Summary
- The PC version of Baldur's Gate 3 has better performance and graphics, but the PS5 version still looks impressive and offers the advantage of playing on a larger screen.
- The PS5 version of Baldur's Gate 3 has slightly slower loading times and occasional buffering during battles. Still, overall, it does a brilliant job of adapting the game for consoles and making it accessible to console gamers.
- Since Baldur's Gate was originally designed for PC, the controls for combat, gameplay, character menus, and inventory management are more intuitive when played with a keyboard and mouse. Still, PS5 players using a controller don't have too steep of a learning curve.
- Controller users have a bit of an advantage when playing Baldur's Gate 3 since using the analog sticks to explore is more immersive than the point and click of a mouse.
- The PC version of Baldur's Gate 3 is more affordable, which makes sense when considering the franchise's PC roots. Still, PS5 and Xbox gamers are happy to be able to play such a sprawling game on their consoles.
Fans of the Baldur's Gate franchise had to wait 23 years to get a sequel to Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, but it was definitely worth the wait. When the Dungeons & Dragons-based RPG was finally released earlier this year, it became not only one of the best-reviewed games of 2023 but also one of the best of all time.
Baldur's Gate is traditionally a PC game with several complex mechanics that are well-suited to a keyboard and mouse. But console players haven't been left out of the latest installment. After launching on PC on August 3, Baldur's Gate 3 was released on PS5 on September 6, and an Xbox version is also on the way. There are, of course, several differences between the more powerful PC version and the lower-powered console version in terms of graphics and performance, loading times, gameplay, menu navigation, exploration, and price point.
Baldur's Gate 3: PS5 vs. PC Graphics and Performance
Baldur's Gate 3 is a stunning game with rich and varied environments and character models, even on the lower-powered PS5. A decent PC, however, is certainly the best way to experience the game in terms of graphical performance. On a more powerful PC, Baldur's Gate 3 can run at native 4k at 60fps, which offers a small but noticeable improvement over the PS5 version.
The PS5 offers players the choice of two modes: Quality and Performance. Quality mode runs at a native 1440p resolution, which is then upscaled to 4k, whereas Performance mode runs at a lower resolution, around 1080p. The trade-off is that Quality mode aims to run at 30fps, with small drops, whereas Performance mode targets 60fps but again drops below that on occasion. Both versions suffer from pop-in every now and then when textures and backgrounds take a little longer to load.
Overall, PC gamers are naturally getting a stronger performance and better graphics than their console counterparts, but not by much, as the game still looks gorgeous on the PS5. The PS5 does, however, have the advantage that it's more likely to be played on a larger screen, which also makes the game look even more impressive. Either way, Baldur's Gate 3 is certainly one of the best-looking games on both PC and console.
Baldur's Gate 3: PS5 vs. PC Loading Times
Baldur's Gate 3 is a huge game, so it can take a while to load, especially from the main menu or when reloading a previous save. Although it can be slow even on a high-end PC, taking around 20 seconds to load a save, the PS5 version is even slower, often taking double that time. Although the load times might be slightly irritating, they're a small price to pay, considering the almost endless gameplay opportunities that Baldur's Gate 3 offers its players.
On console, the game also occasionally buffers mid-battle with delays to both player and opponent actions. For example, the player could select an input and then have to wait a few seconds for the game to catch up and have the character take their turn. The same can also happen during opponents' turns. Essentially, in busier battles with more enemies, it can appear as if the game is frozen for a few seconds, which is quite jarring. The vast majority of fights, though, run very well.
Baldur's Gate 3: PS5 vs. PC Combat and Gameplay
The Baldur's Gate franchise was designed first as a PC game to be played with a keyboard and mouse. Given its D&D roots, the game offers players numerous possible actions at any given moment. On PC, these action menus are simple to navigate by clicking on the appropriate action from a selection of bars at the bottom of the screen. However, such a point-and-click heavy system doesn't adapt well to a controller, so Larian Studios has done a brilliant job of redesigning the game for consoles.
Instead of the PC's smaller bar-like menu, the PS5 version operates through a series of action wheels. These are navigated with the shoulder buttons and analog sticks to make accessing a host of options a lot quicker than trying to move a cursor with the analog sticks alone. Although this system does take some getting used to, once players become comfortable with it, it becomes second nature, and the game feels far less cumbersome than it easily could have as a result.
As players gain more abilities, spells, and useable items, the number of wheels required to show them all does increase, which can look quite cluttered. However, players can map certain actions to certain slots to make navigating these menus more streamlined. The turn-based nature of the game, which can be toggled off as a side note, does help the wheel system, too, as it gives players time to shift across the menus and choose the appropriate action. Overall, the PC version definitely feels more straightforward, but the PS5 version does a brilliant job of porting across a PC-focused system and making it accessible to console gamers.
Baldur's Gate 3: PS5 vs. PC Character Menus and Inventory Management
Baldur's Gate 3's character menus and inventory management systems are definitely best suited to PC gamers. Items can easily be separated and can also be quickly moved, either into equipped slots or sent to other characters' inventories, by clicking and dragging them across the screen. Other characters are simply selected by clicking on their icon to bring up their menu.
Unfortunately, on PS5, things are a little more fiddly and, again, take some time to get used to. For example, to send an item to a companion, instead of simply dragging it, PS5 players need to press square on the item, select "send to," and then select the companion from a drop-down list. It's small differences like this, of which there are many within the menu navigations, that generally make the PS5 version feel more complex and long-winded. However, given the scope of options within the game, it still plays very well on console, and once players are used to it, it becomes a lot less noticeable and frustrating.
Baldur's Gate 3: PS5 vs. PC Exploration
Exploration is one area where the PS5 might have a slight advantage. Whereas PC players constantly click to move their party, console players use the more naturally-suited analog sticks. These give more control than the point and click of a mouse as players can adjust where a party member is headed in real time without having to move their cursor across a screen. The second stick for controlling the camera is also extremely natural and makes looking around a lot easier.
However, it can occasionally be hard to select the correct object to interact with, given that PS5 players have less direct and intricate cursor control. They can use the D-pad to cycle through available interactions, but this is something that's naturally a lot simpler with a mouse. Overall, exploring the world is an important part of playing Baldur's Gate 3, and although it feels excellent on both the PC and PS5, the ease and comfort of using analog sticks gives the console version a slight edge in that regard.
Baldur's Gate 3: PS5 vs. PC Price
Finally, PC players get the best financial deal when it comes to purchasing Baldur's Gate 3. The standard Steam version is $59.99, and players have the option to add the Digital Deluxe DLC for an extra $9.99. The PS5 version, however, is more expensive and is priced at $69.99 for the standard version and $79.99 for the Digital Deluxe version.
Overall, given its roots as a PC franchise and given the higher performance capabilities of a decent PC versus a PS5, it's no real surprise that Baldur's Gate 3 is best experienced on PC. However, that's not at all to say that the PS5 version isn't worthwhile. In fact, the complete opposite is true. It does a fantastic job of adapting a deeply complex and open game to consoles while maintaining some stunning graphics and a good rate of performance. It's one of the best games of the year, so PS5 owners should be incredibly excited that it's out on their console, and Xbox fans should be hyped that they get to experience it later in the year.