How many acts in BG3?

Baldur’s Gate is an incredibly lengthy game. Open-world RPGs have this reputation of being huge in scope; they could take up much of your free time if you’re not careful. Thankfully, Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t a chore to get through. Thanks to Larian Studios’ efforts, the game’s explorative and deeply immersive environments let players make different decisions, resulting in different outcomes.

During its three-year early access period, fans of the Dungeons & Dragons franchise wanted to know if more was coming. Baldur’s Gate III can be a prolonged experience—depending on how you play it. I’m not even counting the potential DLCs that could come down the line. Undoubtedly, it’s a time-sinker to get through, but how long is it? How many acts are there?

BG3: How Many Acts Are In the Game?

As of this writing, Baldur’s Gate III has a three-act story. However, that doesn’t mean the game only has three chapters to sift through. You could easily spend 15 to 20 hours on the first act alone. Of course, the time it takes to complete an act depends on how much you explore and how many side quests you plan to complete. According to Swen Vincke—one of the developers in Baldur’s Gate III—Act 2 is the “largest” part of the game by a significant margin, while Act 3 is the shortest, as it brings about the story’s climax.

Since Baldur’s Gate 3 is set in a titular city, there’s plenty to see (and do) in the latest iteration of the classic RPG franchise. Plus, as a Dungeons & Dragons game, you also have an incredible amount of flexibility in the choices you can make.

Here are some details about the Acts in Baldur’s Gate 3:

• Act 1: Introduces you to the world of Baldur’s Gate 3 and its main characters. This is also where the events will be set up, unfolding in the later acts.
• Act 2: The most ambitious and largest act in the entire game. This is the part where Baldur’s Gate 3 introduces you to new characters and takes you to new locations. It’s also the act that moves the story forward.
• Act 3: The culmination of your journey lies in this act. While it’s the shortest act, it’s also the most challenging and rewarding in the game.

How Long Does it Take to Beat Baldur’s Gate 3?

The amount of time spent on each act depends on how much you want to focus on the main story and the exploring you choose to do in Faerun. Multiple acts in the game can take up a chunk of your time. Like Larian Studios’ previous game—Divinity: Original Sin 2—each act will have more things for you to do.

I can only speculate how long each act will take since Baldur’s Gate 3 is new, and most players have yet to reach the story’s conclusion. What’s worth noting, though, is that Baldur’s Gate 3 is the studio’s largest game yet. Based on the statistics from HowLongToBeat, it can take 24 to 70 hours to “beat” Baldur’s Gate 3 should you focus your efforts on the main story entirely. However, if you play casually by doing a few side quests here and there, Larian Studios states that the game will take anywhere from 75 to 100 hours to beat.

I can imagine the length of Divinity: Original 2 is doubled or tripled for Baldur’s Gate 3. With that in mind, here’s how long I think each act will take based on the length of the previous Larian games as well as the completion of all activities:

• Act 1: Around 50+ hours
• Act 2: Around 70+ hours
• Act 3: Around 40-50 hours

Other Things to Consider While Playing Baldur’s Gate 3

My estimates should be a good idea of this open-world RPG’s scope and how much content there is. Besides considering the story, you must consider other things that could take up your time while playing Baldur’s Gate 3. For example, you can romance other characters—of which there are multiple options for you to choose from. Baldur’s Gate 3 doesn’t shy away from letting you pair up with interesting partners. You can even romance the Dreamlover in your character’s mind.

Moreover, your actions will lead to an exclusive ending only for you. I won’t be surprised if you spend dozens of hours ensuring your actions will lead you to your preferred ending. Baldur’s Gate 3 allegedly has 17,000 possible endings. Everything you do in the game can somehow influence the end of the story.

Baldur’s Gate 3’s Three-Act Story Isn’t Short By Any Means

One might assume that Baldur’s Gate 3 is short because it only has three acts, but you must consider the sheer weight and scope of the game’s content. With hundreds of playthrough options, 2 million words in the script, and hours of cutscenes, suffice it to say that no two (or three or four) playthroughs will be the same in this game.