How does Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3) multiplayer work?

Whether you’re jumping back in now that new content’s been added to Baldur’s Gate 3, or if you’re a total newcomer starting from scratch, there’s no overstating the value of its multiplayer mode. How does it all work, though? Though it’s easy, we can help regardless!

Unlike many other modern RPGs, Baldur’s Gate 3 is built from the ground up to support co-op multiplayer gameplay every step of the way. This is, of course, partially because Baldur’s Gate 3 is a classic party-based RPG, which means players will almost always travel in a group. Further, Larian Studios has practically specialized in producing high-end CRPGs that support multiplayer gameplay. What this means is that multiplayer in Baldur’s Gate 3 is a polished and reliable experience that’s both easy to use and delightfully fun, to boot.

Down below, we’ve got just the booster you need to kick off a multiplayer session with a friend, family member, or pet without any fuss whatsoever.

Everything you need to know about multiplayer in Baldur’s Gate 3

In some ways, Baldur’s Gate 3 is a true throwback to ye olden days of multiplayer gaming. Notably, not only does the game support LAN connections (meaning you don’t have to be connected to the Internet at all), but you also get something of a server browser, which is not something we often see nowadays.

There’s not a huge array of options to fiddle around with, granted, but we believe this is for the better, as the whole feature is very simple, sleek, and streamlined with virtually no way to mess your session up. What you need is one person to host your playthrough (more on that later), and everyone else can simply join up, create a new character, and enjoy the game. Or annoy everyone else in the session, if preferable.

How to host a multiplayer Baldur’s Gate 3 session

To begin with, one person in your Baldur’s Gate 3 playgroup will need to host a session. To do so, simply choose the ‘Multiplayer’ option in the main menu, and then proceed to begin a new playthrough using the ‘Create’ button at the bottom of the screen. Here, the host will be able to limit their session to a desired number of players (ranging from two to four), decide whether anyone can join, and toggle a few extra options if desired.

Note that, while it is not outright necessary to do so, the host can also invite other players right away. Doing so means everyone will get to create their custom characters at the same time, but this is not outright necessary and can be completed later on, as well.

After all the settings have been dialled in, the host can simply hit the ‘Launch’ button to load up their multiplayer playthrough for the first time.

How to join a multiplayer Baldur’s Gate 3 session

There are several different ways to join someone else’s session of Baldur’s Gate 3. One of them we’ve already mentioned in the previous section: getting invited to a session as it is being created. This is as straightforward as it gets, but players can also jump in after the fact, if something goes amiss. The host must set the game up to support the correct number of players while creating the session for this to work, of course.

Now, the other way of joining a match relies on the aforementioned server browser, but the session will only appear here if the host set it up to be visible to others. If not, you can rely on Steam’s multiplayer invite and joining system to jump in and out however you want.

Creating a multiplayer character for Baldur’s Gate 3

Unlike almost every other multiplayer game on the market, Baldur’s Gate 3 is not going to allow you to use a pre-built character in a new playthrough. Instead, if you’re getting ready to kick off a multiplayer session, you’ll be invited to create your character the first time you join the match. Every subsequent time you join the match, you’ll simply be plopped back into the boots of your character and ready to go.

Something that’s certainly worth highlighting here, however, is that you will only be able to take control over Origin characters (e.g. Wyll, Shadowheart, or Karlach) if the host invites you into the session as it is being created. Otherwise, if you end up joining the campaign later on, you will only be able to create and control a custom character.

Saving your progression in Baldur’s Gate 3 multiplayer

It’s probably obvious by now that your character save is tied up with your campaign progression in Baldur’s Gate 3. What this also means is that only the host has access to your multiplayer saves and files, and they will be able to keep playing even if you leave the session, with the AI taking over your character in the interim. To reiterate, you will only be able to play the multiplayer Baldur’s Gate 3 campaign save while your host is playing as well.

This can be a bit of a bummer for players more used to free-form progression in games, but the nature of Baldur’s Gate 3‘s world makes its multiplayer virtually impossible to untangle otherwise. And, if we’re being honest, the experience is worth the (potential) trouble, anyway. Have fun!