RPG fans are expecting nothing short of perfection from Baldur's Gate 3 and Starfield. Though offering two different universes – one intergalactic sci-fi adventure, one mystical dark fantasy – both games strive to deliver immersive, memorable, and dynamic role-playing experiences when they launch just a few days shy of each other on their respective platforms. This will come just weeks after Baldur's Gate 3 lands early on PC, creating a marked overlap between the two games. Lead writer Adam Smith says developer Larian isn't bothered by the release date proximity; "I don't think there's been enough big RPGs recently to sink your teeth into, and then a bunch all at once this year," he told us in an interview. "It's good to be in the company of other RPGs."
But is it really a case of us needing more in the way of "big RPGs" on deck, or do we just need better ones? There's a reason The Witcher 3 is still regarded by many as the best RPG ever, even eight years after being released, and I don't think that's down to map size and scale alone. With so much expectation heaped upon both games, I'm hoping Starfield developer Bethesda and Larian respectively don't fall prey to the pitfalls suffered by other, more recent RPG releases, which inevitably spelled out their own short-lived popularity.
