Since Baldur’s Gate 3 swept the gaming world by storm, many fans have wondered what the next big Dungeons & Dragons video game would be. Though Wizards of the Coast has teased an eventual Baldur’s Gate 4, it doesn’t seem like Larian plans to return for the project. But the Baldur’s Gate series has never been the only D&D video game series out there. Instead of jumping right in with a Baldur’s Gate 3 sequel, Wizards of the Coast has unveiled a different project for the next big Dungeons & Dragons video game. And honestly? It’s probably the right call.
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At the 2025 Game Awards, Wizards of the Coast and Invoke Studios unveiled the next D&D game headed our way. And no, it’s not that cozy game they’ve been teasing. Instead, we got a first look at a new third-person action-adventure RPG called Warlock. Though we don’t know much about the game, it’s pretty clear from the cinematic trailer that it’s not trying to be a Baldur’s Gate 3 clone. And that’s a very smart move.
Warlock Will Embrace D&D Class Lore Through a Single Protagonist
The main character of Warlock is Kaatri. As the game’s name suggests, she is a video game version of the TTRPG’s Warlock class. In this way, Warlock is set up to deep dive into the lore behind Warlocks, which has some interesting storytelling potential. These casters make a pact with a powerful entity to gain their magic, and that is the kind of story that basically writes itself. We don’t yet know who Kaatri’s patron is, but the trailer’s vibes certainly offer some hints for those familiar with D&D lore.
The single-player title is not party-based, so we will delve deeply into Kaatri’s story rather than assembling a group of romanceable companions a la Baldur’s Gate 3. It is, however, open-world and has a narrative where choices matter, so players will still have some of the freedom Larian’s RPG offered. Just with a quite different playstyle, one that looks poised to lean into more traditional action RPG combat rather than the turn-based TTRPG-esque feel of Baldur’s Gate 3.
This year brought us Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked, which is much more of a co-op tabletop experience than a straightforward RPG. Following that, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the next single-player D&D RPG video game to follow Baldur’s Gate 3. But now that I’ve seen the cinematic trailer for Warlock and the initial details, I think this feels very much like the right direction.
Trying To Build Another Baldur’s Gate 3 So Soon Would’ve Been a Recipe for Disaster
Though it’s a few years old at this point, the legacy of Baldur’s Gate 3 looms large. It is an intricate and unique game, with a turn-based play style that builds on other, similar RPG games. So often, when something works, IP holders try to iterate on it again and again, with ever-cheaper imitations. And I’ll admit, I was a little worried whatever we saw for the next D&D RPG might do this with the Baldur’s Gate 3 formula.
Baldur’s Gate 3 leaves big shoes to fill. And it’s almost inevitable that fans will compare whatever Wizards of the Coast puts out next to this D&D game juggernaut. So moving to a game that’s quite different in essential ways is a great way to avoid those comparisons as much as possible. Focusing on a single-player, action RPG vibe for Warlock makes it immediately clear this game isn’t trying to be Baldur’s Gate 3 2.0. It lets fans, myself included, set this new title aside as something entirely different. And it also allows the developers to make something exciting, with full creative freedom to give us a new D&D RPG that will stand out on its own.
Having a static class as the main character rather than letting us choose from a length list has a lot of potential. Baldur’s Gate 3 offered up a variety of classes for our player character and in the companions. But Warlock is poised to do something BG3 couldn’t. It could offer a lore-filled deep dive look at one class, bringing the Warlock to life in a new way that expands on it. It offers the potential for lore depth rather than breadth, for a story that embraces the nuance of one character rather than spreading the love.
We know very little about Warlock at this point, but I know that I’m excited to see more. Seeing that this game will not try to be a copy of Baldur’s Gate 3 makes me more excited for what Invoke Studios will come up with here. And embracing a spellcasting class for a full-length open-world RPG? I am very much here for that.
What did you think of the initial Dungeons & Dragons: Warlock reveal trailer? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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