Why Baldur's Gate 3 completely deserves to be the highest-rated PC game?

Baldur's Gate 3 has had a wild journey since its release on August 3, 2023. After spending nearly three years in early access, the launch managed to justify every ounce of hype that was present pre-release. If anything, it has managed to deliver such a fantastic performance that a few developers are worried about whether the game will continue to live up to fan expectations in the future.

Up until a few days ago, Baldur's Gate 3's Metacritic score stood at 97, making it the highest-rated video game of all time. It also holds the rare accolade of being "overwhelmingly positive" on Steam after several thousands of reviews. However, rankings and ratings are often carried on by hype and are subject to abrupt changes. The Metascore may have dropped by one since, but the numbers are pretty well justified in every respect.

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Baldur's Gate 3 shows the importance of taking time

In the competitive world of modern gaming, developers are often accused of rushing with their releases. It has become common for many video games to be released in a half-broken fashion and then fixed with post-launch patches. In all fairness, Larian has released four hotfixes as well, rectifying some of the post-launch issues plaguing the community.

However, Baldur's Gate 3 had one of the smoothest launches of all time despite being incredibly complex. According to the developers, there are several thousand endings spread across three acts and multiple companions. Every save has hundreds of different ways for you to play, offering you complete freedom over your decisions.

Let's not forget that Larian Studios took a long time and even shifted the original release date by nearly a year. Given the hype for the title in 2022, the decision to delay the launch could have massively backfired. Yet, Larian believed the extra wait would give them the time necessary to refine their game and would be worth it for fans. Based on the opening couple of weeks, they weren't wrong. It served an important lesson that it's always better to take extra time as long as developers refine the product to meet the expected standards.

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Baldur's Gate 3 has the best monetization model

Well, this sub-heading is clickbait, as Larian's latest RPG doesn't have any form of monetization. In fact, there are no plans for a future DLC, and Larian has explicitly stated that there will be no microtransactions in the game. When someone spends their money and gets a copy, they get the whole experience. Despite so many endings, players won't have to wait for a future update to get to the ending. The full campaign and all three acts are complete, regardless of how you play the game.

This is in stark contrast to so many recent video games that continue exploiting the gaming community. They deliberately leave out critical content that should be present in the base game. Some of this content is then added as paid DLCs and expansions that players can get by spending more. Unfortunately, this has become a trend in modern times, but it's heartwarming to see that Larian hasn't followed the same methodology.

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Baldur's Gate 3's greatest strength is its dynamic gameplay

The strongest point of any video game will always be its gameplay. No matter how flashy the gimmicks and cosmetic elements are, a game will not perform well if the core gameplay is terrible. As mentioned earlier, Larian took nearly one extra year to flesh out different areas of the game. The extra year appears to be the correct decision, and it might be the biggest reason why Baldur's Gate 3's overall gameplay seems so terrific.

An extensive set of options allows you to play however you want. You can become a knight in shining armor or an evil overlord. The choices are completely yours, and your decision-making isn't a gimmick. Your choices will directly determine the ending you get. Additionally, there's very little handholding, and plenty of instances when you'll end up doing something by pure accident.

This unpredictability makes Baldur's Gate 3 not only exciting but also gives it plenty of replayability. Each save is pretty extensive and takes you several hours to complete. However, you can choose to take a completely different path and play it differently. The importance of storytelling has always been high in the case of any good RPG, and Larian takes it to an all-new high with its latest adventure.

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Baldur's Gate 3 is close to near perfection

The 97 score on Metacritic is an amalgamation of all the factors that have been mentioned in this article. Great gameplay and lack of any microtransactions make the latest Baldur's Gate game a must-play for all. That said, there are a few imperfections that are noticeable in the gameplay. But Larian has been busy rolling out fixes to ensure that the lofty standards of the community are met at every step.