Baldur's Gate 3: Do You Need To Play Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 First?

Baldur's Gate 3 is coming out extremely soon, a full twenty-three years after the last game in the series, bringing with it the possibility of getting new fans onboard with the series and perhaps even bringing new fans to the world of Dungeons & Dragons itself. But is it important for you to play Baldur's Gate 1 and Baldur's Gate 2 before you play Baldur's Gate 3?

Do you need to play the first two Baldur's Gate games first?

You won't need to play Baldur's Gate or Baldur's Gate 2 before playing Baldur's Gate III. While the first two Baldur's Gate games are critically acclaimed games that are also beloved by the fanbase, Baldur's Gate III is set in the same world but is set more than a hundred years after the first two games in the series. It also plays extremely differently, since the Dungeons & Dragons system used for Baldur's Gate III is Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition, a version completely different from the systems in Baldur's Gate 1 and Baldur's Gate 2.

If you're looking forward to Baldur's Gate 3, you can just hop into it with no prior knowledge as the game will explain the necessary lore to you as you play, and will make sure that you understand everything that you need to in order to actually enjoy the game.

The game opens with an explanation of what's actually going on and the knowledge of what's going on in the first two Baldur's Gate games just isn't necessary. It gives you background knowledge of events and that's about it, with the hundred-hour odd RPG telling you everything you need to know about what goes on in the game.