The wait is finally over for Baldur’s Gate 3 fans, as the red carpet has been set for the new massive RPG. Unfortunately, the complete version of the game is only available for PC gamers; Xbox and PlayStation fans may have to wait a while longer. Despite its long development time and the unending Early Access period, the game has managed to maintain its hype. As a result, some players have managed to complete the game just a few days after its release.
So, now we are set to give out all we have learned from those first playthroughs. Interestingly, the most common question that we have been asked is, “How long is Baldur’s Gate 3?” Therefore, this article provides a detailed answer to that question so that you can manage your gaming schedule accordingly.
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How Long to Beat Baldur’s Gate 3?
Baldur’s Gate 3 is set to break several records set by major titles like Elden Ring and Elder Scroll Skyrim. This Dragons & Dungeons RPG is based on a massive open world that offers several interesting main story questlines.
Moreover, the countless side quests and extra activities offered in the full release will surely keep you busy for hundreds of hours. So, if you are planning to complete this game before the end of summer, you might need to cancel all other plans.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Speed Run
According to various sources, the time to complete Baldur’s Gate 3 depends on various factors such as your playing style, dedication, completion goals, and NG+ modes. For example, one gamer has managed to complete the game in about 30 hours. However, he skipped most cutscenes and avoided all side quests and extra activities.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Average Gameplay
Similarly, the game timer will increase significantly if you are playing the game just to experience the main storyline. In this case, you will need about 65 hours to complete the main story quests and a few important activities.
However, this time can still increase if you enjoy watching some of the cutscenes. According to our sources, Baldur’s Gate 3 has over 174 hours of cutscenes (mostly skippable and choice-based). Still, if you are interested in exploring the tip of the iceberg, you should expect to complete the game in about 80 hours.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Story Run
The next category is allocated to dedicated players interested in exploring all major landmarks and completing most side quests (with a few extra activities). So, if you are one such player who seeks to learn a considerable amount of the lore, you should allocate the majority of your playing hours to the game.
Generally, you can expect to complete the game in about 85 hours if you complete all main story quests, most of the side quests, and a few extra activities. Still, you will need to grind a little if you want to unlock powerful rewards and get a grip on the lore.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Completionist Run
This Baldur’s Gate 3 category is allocated to all you completionists. Basically, your goal is to complete all main story quests, side quests, possible activities and see a majority of the cutscenes. However, it only leads you to unlock a single ending. The good news is that you will learn about most of the lore, backstories and visit several major and minor locations.
This may sound a bit absurd, but you can finish a completionist run in about 120 hours, considering you don’t die too often. On the other hand, if you are new to the RPG world, you are destined to die several times. So, considering your dying margin, you might end up spending close to 140 hours on your first run.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Ultimate Completionist
Last but not least, the Ultimate Completionist category is reserved for all you dedicated fans of Baldur’s Gate 3. The goal of this category is to complete all main and side quests, all activities, meet all NPCs, read all the literature, unlock all possible rewards, and see most of the endings.
However, you are warned, sources suggest that Baldur’s Gate 3 has about 17,000 different endings. Although most of the changes are minor, depending on the choices, you make throughout your gameplay. Still, you can experience most of the endings by saving the game at the story’s turning points. Otherwise, you will need to complete the game multiple times and choose a different path, class, and race in each playthrough.
So, if you are planning to earn our Ultimate Completionist trophy, you should expect at least 300 hours of gameplay. Some of the content may start to feel repetitive after a while. But if you stick to a dedicated daily routine, you can even earn this trophy. In some cases, even before the game releases to Xbox and PlayStation platforms.
How Long to Complete All Acts of Baldur’s Gate 3?
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You will get most of your answers if you reach the Nerd Lodge’s Baldur’s Gate 3 Trophy System. But for those who want an even more detailed insight, you should see this detailed answer. At the time of Early Access, the game offered a limited version of the first Act.
However, the full release of the PC version includes several other quests, Acts, and mechanics. So, Baldur’s Gate 3 is divided into five main portions in the complete version. Prologue, Act 1, Personal Quests, Act 2, and Companion Quests.
You will need at least 20 to 30 hours to complete the Prologue and first Act of the game. However, this number depends on how deeply you explore the lore and how many times you die in your playthrough.
Secondly, you must spend another 10 to 15 hours to complete the Personal Quests and Companion Quests portion of the story. Again, it all depends on your dedication and playing experience.
Lastly, the second and final Act 2 of Baldur’s Gate 3 is relatively shorter than the first 2 portions. For the Grand Finale, you will need about 5 to 10 hours at most. Here, we have ignored the variability as you will have better understanding of the combat mechanics and won’t die as often.
Cutting it short:
So, judging from these playing times for each portion of the game, you will need to spend at least 60 to 80 hours completing a single playthrough.
Similarly, suppose you want to squeeze even more game time. You can dedicate as many hours as you wish because Baldur’s Gate 3 is even more content-rich than Elden Ring and Skyrim combined.
However, if you have just finished Diablo 4, you will get a head start on some of the in-game mechanics. Even though they are based on different genres, you can still learn a few things. As a result, you can reduce the gameplay hours by learning from your past experiences.
Conclusion:
In short, you must spend all your remaining free time to complete Baldur’s Gate 3 by the end of this summer. Still, you can take different approaches to shorten or extend your gameplay experience. Therefore, this article has explained all major and minor details about how long is Baldur’s Gate 3. This way you can reschedule your other gaming plans.
