Baldur's Gate 3 vs Beholder
Baldur's Gate 3 is an RPG strategy game from Larian Studios (2023) while Beholder is an RPG simulation game from Alawar Stargaze (Warm Lamp Games) (2016).
Quick answer: Baldur's Gate 3 rates higher, 9.2 to 7.8 on the GamingPickz Score, and Beholder is the cheaper at $13.99.
What each one is
Baldur's Gate 3 is filed under RPG and Strategy. In contrast, Beholder under RPG and Simulation.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is a story-rich, party-based RPG set in the universe of Dungeons & Dragons, where your choices shape a tale of fellowship and betrayal, survival and sacrifice, and the lure of absolute power.
You’re a state-installed landlord in a totalitarian country. Place listening devices, steal and sneak into your tenants’ apartments. Use what you uncovered to report anyone capable of plotting against the state. You MUST! But WILL you?
Story, characters and reception
Plot
Baldur's Gate 3 shares its Dungeons and Dragons setting, called the Forgotten Realms , with previous games in the franchise. BG3 and its predecessors take place on the continent of Faerûn , primarily near or inside the namesake city of Baldur's Gate. BG3 occurs over 100 years after the events of Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (2000) and shortly after the events of the D D tie-in adventure , Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus (2019). (Wikipedia)
Characters
Main article: List of Baldur's Gate characters The world, alongside the player's thoughts and observations, are recounted by the game's narrator (Amelia Tyler), acting as BG3 s dungeon master . While the narrator was originally planned to deliver lines contemptuously, Larian was impressed by Tyler's deadpan delivery. Of the ten companions, six can be chosen as the player character in the character creator. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception According to review aggregator website Metacritic , Baldur's Gate 3 received "universal acclaim" from critics, with 98% of critics recommending the game on aggregator OpenCritic . Critics praised the game's detail and scope, with several comparing the studio to a gracious dungeon master, and describing the game as faithfully emulating the tabletop Dungeons and Dragons experience . The Guardian s Nick Rueben said the game enabled players to… (Wikipedia)
No Wikipedia detail on file.
At a glance
| Baldur's Gate 3 | Beholder | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 9.2/10 | 7.8/10 |
| Steam rating | Overwhelmingly Positive (97%, 855,414) | Very Positive (92%, 31,040) |
| Critic aggregate | 96/100 | 75/100 |
| Price | $59.99 | $13.99 |
| Install size | 150 GB | 1.56 GB |
| Steam Deck | verified | verified |
| Released | 2023 | 2016 |
| Developer | Larian Studios | Alawar Stargaze (Warm Lamp Games) |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Baldur's Gate 3 vs Beholder, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Baldur's Gate 3RPG strategy gameBeholderRPG simulation gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Baldur's Gate 3RPG, Character Customization, Choices MatterBeholderDystopian , Choices Matter, Political SimThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Baldur's Gate 3 ✓Score 9.2 · 97% on Steam · 96 criticBeholderScore 7.8 · 92% on Steam · 75 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Baldur's Gate 3855,414 reviews · 2 add-ons · 150 GBBeholder31,040 reviews · 2 add-ons · 1.56 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Baldur's Gate 3$59.99Beholder ✓$13.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Baldur's Gate 3VerifiedBeholderVerifiedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Across the rounds a number can settle, it is level at 1 each. Which one is "better" is the part no figure decides, so we leave it to what you want from the two.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueBaldur's Gate 3 and Beholder on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Baldur's Gate 3 (GamingPickz Score 9.2)
- The cheaper right now: Beholder ($13.99)
- Lighter on storage: Beholder (1.56 GB)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Baldur's Gate 3 (855,414 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
RPGChoices MatterStory RichAdventureStrategySingleplayer
Where they differ
Character CustomizationTurn-Based CombatDungeons & DragonsCRPGFantasySexual Content
Dystopian Political SimDarkAtmosphericSimulationMultiple Endings
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Baldur's Gate 3 is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Beholder is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Baldur's Gate 3 | Beholder | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | Nvidia GTX 970 / RX 480 / Intel Arc A380 / Qualcomm Adreno X1 (4GB+ of | GeForce 600M / ATI Radeon HD 5450 (1GB) |
| Minimum CPU | Intel I5 4690 / AMD FX 8350 / Snapdragon X Elite | Intel Pentium Dual CPU E2180 2.00GHz |
| Minimum RAM | 8 GB | 2 GB |
| Install size | 150 GB | 1.56 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Baldur's Gate 3 · Beholder.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 10 accessibility features for Baldur's Gate 3 and 1 for Beholder. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Baldur's Gate 3 and Beholder in scope?
Baldur's Gate 3 has drawn 855,414 Steam reviews, ships 2 add-ons and installs in 150 GB. Beholder has drawn 31,040 Steam reviews, ships 2 add-ons and installs in 1.56 GB.
Is Baldur's Gate 3 or Beholder better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Baldur's Gate 3 rates higher (9.2 to 7.8). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Baldur's Gate 3 or Beholder?
Beholder is cheaper right now at $13.99, against $59.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Should I get Baldur's Gate 3 or Beholder?
Baldur's Gate 3 rates higher, 9.2 to 7.8 on the GamingPickz Score, and Beholder is the cheaper at $13.99. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.