From the web-slinging escapades in Insomniac Game’s Spider-Man 2 to expansive adventures in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, 2023 has had no shortage of quality titles. Two of 2023’s most hotly anticipated launches were Larian Studio’sBaldur’s Gate 3and Bethesda’sStarfield.
While there are numerous differences between these two open-world titles, there are similarities too. Ultimately, which game you prefer is entirely subjective, and you shouldn’t feel bad for favoring one over the other. Regardless of which game you fancy, there’s plenty to compare and contrast.
Check out ourreview of Baldur’s Gate 3, andour review of Starfield, for the full perspective of each game.
10Graphics And Visuals - Baldur’s Gate 3
In some cases, graphics and visuals are entirely inconsequential. Gameplay should always come first and foremost. Nevertheless, visuals can be vital in constructing a thorough and grounded setting. While Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t the best-looking game ever produced, its graphics are indisputably above Starfield’s.
It’s apparent that Bethesda’s Creation Engine is outdated. While not dreadful looking, the graphics in Starfield lack the detail and polish compared to Baldur’s Gate 3, especially concerning character models. The discrepancy in detail between Baldur’s Gate 3 and Starfield’s character is night and day.
9World Building And Environmental Storytelling - Tie
Bethesda has always excelled at world-building. Even when the narrative flounders, you can typically expect its game worlds to be filled with absorbing environmental storytelling, and Starfield is no different. Bethesda did a terrific job flushing out the universe in this new IP.
Baldur’s Gate 3 might be from an already established series, but Larian did fantastic work bringing its extraordinary handiwork to the land of Faerûn. When it comes to flushing out the setting with intriguing tidbits of lore and backstory, both titles get a gold star.
8Overall Combat Gameplay - Tie
The most challenging component to compare between the games is the gameplay, specifically the combat. While both games are open-world, full of dialogue and captivating choices, the combat couldn’t be more distinct. Starfield features the casual first-third-person mix Bethesda is known for, while Baldur’s Gate 3 is tactical turn-based.
Generally, both game’s combat has both positives and the rare negative. In Starfield, the absence of VATS from Fallout makes the gunplay feel more generic, while in Baldur’s Gate 3, enemy encounters can be pretty tedious, especially in the later half. Ultimately, it depends on which kind of gameplay you enjoy.
7Difficulty - Baldur’s Gate 3
Bethesda has never been an expert at handling difficulty. In most of its titles, difficulty only impacts either the amount of health or the amount of damage. As such, combat encounters rarely require individual strategies based on the difficulty you select.
On the other hand,Baldur’s Gate 3’s difficulty optionsare much more fleshed out. The tactics and number of hostiles you’ll encounter will change depending on your chosen setting. While it can be relentlessly brutal, it never feels unconquerable.
6Story Length - Starfield
A game’s length doesn’t mean much when grading its overall quality. But an optimally paced story can effectively provide you with a tangible sense of progression. If you only focus on the main quest line, Starfield takes around 12-15 hours. In Baldur’s Gate 3, your playthrough will be at least 75 hours, even ignoring side quests.
Starfield’s brisker main story allows you to be easily sidetracked by other encounters and questlines, while Baldur’s Gate 3’s narrative almost always circles back to the main plot. It’s not a case of Starfield being better, but more of the time needed to be devoted to seeing the narrative through being shorter.
5Gameplay Flexibility - Baldur’s Gate 3
While both games advertise themselves as being experiences modeled by your own choices, only one of them fully realizes this gameplay sovereignty. Baldur’s Gate 3’s story can alter in countless various ways depending on the choices you make. Much like real D&D, the possibilities seem limitless.
Regardless of how you want to role-play in Starfield, you will always be restricted somehow. This is most evident in Bethesda’s continued use of ‘protected NPCs.’ It doesn’t matter if you want to role-play as a bloodthirsty pirate; there are so many people in Starfield who are invincible. This outdated mechanic is one of the numerous ways Starfield fails to provide a flexible experience.
4Narrative And Writing - Baldur’s Gate 3
While both titles do a splendid job of packing their settings with rich lore in enchanting environments, Starfield simply lacks the strong initial engagement hook. Starfield’s main story is quite good, but reaching the high points of the narrative can be a tremendous slog.
Starfield’s opening is extremely monotonous and a far cry from the awesome intros in almost every other Bethesda title. Not only does Baldur’s Gate 3’s beginning immediately establish the stakes, but it quickly familiarizes you with the mechanics and introduces the companion characters. Unlike Starfield, you don’t have to play for at least a few hours before things get intriguing.
3Companions - Baldur’s Gate 3
If there was one aspect in which one game outshines the other, it’s in the companions. It’s not a contest;Baldur’s Gate 3’s companionsare more intriguing, excellently written, and manifold. Not only does Baldur’s Gate 3 offer more companions, but each one has an individual personality and unique viewpoints on the world and your decisions.
In Starfield, all four romanceable companions have almost the exact same opinion on everything. There are no ‘evil’ companions; everyone is generally virtuous and will disapprove of any immoral actions you do. As such, the only diversity between them is surface level and only really applies to their appearances.
2Quality Of Life And Bugs - Baldur’s Gate 3
Amongst all of Starfield’s promises of freedom and exploration, there are a lot of problems under the hood. Most apparent is the sheer volume of loading screens, which separate almost everywhere you travel. There’s also thelack of a quality world map, being forced to travel by foot across every environment, and most planets you visit being either recycled or completely barren.
Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t a flawless creation. It has some annoying bugs, and the difficulty can sometimes feel one-sided. Yet, it’s overall very polished, and Larian continues to patch the game to fix its few minor issues. While Starfield is far less buggy than previous Bethesda games, many of its problems are much more detrimental than any glitch would be.
1Winner - Baldur’s Gate 3
Again, what you prefer in a game is subjective. Whether you like Starfield, Baldur’s Gate 3, love them both, or want nothing to do with them, no opinion is wrong. However, there are undisputable things in which Baldur’s Gate 3 excels and Starfield flounders. For all of Starfield’s great qualities,it feels like a game stuck in the past.
Underneath Starfield’s glossy exterior, there are just so many troubles, many of which are things that shouldn’t be an issue in today’s era of gaming. Baldur’s Gate 3 can be a bit buggy in Act 3 and sometimes brutally tough, but overall, it’s nothing short of a masterpiece of RPG gaming and a must-play adventure.
