Baldur's Gate 3 Release Times Revealed, Won't Have PC Preload

Image: Larian Studios

Baldur’s Gate 3 release times have been revealed, but one feature missing is the ability to preload. This disappoints fans because the massive size of the game’s files will take forever to redownload, meaning they won’t be able to play with their friends at launch. Still, the fact we are close to an official launch of the long-anticipated game is exciting, and we have all of the details you need to know about Baldur’s Gate 3 release times and what to expect at launch.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Release Times

Baldur's Gate 3
PC Global Launch

Baldur's Gate 3 Steam Page

The official release time for Baldur’s Gate 3 is 8 AM PDT / 9 AM MDT / 10 AM CDT / 11 AM EDT for PC players on Steam and GOG only.

Here is the Baldur’s Gate 3 release times for all regions:

Los Angeles: 8 AM, August 3
Denver: 9 AM, August 3
Texas: 10 AM, August 3
New York: 11 AM, August 3
Quebec: 11 AM, August 3
Rio De Janeiro: 12 PM, August 3
Dublin: 4 PM, August 3
Gent: 5 PM, August 3
Kuala Lumpur: 11 PM, August 3
Tokyo: 12 AM, August 4
Sydney: 1 AM, August 4

However, you should know a few things about Baldur’s Gate 3 PC global launch.

First, your saves from Early Access will not be compatible with the game on release day. In addition, in an official Tweet from the @baldursgate3 page, Larian recommends that players who have Early Access installed uninstall their game and then delete their save files. This will help reduce the risk of file conflicts when the final game downloads. Here is the official Tweet:

📢PSA: Full post tomorrow, but for Baldur's Gate 3 players with existing Early Access saves, we ask that prior to August 3, launch the game, and delete all save files to avoid unintended conflicts at launch. Also, remove any mods and ensure they do not automatically re-download.
— Baldur's Gate 3 re-rolled the D8 🐙 (@baldursgate3) August 1, 2023

Second, there won’t be a 72-hour advanced start for those who preordered during the Early Access period since Larian moved the date back a month (it was initially slated to release on August 31 for PC). Larian confirmed this on the official Baldur’s Gate 3 Reddit page.

Can You Preload Baldur’s Gate 3?

No, you cannot preload Baldur’s Gate 3. In addition, since Larian recommends that you uninstall the Early Access client of Baldur’s Gate 3, you must download the full game again at launch. This is a bit rough since most players have taken launch day off of work to play and will instead be stuck downloading 122 GB worth of files. However, the inability to preload Baldur’s Gate 3 is because Steam and GOG already have accessible files for the game. Preloading would require the installation of encrypted files, which cannot be done since there are existing files from the Early Access client.

Author’s Note: I wrote this guide while playing Baldur’s Gate 3 on Steam Deck.

- This article was updated on August 1st, 2023

About The Author

Matthew Kevin Mitchell has been a contributing writer for Attack of the Fanboy and PC Invasion since 2022. Matthew primarily covers Manga like One Piece, horror movies like Scream, and survival horror games like Dead by Daylight. His favorite moment came during his first press event covering Scream 6 for AotF. He hails from Denver, Colorado, where he received his Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from Regis University. When he isn’t scaring himself silly or writing, he loves to play ice hockey, spoil his dog, and drink an unhealthy amount of coffee.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Release Times Revealed, Won’t Have PC Preload

Here's everything you can expect from the Baldur's Gate 3 release times and why you can't preload.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Release Times

Can You Preload Baldur’s Gate 3?

About The Author

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