10 Upcoming Games Every Baldur’s Gate 3 Fan Should Have On Their Radar

Baldur’s Gate 3 is one of those once-in-a-generation games that can be incredibly hard to find a direct replacement for, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t more than a few exciting titles on the horizon that can scratch the itch left behind by Larian Studios’ award-winning CRPG.

Despite adding plenty of replayability through new features and subclasses that offer a whole new perspective on Baldur’s Gate 3, there is still only so much variety that a single game can offer before it starts to get all too familiar. Although we’re still awaiting the wave of high-quality CRPGs aiming to capitalize on the success of Baldur’s Gate 3, these upcoming games are worth keeping an eye out for their striking similarities or fresh concepts.

Experience Another Classic Fantasy RPG With The Gothic 1 Remake

Rebuilding the original cult-classic RPG from scratch, the Gothic 1 Remake has shown some incredible promise so far when it comes to offering a cinematic RPG experience. While Gothic 1 might not have the same strategic combat or party mechanics as Baldur’s Gate 3, the unmatched atmosphere, unforgiving setting, and reactive game world of the original are incredibly addictive to this day.

If the Gothic 1 Remake can improve upon the already great foundations of the original experience, bringing some much-needed visual and quality-of-life improvements to its unique reputation and RPG freedom, it could fulfill its potential as one of the more promising action-RPGs on the horizon so far.

ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies Is Perfect For Roleplaying Fans

If your favorite part about Baldur’s Gate 3 comes from role-playing, then a narrative-focused game like ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies is the perfect way to satisfy your CRPG itch. Made by some of the same creators behind the legendary RPG Disco Elysium, the espionage spy thriller has a massive amount of player freedom to let you experience its dynamic story and rich characters exactly how you want to.

ZERO PARADES even includes a similar rolling mechanic for stat checks, as seen in both Baldur’s Gate 3 and the previous Disco Elysium as well. This adds the right amount of chaos to the experience and its outcomes while still encouraging unique character builds to increase your odds of success as much as possible, whether it’s a straightforward approach, stealth, or subtle manipulations.

It’s Hard To Beat The Cinematic Style Of The Witcher 4

Although The Witcher games are a much more action-packed experience compared to Baldur’s Gate 3‘s slower-paced, turn-based strategy, the series has been well known for its incredible storytelling and cinematic moments that The Witcher 4 already seems to be taking to even greater heights.

The Witcher 3 featured unique quests and character writing that were well on par with Baldur’s Gate 3, and The Witcher 4 could allow players to get even more hands-on experience with a wide variety of mythological creatures and moral dilemmas that can’t always be solved with a simple sword or two. With many quests having several different outcomes or approaches depending on your style, The Witcher 4 should be a great choice if you’re looking for a more immersive role-playing experience.

The Expanse: Osiris Reborn Is A Transformative Sci-Fi Experience

Created by the same studio that made several excellent CPRGs in the past, Owlcat Games’ take on a more action-based third-person RPG still shares more than a few thematic similarities with Baldur’s Gate 3. Despite its drastically detached setting and gameplay style, Osiris Reborn‘s narrative experience focused on political intrigue, complex relationship systems, and moral decisions is just the right alternative for Baldur’s Gate fans looking for a fresh new setting.

Despite being more comparable to a series like Mass Effect, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn‘s promises to deliver a chaotic story experience with plenty of customization to fit your personal playstyle, while taking place in a similarly well-established universe shared by its wildly popular book series and television adaptation.

Starfinder: Afterlight Offers a Smaller-Scale Party Experience

If you’re looking for a much closer gameplay style to Baldur’s Gate 3 but are still interested in a sci-fi twist, Starfinder: Afterlight is a part-based RPG using another tabletop framework of Pathfinder‘s space-faring derivative. Although Afterlight has a bit more of a cartoonish art style, the party-based RPG looks absolutely filled with personality, whilst having plenty of role-playing potential to keep things engaging.

With a smaller scale that allows for a more condensed set of character interactions and specializations, the crowdfunded CRPG has plenty of fresh character ancestries and classes to choose from. This should offer plenty of variety compared to a traditional D&D framework without losing the core spirit and mechanics that make games like Baldur’s Gate 3 so beloved.

