Baldur’s Gate 3 beats out Elden Ring 3 on Steam Deck for August
Larian Studios, FromSoftwareBaldur’s Gate 3’s first month can add another accomplishment to its long list, as the game is the most-played Steam Deck game of August.
It’s pretty safe to say that Baldur’s Gate 3 has had one of the best first months of any game in recent memory. Larian Studios’ masterpiece has gone from a D&D adaptation from a niche genre to a serious Game of the Year contender.
Adding to the game’s long list of accomplishments is the news that Baldur’s Gate 3 was the most-played game on Steam Deck for the month of August, putting it ahead of other popular games that normally top the list like Elden Ring.
Larian StudiosMore Steam Deck owners played Baldur’s Gate 3 last month than Elden Ring or Stardew Valley
As shared by the official Steam Deck Twitter account, Baldur’s Gate 3 sits at #1 on the list of the platform’s top 20 games of August 2023.
It’s followed by Elden Ring, which has been at or near the top for months now. Rounding out the top five are casual indie RPG Dave the Diver, Stardew Valley, and Vampire Survivors.
Given the game’s popularity, it’s not too shocking that Baldur’s Gate 3 made the list. The fact that it beat out one of the biggest titles of last year and an ever-popular casual game like Stardew Valley that is so well-suited for a handheld system is impressive.
You’d also be forgiven for being surprised that the game even runs on Steam Deck. Baldur’s Gate 3 is big and technically demanding to the point Xbox had to make an exception to its parity requirement to let Larian release a Series X|S port – though the issue there centered on a feature the Steam Deck version doesn’t have.
Of course, Baldur’s Gate 3 was not the only major new release last month. Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, also by Elden Ring developer FromSoftware, made the list too, sitting at #14.
It is notable that Elden Ring has been at or near the top for months now, typically being overtaken by major Deck Verified new releases like Street Fighter 6 and Hogwarts Legacy. What will be interesting to see is how Baldur’s Gate 3 fares in September, especially in the wake of Starfield’s release.