A Parent’s Guide to Baldur’s Gate 3: Is it Safe for Kids?
Baldur’s Gate 3 is a wildly popular game based on Dungeons & Dragons. But is it okay for your child to play? | Source: Playstation Store
So many young people play D&D and have heard about Baldur's Gate 3, which has many families asking if this game is right for their children. We're here to help you answer that question in this comprehensive guide for parents, written by a professional Dungeon Master and youth educator who also happens to be a big fan of the game.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is a critically acclaimed video game described as “the surprise hit of 2023” in a glowing review by the New York Times. It’s gotten rave reviews across the board, including one of the highest ratings of all time from PC Gamer. There’s no question that Baldur’s Gate 3—often called BG3 for short—is an amazing game and an impressive achievement. But is it appropriate for kids?
What is Baldur’s Gate 3 About?
The game Baldur's Gate 3 is about as close as you can get to Dungeons & Dragons in video game form. Players create a party of adventurers, choosing from the D&D classes of barbarian, bard, cleric, druid, fighter, monk, paladin, ranger, rogue, sorcerer, warlock, and wizard. They cast D&D spells, like Fireball and Polymorph, use D&D items, like a Potion of Healing or a Sword of Life Stealing, and fight D&D monsters, like owlbears and mimics. Even the world itself is D&D, from organizations like the Harpers and the Flaming Fists to the eponymous city of Baldur's Gate itself.
Here’s a teaser from the official Baldur’s Gate 3 website:
“Gather your party and return to the Forgotten Realms in a tale of fellowship and betrayal, sacrifice and survival, and the lure of absolute power. Mysterious abilities are awakening inside you, drawn from a mind flayer parasite planted in your brain. Resist, and turn darkness against itself. Or embrace corruption, and become ultimate evil.”
This is an appealing premise, especially for a D&D fan! The game draws from a lot of classic fantasy themes, like the battle of good vs. evil, discovering secret identities, and resisting (or giving into) the desire for absolute power. BG3 also does an amazing job of replicating the D&D experience by giving you a ton of control over your character’s choices: you can do nearly anything in-game, including , as mentioned here, deciding to “embrace corruption and become ultimate evil.”
And that’s where things become—pardon the pun—dicey for younger players.
What’s the Parental Rating of Baldur’s Gate 3?
The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rates Baldur’s Gate 3 as M for Mature and appropriate for players ages 17+ due to its inclusion of blood and gore, adult content, strong language, partial nudity, and violence. PEGI, which determines age ratings for games in Europe, rates it as 18+.
Common Sense Media agrees, recommending the game for ages 17+. Steam requires age verification before it’ll let you play BSG3, and won’t let you view the content if you’re under 17 years old.
Although the game does provide the option to filter out adult content, it still contains “good amount of violence, gore and explcit content” according to Common Sense Media, as well as profanity that remains in the game unless you dnwnload a third-party “mod” to remove it.
Is Baldur’s Gate 3 Appropriate for Kids to Play?
Should your child be playing Baldur’s Gate 3?
There is a lot of mature content in Baldur's Gate 3 (which is how it got rated “Mature 17+” by the ESRB). Some of it can be turned off, like the full nudity or the blood-spatter effects. Some of it only happens if the player makes certain choices, like scenes involving adult romantic content, or breaking of the Young Dragonslayers’ golden “no murder hobo” rule, where players wantonly murder and loot innocent civilians.
Of course, there will always be families who have different opinions. Some parents say the filters work great for them, and that playing the game is a positive experience for their younger teenagers.
But even if you carefully play alongside your child, adjust all of the settings, and even add some user-made “mods” to filter out swear words, a lot of the more adult elements are baked into the game itself. The main plot has the player making difficult moral decisions when faced with instances of torture, slavery, and abuse with elements like cults, psychic manipulation, and body horror. With all of this in mind, we cannot personally recommend Baldur's Gate 3 for young players—especially when there are plenty of alternatives that are more age-appropriate!
Kid-Friendly Game Alternatives to Baldur’s Gate 3
Kids and teens see Baldur’s Gate 3 cosplayers and can become curious about the game.
The game's mature rating is a bit of a problem, because, through D&D influencers, video-game streamers, cosplayers, artists, and even meme culture, nerdy kids have seen a lot of this game - and they want in! They love the fantasy world, magic system, in-depth combat, exploration, and, of course, the now-iconic characters. Fortunately, though, Baldur's Gate 3 isn't the only game out there with these elements. We've put together a list of more kid-friendly alternatives to Baldur's Gate 3 so you can find an option that's right for your children.
