15 Best Games Like Baldur’s Gate 3 (2025): Turn-Based, Party-Based & CRPG Alternatives That Hit the Same Notes

The journey through Faerûn is one of the most defining role-playing game (RPG) experiences of the last decade. Larian Studios’ masterpiece, Baldur’s Gate 3, has captivated millions with its deep turn-based combat, incredibly nuanced player choice, and rich, party-based interactions. But what do you play after you’ve saved the world, romanced your favorite companion, and rolled your last natural 20? That post-game void is real, and it’s a quest in itself to find another adventure that can capture that same magic.

This guide is your solution. We’ve curated a list of the 15 best games like Baldur’s Gate 3 that expertly blend tactical depth, narrative brilliance, and immersive worlds. Whether you’re craving more faithful Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) adventures, complex moral choices, or strategic, environmentally-driven combat, these CRPG (Computer Role-Playing Game) gems and modern masterpieces will be your next digital home. From sprawling epics to intimate narratives, these titles are the perfect RPG alternatives for any fan seeking their next great adventure.

What Makes a Game “Like Baldur’s Gate 3”?

Before we dive in, let’s define the core pillars that make BG3 so special and what we’re looking for in similar experiences:

• Deep, Choice-Driven Narrative: Your decisions should have weight, altering the story, your relationships, and the game world itself.

• Tactical Turn-Based Combat: Strategic, pause-for-thought battles where positioning, ability use, and the environment are key to victory.

• Party-Based Dynamics: Recruiting a cast of memorable companions with their own rich backstories, personal quests, and opinions on your actions.

• Immersive World-Building: A lived-in world with deep lore, interesting locations to explore, and a sense of grand adventure.

• Robust Character Creation & Progression: The ability to create a unique avatar and develop them through a satisfying progression system, often based on a tabletop RPG ruleset.

The following games excel in one or more of these areas, making them the perfect CRPG games to play after Baldur’s Gate 3.

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Category 1: The Direct Lineage & Spiritual Successors

These games share the closest DNA with BG3, often from the same developers or the direct predecessors that built the genre.

1. Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition

The Pitch: This is the most obvious and essential recommendation. Developed by Larian Studios immediately prior to BG3, it’s the game that proved their formula worked. It’s a masterclass in turn-based tactical RPG design and arguably the closest you can get to the BG3 experience without the D&D branding.

• Why It’s Similar: It features the same deep, environmental turn-based combat where you can use elemental combinations (electrifying water, blowing up oil barrels) to creative effect. The narrative is rich with player agency, your choices matter immensely, and the party-based companions are some of the best in the genre, each with personal story arcs that can change the game’s outcome.

• What Sets It Apart: It uses Larian’s original game system and setting (Rivellon), not D&D’s 5th Edition rules. This allows for even more flexibility in combat from the very start, as your character isn’t limited by D&D’s class structure in the same way. The tone is also slightly more whimsical and high-fantasy.

2. Baldur’s Gate 1 & 2: Enhanced Editions

The Pitch: To understand the present, you must honor the past. These are the legendary isometric classics that defined the CRPG genre in the late 90s and early 2000s. They are set in the same Forgotten Realms and feature the same epic scope and narrative depth that inspired Larian’s work.

• Why It’s Similar: The world-building, writing quality, and the sheer scale of adventure are directly comparable. You’ll meet iconic characters like Minsc and Boo, and your choices carry significant weight. The party-based RPG mechanics are the blueprint that BG3 modernized.

• What Sets It Apart: The combat is real-time with pause (RTwP), not purely turn-based. The graphics are dated isometric 2D, and the rules are based on the older AD&D 2nd Edition, which can feel more punishing and less intuitive to modern players.

3. Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition

The Pitch: Widely revered as having the greatest story ever told in a video game. If you played BG3 for its philosophical depth, bizarre world, and focus on dialogue over combat, this 1999 classic is an absolute must-play.

• Why It’s Similar: It’s a D&D-based RPG set in the multiverse that explores profound themes of identity, memory, and mortality. The writing is unparalleled, and the game prioritizes solving problems through conversation, intellect, and charisma. Your companions are uniquely strange and deeply written.

• What Sets It Apart: Its real-time with pause combat is widely considered its weakest aspect. This is a game to be experienced for its narrative, not its tactical challenges.

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Category 2: Modern CRPG Masterpieces

These are the modern pillars of the genre that have carried the torch for deep, tactical, and narrative-driven RPGs.

4. Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire

The Pitch: A crowdfunded revival of the classic CRPG formula, crafted by Obsidian Entertainment—a studio filled with veterans from the golden age of Black Isle Studios (the original creators of Fallout and Neverwinter Nights).

• Why It’s Similar: It features a rich, original world with incredibly deep lore, a strong main story driven by player choice, and a fantastic cast of party-based companions. The sequel, Deadfire, adds a massive open world to explore via ship, creating a fantastic sense of adventure.

• What Sets It Apart: It uses its own unique game system, not D&D. Crucially, it offers both real-time with pause and a very well-implemented turn-based combat mode, added after launch, allowing you to choose your preferred style.

5. Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous

The Pitch: If BG3’s scope felt epic, this game is astronomic. Based on the popular Pathfinder tabletop system (an offshoot of D&D 3.5 Edition), this game offers an insane level of character customization and a story where your choices transform you into a mythic hero (or villain) leading a crusade against world-ending demons.

• Why It’s Similar: The sheer scale of player agency is staggering. Your “Mythic Path” choice (e.g., becoming an Angel, Lich, or Demon) radically alters the story, your abilities, and how characters react to you. The tactical combat is deep and complex, with a massive bestiary and countless spells and abilities.

