Baldur's Gate 3 doubles GTA 5 all-time peak PC player count within two days of release

Baldur's Gate 3, Larain Studios' beyond-ambitious RPG, has been the name on everyone's lips. This popularity surge can now be seen in action thanks to a massive player count. The game's recent launch on Steam has peaked at over 650,000 concurrent players on the platform. That's nearly twice the number of players compared to the iconic Grand Theft Auto 5 (or GTA 5).

This is surprising and paints a bright picture for both the genre and the studio. Here's what it means for fans of Baldur's Gate.

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Why is Baldur's Gate 3 PC launch more popular than GTA 5?

GTA 5 continues to be popular a decade later (Screenshot via Steam Charts)

Per third-party Steam tracker website Steam Charts, Rockstar Games' GTA 5 has seen an all-time peak of 360,000 players. The iconic open-world game has been out for nearly a decade, with the PC port arriving in 2015. In contrast, Baldur's Gate 3 broke that record within a few days.

By nearly twice as many players, in fact. This makes it one of the biggest players on Steam, right up there with the likes of Hogwarts Legacy and Cyberpunk 2077. This also makes the game the most popular offering from the Belgian studio to date. As the days go on, the number is likely to climb higher.

The numbers don't lie (Screenshot via Steam Charts)

But what is surprising is that CRPGs are back in form among the mainstream populace. The last Baldur's Gate entry was Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn in 2000. While it is renowned as one of the best RPGs ever made, fans didn't expect this successor to make a big splash. Especially given how Larian's previous offering, Divinity Original Sin 2, went under many player's radar.

Grand Theft Auto, on the other hand, has consistently attracted the masses' attention since 2001's GTA 3. It is a mainstream staple, and GTA 5, being the latest, is no exception. Its detailed, open-world, engaging, easy-to-grasp gameplay and humor have made it a must-have across all platforms. Conversely, Baldur's Gate 3 is a hardcore experience.

It is crafted by RPG fans for RPG fans, and this is evident with its massive scope of decision-making, RPG customization, and especially the challenging gameplay. Could it have resulted from the insane marketing, official or otherwise? Baldur's Gate 3 has been in the news recently over much controversy.

In particular, these concern the unabashedly extravagant NSFW scenes, including bear s*x and the game's scope being an "anomaly." On the topic of the latter, many third-party studios have even likened its ambition to being Rockstar Games' level of crazy. However, this means nothing but good things for fans.

The game's polished mechanics and detailed gameplay have wowed players around the globe, making Larian Studios' efforts more than worth it. With how many games turn out buggy or simply underwhelming these days, Baldur's Gate 3 has been a breath of fresh air for many. So it's puzzling how this game has grabbed so much attention - it may pave the way for future entries.