Diablo 4 vs Baldur’s Gate 3 Comparison: Which game is better?

Diablo 4 vs Baldur’s Gate 3 Comparison: When we talk about the best top-down action-adventure games to play, two games are bound to come into people’s minds, Diablo 4 and Baldur’s Gate 3.

Both the games appear to be quite similar on the surface, but in reality, each of them has something unique about them that genuinely helps them stand out from the sea of other ARPG games currently flooding the market.

Seeing the similarities, most gamers today are understandably confused about which one of the two popular games is the better game to invest their time and money in. So, if you are one of the many gamers still sitting on the fence, we at Benettonplay will conduct a comprehensive comparison between the two popular games today to ultimately help you decide which game is the better choice for you.

Diablo 4 vs Baldur’s Gate 3 Similarities

Before we jump into the differences between the two games, let’s take a look at the few similarities these games have with each other as well.

Firstly, both Diablo 4 and Baldur’s Gate 3 are action-adventure ARPG games based in a fantasy setting, although Baldur’s Gate’s areas are more vibrant and colorful in appearance, whereas the areas in Diablo 4 appear quite grim, as they should be according to the theme of the game.

Moreover, both games allow and encourage their players to traverse through and explore a large open world at their own pace full of opportunities to get involved in. Surprise boss fights, engaging side quests, finding legendary weapons, etc., are just a few activities to name that players can indulge in while exploring the various nook-and-crannies of every building, dungeon, or fortress they find scattered around the map.

Thirdly, both games also expect their characters/players to engage and dominate human enemies as well as hostile fantasy creatures in equal measure.

Now that we have briefly discussed their similarities, let’s look at the differences between them to determine which game is worth your attention the most.

Storyline

Starting with the first aspect of the game, their story.

In Diablo 4’s story, players take on the role of a ‘wanderer’ who must protect the sanctuary realm from the game’s main antagonist, Lilith, daughter of Mephisto, and her evil forces threatening the entire world.

In terms of depth and complexity, Diablo 4’s story is relatively simple to understand yet extremely engaging without coming across as too intricate.

Baldur’s Gate 3’s story on the other hand feels moe a like a tale that tells the story of a group of characters of varying races who come together to form a party of sorts and try and stop a newfound god, the Absolute, as it prepares to corrupt the forgotten realms and the entire world through the help of Mind Flayers and illithid tadpole parasites, to claim it for his own.

In terms of depth and complexity, Baldur’s Gate 3’s storyline feels more alive, and there is no denying the fact that this game felt more intricate and fleshed out than Diablo 4’s story thanks to all the different types of relatable characters, a plethora of dialogues which actually impact certain instances in the game and much more.

To sum up, If you’re someone who is looking for a game that allows players to slay countless foes and use fancy new abilities that enables them to collect the next best loot on the map, while also enjoying a fairly entertaining yet straightforward dark and gritty story, then Diablo 4 is the game you should get.

If, on the other hand, you are someone who prefers to take control of diverse, intricate characters with their unique backstories and personalities, explore vibrant-looking locations full of unknown mysteries, and live through a story of friendships, betrayal, and self-discovery along the way, then this game is the best option for you among the two.

Also Read: Interested in playing games like Diablo? Check out these amazing games which play a lot like Diablo.

Gameplay

In terms of their gameplay, as mentioned earlier, in both the games players can explore a vast open world full of various opportunities to take advantage of. Players can hunt for treasures and rare collectibles, take on surprise boss fights, meet and converse with engaging characters, undertake exciting side quests, and much more. The main difference, however, is in their combat.

Starting with Diablo 4’s combat, it takes place in real-time, so players have complete freedom in how they approach and engage with every enemy unit they encounter. Players will have to think on their toes amidst the hectic battles and utilize various maneuvers, skills, and weaponry at their disposal to finish off their foes.

Moreover, since the combat will take place in real-time, players will also need to be agile and alert enough to dodge their way around the battlefield to evade the enemy’s attack and survive the battles.

On the other hand, the combat in Baldur’s Gate 3 is turn-based, meaning players cannot move freely around where the fight is taking place. Instead, players will have to use strategic thinking and planning by utilizing various party members, enchantments, companions, and skills to fight off the enemies in this game.

Moreover, every action the playable character performs during the battle uses up AP points, which are action points that decide what kind of action a particular player or non-playable character can take during a particular encounter. For example, skills and enchantments use up a significant number of action points, whereas simply moving from one point on the battlefield to another will use up very few action points.

To sum up, the gameplay comparison between the two games, if you prefer a seamless gameplay experience where everything is happening in real-time, from free exploration to hectic, chaotic combat, Diablo 4 is an excellent choice for you.

On the other hand, if you’re someone who prefers a game that has seamless exploration that has turn-based combat mechanics integrated into it, that allows players to take their time and carefully plan and strategies their next moves in a methodical manner, as seen in Larian’s other games like the Divinity series, then Baldur’s Gate 3 is a tailor-made game for you.

Also Read: Interested in knowing more about this turn-based adventure game? Check out Baldur’s Gate 3’s official website for more details.

Graphics

Moving on to the graphics comparison between the two games, in our opinion, both games look great when played on a decent system, and at the end of the day, it is the game’s unique aesthetics, art style, and the player’s personal preference too, that will ultimately decide which type of visual style appeals to which kind of gamers the most.

Starting with Diablo 4’s graphics, Blizzard has decided to go for a more bleak and dark aesthetic for this game keeping in sync with the other games in the series to perfectly capture the gloomy atmosphere of a world that has just been taken over by the devil’s own daughter, Lilith.

Everything from the characters themselves to the weapons, areas, strongholds, and enemies conveyed the grim look of the world they inhabited very well. Moreover, each and every aspect of the game felt very realistic and extremely detailed to the last dot, acting as a great testament to the graphics team for superbly capturing the essence of the game accurately.

Coming to Baldur’s Gate 3 graphics, in stark contrast to the former, in this game Larian Studios decided to give their game a vibrant and colorful look to keep it in sync with the aesthetics and legacy of Dungeons & Dragons.

Once again, everything from the characters to the enemies, weapons, and skills were colored in slightly less detailed but punchy colors, giving things and characters present in the game a less realistic but lively appeal.

To sum up, if you’re someone for whom realistic graphics and aesthetics matter a lot when it comes to immersing one’s self in a game, then the grim, dark but realistic colors of Diablo 4 will appeal to your senses better.

But if you prefer their games to look vibrant and lively, full of color and different visual features, but don’t mind if the overall graphical details of the game appear more stylized than realistic, then Baldur’s Gate is the game for you.

Platforms

Speaking of the platforms both the games are available on, starting with Diablo 4, which is playable on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

Baldur’s Gate 3, however, is playable on PC, macOS, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.

Conclusion

That’s it for this article. This was our comprehensive comparison post on which game is better, Diablo 4 or Baldur’s Gate 3. Take a look at the points mentioned above once again to decide for yourselves which game is more suited to your style and most importantly, worth your precious time and money.

If you’re still undecided, here’s our comparison in a nut which should hopefully make things a bit clearer for you:

Play Diablo 4 if – you are looking for a seamless action RPG experience, highly-detailed, realistic graphics, and an engaging storyline to tie it all together.

Play Baldur’s Gate 3 if – you are looking for a methodical turn-based RPG experience, vibrant, stylized graphics, and a deep, intricate storyline full of twists and turns.