Aussie RPG fans eager to get stuck into the full release of Baldur’s Gate 3 don’t have much longer to wait with the game’s August 3rd release date right around the bend. Although, if you’re at all familiar with the plight of local Australian timezones and living on a different schedule to a good portion of the world, you’ll no doubt have realised that August 3rd date isn’t technically true for all of us.
Yes, folks over on the East side of the Land Down Under shouldn’t expect to be getting stuck into Larian’s new blockbuster RPG before the early hours of August 4th, thanks to the unforgiving and anxiety-inducing march of time that puts us one square ahead of folks on the ol’ calendar. So to help set expectations, we’ve put together a quick list of what times Aussie gamers around the country can start to get stuck into the game. Or, at least start downloading it…
When Does Baldur’s Gate 3 Unlock In Australia?
For those jumping into Baldur’s Gate 3 with its full, finished PC release, the game is out on August 3rd/4th in the following local timezones:
- 1.00 AM on August 4th AEST (Melbourne/Sydney/Hobart/Canberra/Brisbane)
- 12.30 AM on August 4th ACST (Adelaide, Darwin)
- 11.00 PM on August 3rd AWST (Perth)
- 3.00 AM on August 4th NZDT (Wellington)
How Big Is The Baldur’s Gate 3 Download?
The kinda bad news in all of this is that, despite the game going live at the above times, you’re probably not going to be able to play it for a few more hours (or in Aussie internet terms, days) after. It’s a whopping 122GB download, and the studio has already confirmed there won’t be any pre-loading. Sorry about that.
What Are The System Requirements For Baldur’s Gate 3?
You won’t need a hell of a rig to at least get Baldur’s Gate 3 up and running, although the storage space needed coupled with the requirement of an SSD sticks out as something that might trip a few people up. It’ll also be available on Mac at a later date (or right now in early access) if you’re rocking the right system for it.
Minimum system requirements:
- System: Windows 10 64-bit
- Processor: Intel I5 4690 / AMD FX 8350
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia GTX 970 / RX 480 (4GB+ of VRAM)
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 150 GB available space
- Other: SSD required
Recommended system requirements:
- System: Windows 10 64-bit
- Processor: Intel i7 8700K / AMD r5 3600
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia 2060 Super / RX 5700 XT (8GB+ of VRAM)
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 150 GB available space
- Other: SSD required
To meet minimum specs for the early access/eventual Mac release, you’ll need a MacBook Pro 15 inch from 2016 or newer, or a MacBook Pro 13 inch from 2018 or newer with an AMD Radeon 460 4GB. M1 Chip requirements: MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or Mac mini with Apple M1 chip and 8GB of RAM. SSD required.
You’ll meet recommended specs if you have a MacBook Pro 15 inch or 16 inch from 2019 and up with an AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 8GB. An iMac from 2017 or newer will also pull it off. M1 Chip requirements: MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or Mac mini with Apple M1 chip and 16GB of RAM. SSD required.
Is Baldur’s Gate 3 Coming To Consoles?
Yep! Baldur’s Gate 3 releases on PlayStation 5 consoles a bit later than the PC launch on September 6th. An Xbox version of the game is also planned, but challenges have meant that it’s not yet ready for release and at this stage isn’t expected until next year.
Where Can I Buy Baldur’s Gate 3?
Baldur’s Gate 3 is available to purchase on a few digital PC storefronts, including Steam and GOG. Neither the PC or PS5 version will have a physical release (save for the Collector’s Edition which still doesn’t include a disc) but you can pre-order the PS5 version digitally on the PlayStation Store with 72 hours early access for the Digital Deluxe Edition.
