7 games like Baldur’s Gate 3 you have to play

If you enjoyed Baldur’s Gate 3, chances are you’ll also love these games. Here are seven games like Baldur’s Gate 3 that you have to play.

Baldur’s Gate 3 has been a triumph, but it’s not the only game in the genre. While we could simply recommend Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2, there are various other games that bear a resemblance to Baldur’s Gate 3, be it in style, storytelling, or combat. Each of the below entries has something in common with the game, and chances are, if you’ve had an epic time in fantasy gaming’s most celebrated city, then you’ll also have a blast in one of the below games.

Here are seven games like Baldur’s Gate 3 that we recommend you give a try. Some have stark differences, but all capture the spirit of the series and have lots of fans in common.

Pillars of Eternity (1 and 2)

Pillars of Eternity 2 lets you embrace your inner pirate!

Pillars of Eternity and its sequel are both heavily inspired by the original Baldur’s Gate games, so much so that they were considered spiritual successors to the series – and may be the reason why Baldur’s Gate 3 was even greenlit. The Pillars games proved there was still a hunger for the series and this may well have sparked its return.

The second game is especially fun, allowing players to crew their own ship and sail it around the world having adventures and smiting enemies with addictive turn-based combat. While both games are superb on any platform, we especially enjoyed the Switch ports which allowed us to carry on swashbuckling even when on the move!

Divinity: Original Sin (1 and 2)

Divinity Original Sin has a lot in common with Baldur’s Gate.

Divinity: Original Sin and its follow-up are both prequels to 2002’s Divine Divinity, a game that resembled Diablo in a lot of ways. However, both Divinity: Original Sin games take their inspiration more from Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 than Diablo.

The games put you in the role of two early humans looking for the source of all Sin in an effort to save the world, as well as some excellent turn-based combat that is incredibly hard to put down. Both games also break new ground in how they allow you to customize the world around you, both in single-player and multiplayer, even letting you publish your edited worlds online for others to enjoy.

Disco Elysium

Disco Elysium lets you approach the case in whichever way you think is best.

Disco Elysium combined elements of Baldur’s Gate, Fallout, and even Planescape: Torment into one single adventure set in a crumbling seaside resort that’s slowly recovering from an invasion several years ago.

The player takes on the role of an amnesic detective who’s trying to solve a murder, while things get increasingly weird around them. The game doesn’t feature much in the way of combat, it’s mostly geared around the people you talk to and the choices you make. Those who enjoy this aspect of Baldur’s Gate will find a lot to love in Disco Elysium.

Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance (1 and 2)

Dark Alliance 2 is great for those looking for something similar to Diablo or early Baldur’s Gate games.

While a spinoff to the original two Baldur’s Gate games, the Dark Alliance series emulated Blizzard’s Diablo series by switching out the turn-based combat for some hack-and-slash action. It also worked remarkably well, the Dungeons and Dragons setting feeling like an ideal backdrop for such addictive loot-chasing action.

Each game is a must-play for Baldur’s Gate fans and it’s worth pointing out that both have also been remastered on current systems. 2021’s Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance was considered a spiritual sequel but sadly didn’t live up to the legacy of the first two games.

Diablo 4

Diablo 4 is the pinnacle of hack-and-slash combat.

If you fancy more hack-and-slash action in a similar vein to Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, then Diablo 4 is the game for you. Diablo and Baldur’s Gate have always been two games with a similar fan base, despite the obvious differences between both franchises, especially relating to combat. One being turn-based and the other hack-and-slash.

Yet both games seem to occupy a similar space when it comes to top-down adventures with lots of rich lore, exploration, and enemies to destroy. Diablo 4 is the most recent entry in the series, taking a darker tone than Diablo 3, and pitting players against a more complicated enemy than just Diablo himself. Those who adore Baldur’s Gate 3 owe it to themselves to check out Diablo 4.

Octopath Traveller (1 and 2)

Octopath Traveller 2 features a night-and-day system that changes the world around you.

Like Baldur’s Gate 3, both Octopath Traveller games tell a deep interconnected fantasy story with lots of characters whose destinies are linked. Each game features eight protagonists all on their own individual quests before each character becomes embroiled in a wider story that affects them all.

In many ways, Octopath Traveller 1 and 2 are both tributes to the early 8-bit Final Fantasy games featuring a similar art style, but they stand on their own due to how replayable and deep each ‘Octopath’ ends up being. Baldur’s Gate 3 reminded us of these adventures, just as Octopath Traveller reminded us of Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2.

Elden Ring

Elden Ring brought Dark Souls into the light.

2022 belonged to Elden Ring and fantasy RPG fans who haven’t played it yet really need to finish reading this list and give it a try. A Souls game at its heart, Elden Ring is set in a vast open world where player choice is everything, breaking the mold from what had been previously expected from From Software games.

Like Baldur’s Gate 3 and Diablo 4, Elden Ring is one of the most celebrated fantasy adventures of the current era and its influence can be felt all over BG4. While it features free-flowing combat rather than the turn-based battles of Baldur’s Gate, this is another game where the simplest choice could have gigantic ramifications on the story and world you’re in – if you can handle the difficulty.

Why not take a look at some of our other Baldur’s Gate 3 guides and content:

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