Early Access

Early Access, or EA, is the funding and development model for games of Larian Studios.

Early Access is an unfinished and unpolished version of the main game. Players can help the development of the game by providing feedback or reporting bugs.

Larian Studios decided to follow this model for Baldur's Gate 3 after seeing its continuous successes in their previous games: Divinity: Original Sin and Divinity: Original Sin 2.

The first released Early Access version of Baldur's Gate 3 was on October 6th, 2020. Since then, Larian has released multiple patches fixing bugs and changing or adding content depending on the users' feedback. Many playable Classes, Races, Companions and Quests are not available in Early Access.

Early Access version of Baldur's Gate 3 costs 60 US Dollars and will remain the same price on full release. Early Access buyers do not have to pay for the game again on full release.

Updates of Early Access consist of Hotfixes; which are updates that focus on fixing a certain amount of usually game-breaking bugs or crashes, and Patches; which are updates usually surpassing 50 GB in size and added or vastly modified content and improved stability.

Timeline

Main page: Patch notes

2020

• February

27: Gameplay reveal at PAX East.

• August

25: Early Access is announced to be launched on September 30th.

• October

6: Early Access is launched.

7: Hotfix #1 is released.

8: Hotfix #2 is released.

9: Hotfix #3 is released.

13: Patch 1 is released.

27: Patch 2 is released.

30: Hotfix #4 is released.

• December

2: Patch 3, first in a line of tens of GBs in size and save-breaking Patches is released. This patch focused on stability and added options for pacifist players.

8: Hotfix #5 is released.

15: Hotfix #6 is released.

2021

• February

25: Patch 4 is released. Druid class is added alongside an improvement on cinematics, stability and multiple Quality of Life features.

26: Hotfix #7 is released.

• March

4: Hotfix #8 is released.

23: Hotfix #9 is released.

• April

15: Hotfix #10 is released.

• May

12: Hotfix #11 is released.

• July

15: Patch 5 is released. A patch bigger in size than the fourth one, this update improved and changed multiple systems users sent feedback about: mainly the camping and dice rolling system, besides adding point-and-click barks, background goals and cinematics.

22: Hotfix #12 is released.

• August

5: Hotfix #13 is released.

24: Hotfix #14 is released.

31: Hotfix #15 is released.

• October

6: Early Access becomes one year old.

14: Patch 6 is released. A patch bigger in size than the fifth one, this update added the Sorcerer class alongside the Grymforge region and a big graphical update. Also, the typical bug-fixing and stability improvements.

21: Hotfix #16 is released.

28: Hotfix #17 is released.

• November

16: Hotfix #18 is released.

• December

2: Hotfix #19 is released.

2022

• February

15: Patch 7 is released. It adds the Barbarian class along with Improvised Weapons, UI redesign, over 700 improved cinematics and more.

22 Hotfix #20 is released.

• March

3: Hotfix #21 is released.

16: Hotfix #22 is released.

• April

7: Hotfix #23 is released.

• July

7: Patch 8 is released. Its main additions were the Bard class and Gnome race.

8: Hotfix #24 is released.

12: Hotfix #25 is released.

20: Hotfix #26 is released.

29: Hotfix #27 is released.

• August

8: Hotfix #28 is released.

• September

13: Hotfix #29 is released.

• October

6: Early Access becomes two years old.

• December

8: Larian Studios announces at the Video Game Awards the release date of the full game, August 2023, with this trailer.

14: Patch 9 is released. It adds the Paladin class, a revamped Reaction system, and the level cap is increased to 5. It is revealed this to be the last content update for Early Access in preparation for the final release on August 2023.

22: Hotfix #30 is released.

2023

• January

17: Hotfix #31 is released.

25: Hotfix #32 is released.

• February

23: Release date for the full game is announced. Baldur's Gate 3 is planned to release on August 31, 2023. PS5 is also announced as one of the platforms, with this trailer.