• What Sets It Apart: The Pathfinder ruleset is notoriously complex, which can be overwhelming for newcomers. It also features a blend of real-time with pause and turn-based combat, letting you switch between them. The production value, while good, isn’t as cinematically seamless as BG3.

6. Dragon Age: Origins

The Pitch: The spiritual successor to the classic Baldur’s Gate series from BioWare. It set a new standard for narrative-driven RPGs in the late 2000s and remains a landmark title for its writing, characters, and impactful choices.

• Why It’s Similar: The party-based dynamics are exceptional; your companions are deeply written, with personal quests and opinions that can lead to romance or rivalry. The story is dark and compelling, and your origin story (a unique prologue based on your race/class) makes your character feel grounded in the world.

• What Sets It Apart: The combat is a hybrid real-time tactical system where you can pause to issue orders. It’s not turn-based. The graphics and UI are certainly showing their age, but the writing holds up magnificently.

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Category 3: Narrative Powerhouses & Choice-Driven Worlds

For those who cherished BG3’s story, characters, and the weight of every decision.

7. Disco Elysium – The Final Cut

The Pitch: A revolutionary RPG that proves you can have an utterly captivating experience without a single traditional combat sequence. You play an amnesiac detective trying to solve a murder in a surreal, politically charged city, all while reconstructing your own shattered psyche.

• Why It’s Similar: It boasts arguably the best writing in any game, ever. The player choice is unparalleled—every skill point and dialogue option fundamentally changes how you interact with the world and solve the case. It’s a pure, distilled role-playing game experience focused on conversation and skill checks.

• What Sets It Apart: There is no combat. All conflict is resolved through dialogue and internal monologues with your own 24 skill attributes, which manifest as voices in your head. It’s a unique, one-of-a-kind masterpiece.

8. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Pitch: While you play a defined character (Geralt of Rivia), this open-world epic is a masterclass in storytelling, world-building, and presenting players with morally grey choices that have significant, often unforeseen consequences.

• Why It’s Similar: The narrative depth and quality of side quests—which often feel like full short stories—are on par with BG3. Your choices genuinely matter and can lead to multiple vastly different endings. The world is immersive and feels truly alive.

• What Sets It Apart: It’s an action RPG, not a tactical or turn-based one. You don’t create your own character, but rather step into the boots of a pre-defined one.

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Category 4: Strategic & Turn-Based Combat Focus

If the chess-like, tactical battles were your favorite part of BG3, these games will test your strategic mettle.

9. Solasta: Crown of the Magister

The Pitch: The most faithful adaptation of the Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition ruleset on the market. Developed by Tactical Adventures, this game is a love letter to the tabletop game’s mechanics.

• Why It’s Similar: The turn-based combat is excellent and emphasizes verticality and lighting in a way that feels even more true to tabletop tactics than BG3. You create your entire party of four characters from scratch, allowing for deep strategic party composition.

• What Sets It Apart: The budget and production value are significantly lower. The story, writing, and character animations are functional but can’t compete with Larian’s cinematic presentation and companion depth. This is a game for the combat and mechanics purists.

10. XCOM 2

The Pitch: The pinnacle of turn-based tactical combat. If you loved planning your moves, managing action points, and feeling the tension of a missed 95% shot, this is your game.

• Why It’s Similar: The core tactical loop is incredibly addictive and challenging. Positioning, cover, class abilities, and risk management are everything. The “one more turn” addiction is very real.

• What Sets It Apart: It’s a sci-fi strategy game about a guerrilla war against aliens, not a fantasy RPG. There is very little of the narrative choice, dialogue, and exploration that defines BG3.

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Category 5: The Classics & Cult Favorites

For those who want to explore the rich history of the genre and discover its foundational titles.

11. Neverwinter Nights 2: Complete Edition

The Pitch: A classic from BioWare’s successor, Obsidian Entertainment. It features a solid main campaign and one of the greatest RPG expansions ever created, Mask of the Betrayer, which explores deep, philosophical themes much like Planescape: Torment.

• Why It’s Similar: It’s a faithful D&D-based RPG (using the 3.5 Edition rules) with a strong story, companion relationships, and a satisfying epic scope.

• What Sets It Apart: The game uses real-time with pause combat. Its graphics and UI feel very dated by modern standards.

12. Tyranny

The Pitch: A unique and brilliant RPG from Obsidian where the evil overlord has already won, and you are a high-ranking official in his army. The game explores the complexities of law, order, and morality in a conquered world.

• Why It’s Similar: The player agency here is incredible. Your choices in how you interpret and enforce the overlord’s laws drastically change the world and the story in the second half of the game. It’s a masterclass in branching narratives.

• What Sets It Apart: It’s shorter and more focused than most epic RPGs. The combat is real-time with pause.

Quick Comparison Table

Finding Your Next Great Adventure

The “best” game for you depends entirely on what you loved most about Baldur’s Gate 3.

• For the Story & Choices: Play Disco Elysium, Planescape: Torment, or Tyranny.

• For the Tactical Combat: Play Divinity: Original Sin 2, XCOM 2, or Solasta.

• For the Party & Companions: Play Dragon Age: Origins or Pillars of Eternity II.

• For the D&D Experience: Play Solasta or the original Baldur’s Gate series.

• For the Epic Scale & Customization: Play Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous.

The CRPG genre is richer than ever, and Larian’s success with BG3 has ensured its bright future. Whichever path you choose, a deep, immersive, and unforgettable role-playing game experience awaits. Your next great adventure is just a click away.