Steam. Baldur's Gate 3 was announced during the first Stadia event and developer Larian Studios has discussed the potential of the platform at length. Stadia might be the best option for people who want to play Baldur's Gate 3, but don't have a computer that can handle it. All the player needs is a decent internet connection to run the game on Stadia.
Larian has been upfront about the Early Access period of Baldur's Gate 3 not being for everyone, especially at the high price point. Consumers are paying for the roughest version of the game, as it will remain in development for quite a while. The discourse surrounding the Early Access version of the game has been dominated by its overwhelming number of bugs and glitches. It seems the problems with Baldur's Gate 3 are forgivable for those who are eager to return to the Forgotten Realms for another adventure.
Baldur's Gate 3 Early Access is available now on PC and Google Stadia.
