Baldur's Gate 3 Review: The RPG Benchmark
Larian shipped a role-playing game so dense it made the rest of the genre look unfinished. Honour Mode optional. Shame not included.
Reviews
Baldur's Gate 3
Image credit: © Larian Studios and Wizards of the Coast LLC
Image credit: © Larian Studios and Wizards of the Coast LLC. Baldur's Gate 3 and related trademarks belong to their respective owners. Used for editorial coverage on GamePlayer.
Official Steam store promotional artwork used for editorial review and news coverage. GamePlayer does not own this artwork and does not claim the associated trademarks.Baldur's Gate 3 is what happens when a studio treats reactivity as the main feature rather than a bullet point. You can talk, shove, seduce, or explode a problem, and the game usually has a line for it. That is not marketing. That is a production miracle we are still unpacking years later.
A party worth keeping
The companions are the review. Shadowheart's faith, Astarion's hunger, Karlach's engine, Lae'zel's certainty — they are written as people who will disagree with you and still camp next to you. Origin runs make the second playthrough a different novel.
Combat is 5e with Larian grease on top. Surfaces, elevation, and the joy of shoving a cultist off a cliff. Honour Mode turns that toybox into a thriller. Even Explorer difficulty respects the systems instead of deleting them.
The cost of density
Act 3 can buckle under its own quest log. Split-screen on console is a generous idea that occasionally fights the UI. And you will save-scum. Everyone save-scums. The game is too proud of its dice for you not to.
Consensus, credited
Larian's own patch notes are the other "review" that matters — the game is still being cared for years later. On the critical side, the 2023 consensus was already a coronation; we are not here to remix it. Our 9.8 is the same object those pieces described, written from a Melbourne campaign that still was not finished when we first filed.
If you want a 2025–26 RPG that is not this one, start with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Different bones, same "I will just do one more conversation" lie.
Still the benchmark in 2026
Start a campaign on PC if you want mods and a mouse that understands inventories. Start on PS5 if the DualSense and the couch are how you actually finish games. Either way, the Baldur's Gate 3 hub is the collection point, and Best PS5 games 2026 is where this still sits near the top of a list it did not launch in. Xbox and PC subscribers: read Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Australia before you pay deluxe for a campaign that may already be in the library. If you want a 2025–26 RPG that is not this one, Expedition 33 remains the other conversation.
Verdict
9.8/10. The RPG benchmark until someone is brave enough to spend this much on conversation trees. If you have been waiting for a sign to start a new campaign, this is it — again.
Baldur's Gate 3: quick answers
- What is GamePlayer's Baldur's Gate 3 review score?
- 9.8 / 10. The RPG benchmark until someone spends this much on conversation trees again.
- Is Baldur's Gate 3 worth buying in 2026?
- Yes. A new campaign still beats most 2026 launches for density. Sales on Steam AU and PSN AU are frequent enough that you should not pay deluxe panic prices.
- Does Baldur's Gate 3 have split-screen on PS5?
- Yes, and it is generous. It also fights the UI when both players open a menu. Same-couch is a feature, not the intended first run.
- How long is Baldur's Gate 3?
- A focused run can be done faster. A curious one will eat a season. Honour Mode adds the time you spend staring at a dice roll.
- Is Baldur's Gate 3 on Game Pass in Australia?
- It has appeared on Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass in some windows. Check the live catalogue. Our Game Pass Ultimate Australia guide is the subscription maths.
- What should I play after Baldur's Gate 3?
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 if you want a 2025–26 RPG that is not this one. The Baldur's Gate 3 hub and Best PS5 games 2026 are the collection points.
Written by Jess Nguyen, Reviews editor. Melbourne-based critic covering RPGs, roguelikes, and anything with a decent character creator.
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Related reading
- Baldur's Gate 3 hub — reviews, guides, and FAQ.
- Best PS5 games 2026 — Australian living-room list.
- Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Australia — tiers, AUD pricing, when to subscribe.
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