Larian releases heart-warming farewell to fans as Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 8 releases

Update: Baldur’s Gate 3 patch 8 is now available to download on all systems meaning PS5, PC, Xbox, and Mac. Confirmation comes courtesy of the game’s official X account with patch notes now available to read.

Following the release of the patch, Larian posted a heartfelt message to the community. In a farewell to the game, the developer posted, “You helped us make @baldursgate3 a bigger success than we could’ve ever hoped for, and that passion could keep us tweaking things and making changes until the end of time. But then we’d never be able to create something new. Thank you, from all of us at Larian Studios”.

Patch 8 has been dubbed the final “major” update for Baldur’s Gate 3, so this does appear to be the end of new content. Hotfixes and support are still likely following the release of this giant update, but don’t expect any more content, which is more than understandable considering we’ve now received photo mode, crossplay, 12 sub classes and more on top of mods and everything else previously added.

We cannot wait for what Larian Studios is cooking next, and hopefully it’ll be just as epic as the Divinity series and BG3.

Original story:

Baldur’s Gate 3 was already one of the greatest video games of all time when it came out, but Larian has spent years making it even better through continuous support. Fans can expect even more from BG3 for many years thanks to modders exploring custom campaigns, but official new content is still coming out from Larian.  The release date and time countdown for when Baldur’s Gate 3 patch 8 is expected to come out is imminent, and the download will include many exciting additions such as photo mode.

Baldur’s Gate 3 patch 8 release date?

The release date for Baldur’s Gate 3 patch 8 is April 15th. This was confirmed by Larian Studios on X. This follows a period of ‘Stress testing‘, which saw a select number of the community get access to the Patch 8 build early to help Larian iron out any bugs and performance issues.

This is the next big update arriving for BG3 after patch 7 came out back in September for PC, and October for consoles. The good news about patch 8 is that it is arriving on all systems at the same time, meaning PS5 and Xbox players don’t have to watch PC players with envy.

What time does Baldur’s Gate 3 patch 8 come out?

Larian hasn’t shared the launch hours for the new BG3 download, but the expected release time for when Baldur’s Gate 3 patch 8 will come out is 9-10AM PT/12-1PM ET/5PM-6PM BST.

Although unofficial, this is when updates from Larian have typically come out in the past. While the release time for patch 8 has not been announced, Larian has announced on the forums on that they will be conducting a livestream on Twitch starting at 1PM UTC on April 16th. The livestream will be “with guest developer Ross,” and it will “talk all things patch 8”.

Expected Baldur’s Gate 3 patch 8 release time US

• 9-10AM PT on Tuesday, April 15th
• 12-1PM ET on Tuesday, April 15th

Expected BG3 patch 8 release time UK

• 5-6PM BST on Tuesday, April 15th

New BG3 update countdown clock

Below is a countdown to when the new BG3 update is expected to come out:

New BG3 patch 8 content

Patch 8 is possibly the most anticipated updated to come to Larian’s game since launch. A large part of that is due to crossplay and photo mode, two features fans have been craving for. For those on Xbox Series S, split screen will be available once the update goes live.

The key additions to the game are as follows:

• Crossplay
• Photo mode
• 12 additional subclasses
• Xbox Series S split screen

Crossplay for Baldur’s Gate 3 has been anticipated for a long time. According to Larian’s overview of patch on Steam, crossplay will fully work between PS5, PC, and Xbox. Once the update comes out and is downloaded, you will “be able to invite your friends to join your cross-play lobby directly, regardless of platform and find available multiplayer lobbies with friends on other systems using the Larian Network”.

However, as the developer notes on the official website, if you’re looking to join a modded PC lobby, the PC host must have fewer than 100 mods installed on that save, and include mods that are accepted on console and Mac. If not, a “mod mismatch” will be detected, and you will not be able to join the host’s game.

Photo mode is always exciting, and Larian have gone and beyond as photo mode will pack lots of options such as poses, scene setting, lens settings, and more. Lastly, the 12 new subclasses are as follows: 

• Bard – College of Glamour
• Barbarian – Path of Giants
• Cleric – Death Domain
• Druid – Circle of Stars
• Paladian – Oath of the Crown
• Fighter – Arcane Archer
• Ranger – Swarmkeeper
• Rogue – Swashbuckler
• Sorcerer – Shadow Magic
• Warlock – Hexblade
• Wizard – Bladesinging

Is Patch 8 the last update for Baldur’s Gate 3?

Larian has suggested that patch 8 is the final “major” update for Baldur’s Gate 3. This doesn’t mean there won’t be new updates as there might still be hotfixes to continually improve the game’s performance, but this may be the last time we get a slew of new content.

If this is the end of new content as Larian has suggested, then it’s more than fine as we’ve been spoiled since the game’s launch back in 2023. Once patch 8 comes out, we will have photo mode, crossplay, and more subclasses, and this is on top of mods, additional endings, and everything else that was added in patches before.

We’re definitely revisiting BG3 for the umpteenth time following this new update, and we cannot wait to take a million photos showcasing the beauty of the game’s environments and characters.

As for what’s beyond patch 8, Wizards of the Coast have teased that the future plans will be revealed soon.