Baldur’s Gate 3 has experienced a notable resurgence in popularity on Steam following the release of Patch 8 — a highly anticipated update that has significantly reinvigorated the game's player base.
Launched just last week, Patch 8 introduced a wave of new content, including 12 brand-new subclasses and an innovative photo mode. The update quickly drew players back into the world of Faerûn, eager to explore the fresh mechanics and creative possibilities it brought.
On Steam, Baldur’s Gate 3 reached an impressive concurrent player peak of 169,267 over the weekend — a remarkable milestone for any single-player RPG, especially one entering its second full year post-launch. While exact numbers for console players remain private due to PlayStation and Xbox platform restrictions, the PC surge alone is a testament to the game's enduring appeal.
Reflecting on the success of Patch 8, Larian Studios founder Swen Vincke expressed optimism about the future of Baldur’s Gate 3. He noted that the game is “likely to continue performing well for quite some time,” crediting not only the patch-driven player revival but also the growing modding community that keeps the experience fresh.
Vincke added that this positive momentum gives Larian "room to focus on making our next big thing as good as we can," emphasizing the studio's readiness to shift attention toward its upcoming original project. “We’ve got big shoes to fill.”
He further commented, “Feeling good today about where we are with BG3. Patch 8 brought a lot of players back. It took a lot of development effort, but I'm glad we did it. With mod support thriving, I think the game will continue to do well for quite some time. It gives us room to focus on making our next big thing as good as we can — and that focus is more than welcome. We've got big shoes to fill.”
Patch 8 marks the final major update for Baldur’s Gate 3, closing the chapter on what has been a transformative journey for Larian Studios. The game originally launched to widespread critical acclaim and commercial success back in 2023 and has maintained strong sales throughout 2024 and into 2025.
In a surprising move earlier this year, Larian confirmed it would step away from both Baldur’s Gate 3 and the Dungeons & Dragons universe to fully commit to a brand new IP. The studio offered only brief glimpses into the project before announcing a media blackout aimed at minimizing distractions during development.
Meanwhile, Wizards of the Coast — the D&D division under Hasbro — has hinted at continuing the Baldur’s Gate legacy. During a conversation with IGN at the Game Developers Conference, Dan Ayoub, SVP of digital games at Hasbro, revealed that interest in Baldur’s Gate remains high internally.
“We're kind of working out our plans for the future and what we're going to be doing with that,” Ayoub explained. “And actually, in pretty short order, we're going to have some stuff to talk about around that.”
Although no concrete details were given regarding whether this could lead to a full Baldur’s Gate 4 or perhaps another crossover-style collaboration similar to the Magic: The Gathering tie-in, Ayoub did express personal enthusiasm for a sequel.
“It's somewhat of an unenviable position,” he admitted. “I mean, we're not in a hurry. Right? That's the thing — we're going to take a very measured approach. We've got a lot of plans, a lot of different ways to go about it. We're starting to think about, okay, yeah, we're ready to start dipping toes a little bit and talking about a few things. And I think, in really short order, like I said — again, not to over-tease that point — we're going to have some other things to talk about around that.”
