You don’t have to have played Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 to play Baldur’s Gate 3

Baldur’s Gate 3

Baldur’s Gate 3 is the sort of game that can get your heart racing. The latest installment in a beloved CRPG series, it’s brought a whole new generation to the genre, with players eager to dive into a world rich with choice and varied in experience. But if you’re new and want to know if you need to play the other games, the answer is no, but it’ll be the best decision you make all day.

The First Two Installments

The first two Baldur’s Gate games, the original and its sequel: Shadows of Amn, are two of the most massive hits in all of gaming. Packed with an incredible amount of content, an epic story, and a world filled with magic, monsters, and one of the most versatile D&D-based systems out there, it’s easy to see why the games are held in such high regard.

So, with all this in mind, you might be wondering whether you need to play the first two installments before jumping into Baldur’s Gate 3. The answer is simple: you absolutely don’t have to play the first two games, but you shouldn’t be afraid to.

Baldur’s Gate 3 takes place over a hundred years after Baldur’s Gate 2, so there’s no need to worry about lore, and Larian Studios has designed the game with both newcomers and old fans in mind, with the focus being on creating a rich, varied, and sprawling CRPG experience.

If you do decide to play the first two, however, know that you’re in for a commitment of 60 to 100+ hours per installment. The worst-case scenario is that you get to experience two of the most beloved CRPGs of all time before playing Baldur’s Gate 3, and if that’s not a good enough reason to play the classics, I don’t know what is.

Ultimately, it’s up to you how familiar you want to be with the series before diving into the latest entry. However, with such a massive game, you might want to give yourself a little extra knowledge before you begin. If you’re unsure and want to know what the best RPG games are, we can help with that.

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