Baldur's Gate 3 Has a Huge File Size but No Preload Option
Baldur's Gate 3 is a big game, and it can't be preloaded.
Baldur's Gate 3 is not a small game by any means, but those who've been keeping up with news of how much there is to do in the game and how many possible endings there are should already be aware of that. What early access players or those waiting for the game's full launch might not have been aware of, however, is exactly how big the game is. It's approximately 122GB in size, Larian Studios said, which is something that'd make you check your storage space anyway, but even if storage isn't an issue, you'll still have to wait awhile longer to play game seeing how there are no preload options available.
Preloading a game is a pretty common practice by now, and considering how long Baldur's Gate 3 has been in early access, players might've anticipated some kind of preload option in place to let them get the full game downloaded early (the early access version does not equate to the full release in terms of content or save compatibility, so you'll have to download the full version regardless of if you've played early or not).
"There will be no pre-loading of the game before then," Larian said in a post on Steam to confirm the lack of the preloading option.
"The full release of the game weighs in at approximately 122 GB," reads another line from the recent Larian update that talked about having to download the game again. "Please note that your Early Access save games will not be compatible at launch; however, so much has changed that it's really worth it to start afresh."
Baldur's Gate 2 came out all the way back in 2000 with the Enhanced Edition coming out just a few years later in 2013, so it's safe to say Dungeons & Dragons players have been waiting a long time for this sequel's release. In Baldur's Gate 3's defense, players have had plenty of time to play the early access version of the game, too, since that version launched in 2020.
Baldur's Gate 3 is scheduled to release on August 3rd for the PC and on September 6th for the PlayStation 5. Larian Studios hasn't confirmed plans for and Xbox version's release date, but it's open to bringing the game to that platform.
