If you like Baldur’s Gate 3, and you like breaking things, Larian has a job for you. The big patch 8 announced in November that’s bringing crossplay to the game (along with 12 new subclasses and photo mode) will soon be ready for testing, and developers are looking for help to see how it all holds up when thousands of people come crashing into the party.
The stress test is specifically for the crossplay part of the update: Larian said it wants to “rigorously test the latest game version to detect any instability or gameplay issues before Patch 8 releases.”
To take part, head around to larian.com/stress-test-register, log into your account if necessary, and then select your platform of choice: PC, PlayStation 5, or Xbox Series X/S. (If you’re on Xbox, you’ll also need to be registered with the Xbox Insider Program and have the Xbox Insider Hub App installed.) If you get in, you’ll receive an email at some point in the future with all the relevant details.
Do note the “if” there. Larian said signing up to take part does not guarantee you’ll get in, and access will be rolled out in waves so you may be admitted sooner or later than other players. Mods should continue to work as normal, but any saves you make during the stress test period may not be compatible with the final patch: They might be, but Larian can’t guarantee anything. Hey, it’s a test.
One other restriction: The Baldur’s Gate 3 patch 8 stress test on PC will only be available through Steam—GOG and Mac players will have to wait until it’s ready for prime time. A date for that hasn’t been set at this point but it’ll be sometime in 2025, earlier or later probably depending at least in part on how this stress test goes. Full details on what you can expect from the test are up on Steam.