How to pause Baldur’s Gate 3

Want to know how to pause Baldur’s Gate 3? Pausing is one of the oldest and most utilised mechanics in games – especially single-player ones – yet it’s often taken for granted. Larian Studios’ latest entry into their Dungeons and Dragons video game trilogy can take a lot of tactical thinking at times, so being able to stop and think is critical.

We’ll cover how to pause Baldur’s Gate 3, and the different types of pausing you can make use of. Players infiltrating challenging areas like the Baldur’s Gate 3 Goblin Camp or the Baldur’s Gate 3 Silent Library will find this particularly useful.

How to pause in BG3

To pause in Baldur’s Gate 3, you can use one of the following options to keep things from progressing:

• Press the Escape button to bring up the menu. This will hold the game in place, but it won’t stop environmental effects or ongoing combat in the background. You can exit to the menu screen from here as a more definitive pause.
• Enter turn-based mode by clicking on the large circular icon at the bottom right of the HUD. The game can’t progress while waiting on one of your party members to take their turn.
• Put yourself into a conversation with an NPC or Baldur’s Gate 3 companions. No other events will take place during conversation, but there’s no timer for choosing dialogue options, so you can go away and take as long as you like without issue.

These are your best three options for pausing the game and halting ongoing gameplay. Be aware that if you’re in turn-based mode, hitting the spacebar is a shortcut for clicking the end-turn button, so you’ll want to be careful to avoid doing this.

When should you pause in Baldur’s Gate 3?

Choosing when to pause is really at the player’s discretion, but it’s useful in some situations. If you’re trying to use stealth or navigate traps, then entering turn-based mode can be a lifesaver as it’ll give you the time you need to precisely navigate your party and heal where necessary.

Pausing in combat is effectively automatic since you’re put into turn-based mode, but it’s often worth making the best of the opportunity. Consider carefully what the best Baldur’s Gate 3 spells and Baldur’s Gate 3 abilities for a given situation are, as many creatures have different resistances, immunities, and vulnerabilities.

Utilising the granted pause on action during speech is also worthwhile. Whether you’re trying to romance a companion or just converse with a soon-to-be-enemy, it’s often a good idea to stop and read through all your options carefully before deciding on what dialogue to go with.

That covers everything you need to know about how to pause Baldur’s Gate 3. If you’re stuck on other little things, like how to leave camp in Baldur’s Gate 3, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered there too.