Baldur’s Gate 3 has robust co-op options that make playing through its campaign with friends feel like a tabletop Dungeons & Dragons campaign, including chaos and inter-party conflict.
There are few gaming experiences as chaotic and memorable as sitting down in person with a group of pals to play a tabletop role-playing game. Some video games have tried to capture this in digital form, with limited success. But Baldur’s Gate 3 conveys the highs and lows of a tabletop co-op campaign thanks to clever systems, a dense world, and multiple avenues to pursue every quest. This makes Baldur’s Gate 3 co-op flexible and daring in a way I haven’t seen before — but it’s also a campaign that constantly runs the risk of descending into pure chaos.
I have been playing tabletop games for years, both in person and online, because I love the improvisational nature of tossing a narrative back and forth. By ceding control and letting other people grab the reins of a campaign, you’re never 100% sure what will happen next. However, in video game RPGs, I haven’t found a campaign that scratches that itch.
Star Wars: The Old Republic has an interesting system wherein you and your pals can engage in dice rolls to see who gets to respond in a conversation. Divinity: Original Sin has an interesting conflict mechanic in which the dual protagonists can debate the best course of action in a rock-paper-scissors-style dialogue. Original Sin 2, also by Larian Studios, has a robust co-op campaign option that feels like the prototype of Baldur’s Gate 3’s take on multiplayer.
