Why Baldur’s Gate 3 Probably Won’t Get a GOTY Edition

When Divinity: Original Sin developer Larian Studios announced it would be taking up the mantle of Baldur’s Gate 3, fans had high hopes. The first two games, developed by BioWare, were some of the most iconic isometric RPGs of their era, and players had long been hoping for a sequel. It spent nearly three years in early access before finally launching in August 2023, where Larian Studios proceeded to deliver a stellar game. In fact, Baldur’s Gate 3 was such a success that it became the first ever title to claim Game of the Year at all five of the biggest gaming awards ceremonies: the Golden Joystick Awards, the Game Developer’s Choice Awards, The Game Awards, the DICE Awards, and the British Academy Games Awards.

That said, despite Baldur’s Gate 3‘s many awards over the years, it has not gotten a Game of the Year Edition–and it almost certainly won’t in the future. In more than two years since its full launch, it has yet to be repackaged even once, dodging the trend of games releasing Ultimate, Complete, or Definitive Editions. While many players might wonder why Larian Studios hasn’t done so, the answer is quite simple: Baldur’s Gate 3 doesn’t need one.

What Even Is a Game of the Year Edition?

And Why Do So Many Games Have One?

In theory, a Game of the Year Edition is a repackaged version of a game that has won one or more GOTY awards from various publications or award organizations. These versions usually include most or all of the game’s post-launch content, including DLC and expansions. Though it was not necessarily the first to do so, the practice was popularized in 1999 with the release of Half-Life’s Game of the Year Edition, which included its first expansion, Team Fortress, and other additional multiplayer content. Since then, companies have published GOTY Editions for three main reasons:

• To attract new players who are interested in an award-winning game
• To package the game together with optional content at a lower price for convenience
• To revitalize sales through a re-release

However, in practice, Game of the Year Editions have become something far less definitive. Over the years, many games have released Game of the Year Editions without having ever won a major award. A prominent example is Far Cry 6 (2021), packaged in a GOTY Edition a year after its release, which included the base game, Season Pass, Ultimate Pack, and Lost Between Worlds. That said, while Far Cry 6 was nominated for the accolade during the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards in 2022, it did not win, and otherwise scored no GOTY nominations at any other major ceremony.

This practice was mocked almost a decade earlier with Black Wing Foundation’s 2009 parody RTS, Stalin vs. Martians. The game was only ever sold as a Game of the Year Edition, despite never being given the award by anyone—ironically, it has instead been immortalized as one of the worst games of all time.

Image via Black Wing Foundation

At this point, Game of the Year Editions have arguably lost their meaning. Instead of being actual celebrations of success, they have become synonymous with other “base game + DLC” packages like Complete, Ultimate, or Definitive Editions. Indeed, the fact that Ubisoft gave Far Cry 6 a GOTY Edition proves that one need not even win the award to do so. Slapping “Game of the Year” on a box simply makes a game look exciting, which can be enough to entice a casual gamer or a family member shopping for a gift to make a purchase, even if the title is unearned in truth.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Doesn’t Need a Game of the Year Edition

Larian Studios’ Hit 2023 CRPG Already Comes With All the Bells and Whistles

BG3 currently only has two pieces of DLC on Steam: the free Toolkit Data for modders and the $10 Digital Deluxe Edition upgrade, which contains in-game items for Baldur’s Gate 3, a digital artbook, soundtrack, and character sheets. That’s it. No Season Pass, no class packs, no horse armor. Once one buys Baldur’s Gate 3, they own everything in the game already, save the optional stuff from the Digital Deluxe that was available upon release. Quite frankly, there isn’t anything to bundle in a Complete or Game of the Year Edition of Baldur’s Gate 3.

Image via Larian Studios

That isn’t to say there hasn’t been any post-launch content in Baldur’s Gate 3. On the contrary, it released new subclasses for every class, additional epilogues, and more in the years after its release. This content was technically DLC, yet it was completely free and patched into the base game. Someone who installed BG3 today would never even know this content wasn’t even in the game to begin with.

What’s more, Baldur’s Gate 3 is done for all intents and purposes. Larian Studios has confirmed development has transitioned to Divinity, its next CRPG set in Rivellon, meaning the GOTY Edition ship has almost certainly sailed from that particular port. If Larian did pursue special editions for BG3, meaning extra content on top of that, chances are Divinity would be in even earlier development than it is now.

While Baldur’s Gate 3 may still receive small bug fixes and other tweaks, the game isn’t going to be getting any major DLC or expansions, let alone any paid content. Additionally, Baldur’s Gate 3 has already sold over 20 million copies as of the end of 2025, and chances are, releasing a pointless GOTY Edition that doesn’t include anything new would do more harm to their reputation and their bottom line than good.

Image via Larian Studios

At the absolute most, Baldur’s Gate 3 could theoretically release a Definitive Edition, like it did with Divinity: Original Sin 2. However, D:OS2 had a special “companion” named Sir Lora, as well as the Divine Ascension digital book and soundtrack pack, all of which are included in the Definitive Edition. Larian Studios has historically given out Definitive Editions as free upgrades, as it did late last year to celebrate the Switch 2, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S port of Divinity: Original Sin 2. Even if it did do a Definitive Edition with Baldur’s Gate 3 for some reason, those who have already bought it would probably not have to purchase anything extra.

Luckily, modders have done a wonderful job picking up where the developers left off. Baldur’s Gate 3 fan projects like the Ultimate Cut Content Restoration Mod, which re-adds tons of items and feats that were removed during development, can help fill the hole left by Larian’s decision to not do DLC—and tide players over until Divinity eventually releases.

Released

August 3, 2023

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence