This month PC Gamer gets world-exclusive access to the fantasy RPG of the decade – Baldur's Gate III. It's been over 20 years since Baldur's Gate II, so to get the inside scoop PC Gamer traveled to Larian Studios in Ghent, Belgium, to chat to its developers about just how they've gone about bringing this mighty PC gaming series back from the dead. With never-before-seen images, revealing developer commentary, and over 13 hours of extended hands-on time with the game, this is the ultimate Baldur's Gate III feature.
In addition, this month PC Gamer magazine is available on the newsstand with four different covers, each celebrating one of Baldur's Gate III's new NPC companions. PC gamers can find covers with Astarion, Lae'zel, Shadowheart and Karlach on store shelves from 20 July, 2023. You can check out these collector's covers below.
The awesome features in this issue don't stop there, either, with our Baldur's Gate III cover feature joined by a fantastic feature on RuneScape. The MMORPG is over 22 years old today in 2023 and, with over 300 million accounts created since its launch in 2001, it is one of the most successful and beloved in the industry. As PC Gamer learned when traveling to its developer Jagex's headquarters in Cambridge, England, now is the perfect time to jump into the free-to-play game, too, as it has its brand new Necromancy expansion arriving that's perfectly tailored to new and experienced players alike.
And, finally for features this month, PC Gamer also talks to industry legend and FPS pioneer John Romero about his life, games, and new autobiography, Doom Guy. John's got some exciting new projects incoming, too, so this is a must-read for fans.
This issue is also absolutely stuffed with hot previews, too. We've got authoritative hands-on takes with Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, Payday 3, Total War: Pharaoh, Alan Wake 2, Mortal Kombat 1, Star Wars Outlaws, Assassin's Creed Mirage, and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.
Reviews in this issue don't let the side down, either, with the PC Gamer judging machine providing authoritative verdicts on Diablo 4, Mask of the Rose, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, Hrot, Park Beyond, Lego 2K Drive and Amnesia: The Bunker.
All that plus a fantastic group test rating six of the best new gaming headsets on the market, the dramatic concluding entry to our XCOM 2 diary feature, a thought-provoking re-install of classic god game Black & White 2, an amusing dive into the world of Skyrim's ChatGPT AI-powered companion Herika, a love letter to the unwritten rules of online PC gaming, an authoritative hardware buying guide that shows you exactly how you can build a top gaming PC regardless of your budget, and the latest now playing adventures from the PC Gamer team. And that's far from everything in this issue, either.
Issue 386 is on shelves now and available on all your digital devices from the App Store and Zinio. You can also order directly from Magazines Direct or purchase a subscription to save yourself some cash, receive monthly deliveries, and get incredibly stylish subscriber-only covers.
Enjoy the issue!
Gabe Newell's cult of personality is intense, but a Valve exec who worked with him says his superpower is how he 'delighted in people on the team just being really good at what they did'
One of Valve's original executives shares a very simple secret to its success: 'You can't use up your credibility' by trying to make bad games work
