It’s a scene etched into the memory of every Baldur’s Gate 3 fan who stuck with it: the final, heart-wrenching choices, the fate of your companions, and the epic conclusion to a journey over 100 hours long. But for the vast majority of players, that scene remains a mystery watched on YouTube, not a memory earned in-game.
Two years after its landmark release in August 2023, Baldur’s Gate 3 continues to be a commercial juggernaut. As of November 2024, Larian Studios' epic Dungeons & Dragons RPG has sold a staggering over 15 million copies worldwide. Yet, buried within Steam's achievement data lies a surprising statistic: only 23.4% of players have officially seen the game's credits roll.
The Elusive "All's Well That Ends Well" Achievement
The proof is in the digital pudding. The Steam achievement "All’s Well That Ends Well," awarded for finishing the main story, sits at a completion rate of just under a quarter of the player base. This figure is especially telling because, unlike some games, this achievement only pops once, meaning it doesn't account for multiple playthroughs by dedicated fans.
This leaves a colossal 76% of players who embarked on a journey through the Forgotten Realms but never reached its official endpoint. So, what happened? Did the Mind Flayer parasite win after all?
Lost in the Realms: The Immensity of Baldur's Gate 3
The most common and understandable reason is the sheer, overwhelming scope of the game. Baldur’s Gate 3 isn't just a long game; it's a dense one. Players often spend dozens of hours in Act 1 alone, meticulously exploring the Wilderness, the Underdark, and the Grymforge. By the time they reach the sprawling city of Baldur's Gate in Act 3, many are already 80-100 hours deep.
Act 3 itself is a game unto itself, packed with dozens of questlines, complex character conclusions, and a near-infinite number of player-driven choices. For many with limited gaming time, this can lead to what's known as "gamer burnout," where the commitment to see the story through becomes a chore rather than a joy.
A Industry-Wide Phenomenon: How Does Baldur's Gate 3 Compare?
This completion rate conundrum isn't unique to Larian's masterpiece. It's a well-documented trend in massive, open-world RPGs.
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: A titan of the genre, with only about 27% of players obtaining the "Passed the Trial" achievement for finishing the game on any difficulty.
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: The Special Edition sees an even more drastic drop-off, with a mere 11.1% of players becoming the ultimate Dragonborn by completing the main quest.
In one regard, Baldur’s Gate 3 is a resounding success. A whopping 90% of players earned the "Descent from Avernus" achievement for escaping the prologue Nautiloid ship. This is a significant improvement over The Witcher 3, where a notable chunk of players never even left the introductory area of White Orchard.
You can explore the full breakdown of player progress for yourself on the official Baldur's Gate 3 Steam Achievements page.
The Act 3 Performance Hurdle
At launch, there was another, more technical barrier to completion: performance. The densely populated streets of the Lower City in Act 3 were infamous for bringing even high-end gaming PCs to their knees. Reports from 2023 highlighted significant frame time spikes and FPS drops of around 20% on flagship CPUs like the Intel Core i9-12900K.
This technical stutter during the game's most critical narrative chapter undoubtedly contributed to player frustration and drop-off. The good news is that Larian has been diligently working on this. The recently released Hotfix #34, for example, specifically targeted "reduced framerate spikes in busy areas (like Act 3)" and introduced native Steam Deck support, making the final act a smoother experience for all.
The Legacy and Future of Larian Studios
Despite the completion statistics, Baldur’s Gate 3’s impact is undeniable. The game celebrated its second anniversary last month, cementing its place as one of the greatest RPGs of all time. Its success has given developer Larian Studios the freedom to chart an exciting new course.
Studio head Swen Vincke has confirmed that the team is done with major content updates for Baldur’s Gate 3 and has shifted its full focus to two new, original projects. While details are scarce, speculation is running wild. Rumors suggest one title is a brand-new IP, while the other could be a highly anticipated sequel to one of Larian's beloved franchises, potentially Divinity: Original Sin 3.
According to Vincke, fans can expect Larian's next grand adventure to arrive sometime between 2028 and 2029. In the meantime, with over 15 million copies sold, there are still millions of players out there with an unfinished story in their game library, waiting for the right moment to return and finally discover how their story ends.
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