Baldur's Gate (video game)

Baldur's Gate
Developer(s)BioWare
Publisher(s)
Producer(s)Ray Muzyka
Designer(s)James Ohlen
Programmer(s)Scott Greig
Artist(s)John Gallagher
Writer(s)
  • James Ohlen
  • Lukas Kristjanson
Composer(s)Michael Hoenig
SeriesBaldur's Gate
EngineInfinity Engine
Platform(s)
ReleaseMicrosoft Windows
  • NA: December 21, 1998[a]
  • JP: January 30, 1999
  • EU: January 1999
Mac OS
  • NA: July 31, 2000
Genre(s)Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Baldur's Gate is a role-playing video game that was developed by BioWare and published in 1998 by Interplay Entertainment. It is the first game in the Baldur's Gate series and takes place in the Forgotten Realms, a high fantasy campaign setting, using a modified version of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) 2nd edition rules. It was the first game to use the Infinity Engine for its graphics, with Interplay using the engine for other Forgotten Realms-licensed games, including the Icewind Dale series and Planescape: Torment. The game's story focuses on a player-made character who travels across the Sword Coast alongside a party of companions.

The game received critical acclaim and was credited for revitalizing computer role-playing games. An expansion pack was released titled Tales of the Sword Coast, as was a sequel, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn. An enhanced version of the Infinity Engine was later created as part of Beamdog's remake Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition, the first new release in the franchise in nearly nine years.[6] The original Baldur's Gate continues to be referenced as a point of inspiration in many modern role-playing games,[7] and is often cited as one of the best video games ever made. In 2023, Larian Studios released the third installment, Baldur's Gate 3.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference muzyka20010502 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn Review". IGN.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference releasedate was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference releasedate2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference interplayshipannouncement was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference announcement was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Lorenzo Veloria (July 24, 2014). "Pillars of Eternity brings back old-school, Baldur's Gate-style gameplay". gamesradar.


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).