STAR WARS Zero Company Shares A Similar Spirit To BG3

Although STAR WARS Zero Company is much closer to a game like XCOM than Baldur’s Gate 3, the familiar sci-fi setting’s take on the turn-based strategy genre has a greater focus on characters and interparty dynamics than you might expect. Offering a tactical story-driven Star Wars experience that promises branching story paths and plenty of factions to work with, there’s plenty of reason to keep an eye on Zero Company​​​​​​’s release.

With identifiable classes and some unique mechanics to make it stand out from other entries in the genre, STAR WARS Zero Company feels like an excellent follow-up to anyone who enjoyed the strategy and environmental effects of Baldur’s Gate 3‘s combat systems. Despite its lack of a release date, this is one of the more promising STAR WARS projects on the horizon.

Divinity Takes The Crown As Baldur’s Gate 3’s Successor

While any fan of Larian Studios can see this one coming a mile away, the Divinity series’ newest entry is more than just a simple spiritual successor to Baldur’s Gate 3, with the makings to far surprass its predecessors on an even more ambitious scale. Even aside from the acclaim Larian Studios has received from Baldur’s Gate 3, the Divinity series is already widely beloved in the CRPG community for its engaging gameplay mechanics and storytelling.

Divinity will offer a similar mix of role-playing and strategic combat that you will be familiar with if you’ve played Baldur’s Gate 3, so this won’t feel like a totally unfamiliar experience. The fact that it takes place in an entirely original game world rather than the borrowed setting of D&D, however, offers even more creative freedom for Larian Studios to go wilder than before, as clearly evidenced by its shocking reveal trailer.

Shadow of the Road Offers A Unique Take On Tactical Fantasy

Taking place in a more unexpected setting of feudal Japan with a supernatural twist, Shadow of the Road offers a classic turn-based CRPG experience similar to Baldur’s Gate 3, in a stylistic experience that already looks hard to find a direct comparison to. Aiming to offer a diverse set of characters with plenty of customization split between them, Shadow of the Road has plenty of room for carving your own path through its alternate history.

With the inclusion of stealth mechanics, complex turn-based strategy, and plenty of unique gadgets, it looks like you’ll need to take advantage of every tool and roleplaying advantage available. With otherworldly and steampunk-inspired threats in a fascinating setting, Shadow of the Road is definitely one to watch out for.

Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy Is A Treat For Any CRPG Fan

Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy is easily one of the most promising CRPGs on the horizon, with plenty to love for fans of both Baldur’s Gate 3 and the world of 40K as well. Despite being a much less familiar setting than a traditional D&D world, Dark Heresy has plenty of mechanics to aid anyone just getting introduced to the grim-dark universe of Warhammer 40k.

Combined with the fact that Dark Heresy is releasing far sooner than Divinity, the mix of detective roleplaying, dynamic homeworlds, and relationships between squad members shares plenty of what makes Baldur’s Gate 3 such a standout experience. There are more than enough unique mechanics here to make players sink hours at a time trying to piece together investigations as Inquisitors for the Empire of Man.

Solasta 2 Is The Closest Thing To BG3’s Spiritual Successor

Acting as a follow-up to the previous Solasta: Crown of the Magister, the upcoming release of Solasta 2 shares plenty of similarities with BG3 from using the same 5e D&D framework, offering the closest thing to a sequel we’ll likely get for some time. Although Solasta is a little rougher around the edges compared to Baldur’s Gate 3, the sequel looks like an incredibly cinematic experience that already shows several improvements from its predecessor.

The best part about Solasta 2 is that it’s one of the few games on this list that you can actually play for yourself right now, as it’s currently in early access on PC through Steam. Despite being described by players as a fairly early tech demo, Solasta 2 has already been getting plenty of positive feedback as a great way to follow up Baldur’s Gate 3.

Systems

Released

August 3, 2023

ESRB

Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence

Developer(s)

Larian Studios

Publisher(s)

Larian Studios

Engine

Divinity 4.0

Multiplayer

Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op

Cross-Platform Play

Full

Cross Save

Full cross-platform progression.