Option 1: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Release Year: 2011
Consoles: Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, Playstation (3, 4, and 5) Xbox (X/S, One, and 360)
ESRB Rating: Mature 17+
Approximate Length: 50-100 Hours
Skyrim is another hugely popular game for fantasy fans. Much like Baldur's Gate 3, you play a character with a specific ancestry like Khajiit, build up skills like lockpicking, and explore the huge map of the fantasy realm of of Tamriel, going in dungeons, shopping in cities, taking on sidequests, and hobnobbing with royalty. Unlike Baldur's Gate 3, Skyrim is an action game in first person, but this works great for fans of other action games like Fortnite, Super Smash Bros, or Horizon Zero Dawn. Though it is much more toned down than BG3, it does still contain depictions of violence and discussions of sexuality, so use discretion when introducing Skyrim to your children.
Option 2: Legend of Zelda Series
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Years: 1986-2023
Consoles: All Nintendo Consoles
ESRB Rating: “Everyone” to “Everyone 10+” depending on the game
Approximate Length: 50-100 hours (Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom) or 20-50 hours (all other games)
The Legend of Zelda series is one of the oldest out there. Most of the mainline games feature Link, a hero saving the kingdom of Hyrule with a magical sword, a collection of nifty inventions, and some fairy magic. Most Zelda games involve solving puzzles and exploring dungeons, and all of them have a fantasy world filled with lore and quests. The cartoonish style and lighthearted tone of Phantom Hourglass and Wind Waker are a good fit for younger children. Plus, the recent popularity and quality of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom make them good choices for kids with FOMO about Baldur’s Gate 3.
Option 3: Final Fantasy Series
Publisher: Square Enix
Release Years: 1987-2023
Consoles: Microsoft Windows, Xbox (Series X/S, One, 360), Playstation (Original, 2, 3, 4, 5, Portable, and Vita), iOS, Android, Most Nintendo Consoles
ESRB Rating: “E for Everyone” to “Mature 17+” depending on the game
Approximate Length: 30-70 hours
The Final Fantasy series is a wildly popular series of Japanese roleplaying games, each featuring a unique world and cast of characters. Video-game RPGs were directly inspired by tabletop RPGs (like Dungeons & Dragons), and so have a lot to offer for its fans. Parties are composed of multiple characters with different sets of abilities (classes, jobs, ect), each with their own story arc - perfect for those who have seen all of the companion quest lines in BG3 and love seeing a character arc. Though the games vary in tone and setting, Final Fantasy I, Final Fantasy IX and X are fairly close to the fantasy world of D&D in BG3 and are rated “Everyone” and “Teen.”
Option 4: Fire Emblem Series
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Years: 1990-2023
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, Nintendo DS, Wii, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Super Famicom
ESRB Rating: “Everyone” to “Teen,” depending on the game
Approximate Length: 20-50 hours
The Fire Emblem games are tactical roleplaying games well-suited for those who are drawn to the strategic combat of Baldur’s Gate 3. Much like in BG3, players choose from among a set of adventures to add to their party for an encounter, each of whom have their own special abilities, including fantasy staples like melee fighting, ranged weapons, and, of course, magic. Fire Emblem games also feature social interactions between party members (similar to the BG3 camp scenes). One thing to note, however: the older games feature “permadeath” wherein the party members who die in battle cannot be brought back. If your little adventurer isn't ready for that kind of play yet, be sure to pick a later version of the game - and turn off permadeath in the settings before they start!
Option 5: Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Release Year: 2014 and 2024
Consoles: Tables, computers, and anywhere else you can take notes!
ESRB Rating: None, but we’d put it as “Everyone 10+”
Approximate Length: As long or as short as you want!
As the inspiration for Baldur’s Gate 3, Dungeons & Dragons is a great option for those who want the closest experience possible. The combat mechanics in BG3 are directly taken from the 5th Edition of D&D - as are the races, spells, items, abilities, characters, and world! There are even official D&D character sheets for the characters and monsters in BG3 that can be incorporated into games. Best of all, because players make the story as they go, the story can be as kid-friendly as you want it, even customized to the particular ideas your young adventurers have for their character!
Looking for Kid-Friendly D&D Options? You’ve Come to the Right Place.
Here at Young Dragonslayers, we place players in groups with the same age and play style. Then we give them the guidance of professional Dungeon Masters who create epic (and family-friendly!) adventures for them to play together. Rather than a team of virtual characters programmed into a game, players learn to work with real humans, and make friends along the way!
If you know your child wants to play in a fantasy world, but would rather them set down the video-game controller, why not give our games a try?
