Baldur’s Gate 3 launch guide: Pre-load, file size, launch times

Baldur’s Gate 3 is nearly upon us and fans cannot wait to explore the full glory of the Forgotten Realms. We’ve put together a guide on how to get started.

It’s Baldur’s Gate 3 eve and we’re sure prospective players are waiting with bated breath until the full launch of the game on August 3.

Fans will likely want to get started with the game as soon as humanly possible to get the most out of it.

We’ve put together this handy guide together to help prepare players for launch. Here’s what we know about pre-loading, file size, and launch times.

Preparation is key! How else are you gonna make a beeline for this owl-bear cub?

Can you pre-load Baldur’s Gate 3?

Ripping the band-aid off, you cannot pre-load Baldur’s Gate 3. It’s a massive shame but developer Larian Studio has a pretty good reason for why you can’t.

In a post on the Baldur’s Gate 3 Twitter account, the developers explained the reason for the lack of pre-loading. Apparently, because the game is on Steam and there is an early access function, switching to pre-load could “break the game” for those still playing the early access.

It’s a fair enough reason to keep pre-loading at bay but it does complicate the launch a bit. The game’s file size is quite hefty.

Unfortunately we’re unable to make Baldur’s Gate 3 available for pre-load — Steam doesn’t support pre-load for Early Access titles because switching to pre-load would break the game for people currently playing Early Access.

— Baldur's Gate 3 (@baldursgate3) August 1, 2023

Baldur’s Gate 3 file size

Baldur’s Gate 3 is a gargantuan 122GB putting it up there with titans like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Microsoft Fight Simulator. The size of the game only makes the lack of pre-load more painful.

122GB is sizable and you can expect a pretty long download time regardless of your internet speed.

If you want to get into Baldur’s Gate 3 as soon as you possibly can, we recommend being across launch times and setting an alarm to start your download early.

Baldur’s Gate 3 launch times

As previously mentioned, Baldur’s releases on August 3, 2023 but it drops specifically at 8 AM PDT. We’ve done some conversions to help our global audience:

• 8 AM PDT (Los Angeles)
• 11 AM EDT (New York/Quebec)
• 12 PM BRT (Rio de Janeiro)
• 4 PM GMT (London)
• 5 PM CEST (Berlin)
• 1 AM, August 4 AEST (Sydney)
• 3 AM, August 4 NZST (Auckland)

The sooner you can start the game, the sooner you can romance that green goddess Lae’zel.

Hopefully, with all this info, you’ll be able to start your journey in the Forgotten Realms right.

While you wait, it might be best to check out some of our Baldur’s Gate 3 guides so you’re prepared for your adventure.

Best Barbarian build | Best Druid build | Best Warlock build | Does Baldur’s Gate 3 have crossplay & cross-platform progression? | Can you play Baldur’s Gate 3 on Steam Deck? | Baldur’s Gate 3 voice actors for all characters | How long is Baldur’s Gate 3? | Baldur’s Gate 3 pre-release bonuses & edition differences | Is Baldur’s Gate 3 coming to Xbox? | Is Baldur’s Gate 3 single-player? | Baldur’s Gate 3 Mind Flayers explained: Who are the Illithids? | Baldur’s Gate 3 proficiency explained