Larian tells Baldur's Gate 3 players to delete early access saves and uninstall the game to avoid 'unintended conflicts' with the full launch

(Image credit: Larian)

With just two days left until the Baldur's Gate 3 hammer finally falls, Larian Studios is recommending that anyone with the early access version ditch it completely to avoid any potential launch-day headaches.

"For Baldur's Gate 3 players with existing Early Access saves, we ask that prior to August 3, launch the game, and delete all save files to avoid unintended conflicts at launch," Larian tweeted. "Also, remove any mods and ensure they do not automatically re-download.

"We recommend players with Early Access installed uninstall the game after deleting their save files. This will reduce the risk of file conflicts when the final game downloads, and should mean more playing, and no troubleshooting!"

Uninstalling the early access version of Baldur's Gate 3 immediately prior to launch might seem a little counter-intuitive, but Larian has made it clear that there's no benefit to keeping it around when the full release shows up. Saved games won't be transferable, and Larian boss Swen Vincke recently said the 1.0 release of the game is "going to be a full reinstall" anyway.

PSA: Full post tomorrow, but for Baldur's Gate 3 players with existing Early Access saves, we ask that prior to August 3, launch the game, and delete all save files to avoid unintended conflicts at launch. Also, remove any mods and ensure they do not automatically re-download. We recommend players with Early Access installed uninstall the game after deleting their save files. This will reduce the risk of file conflicts when the final game downloads, and should mean more playing, and no troubleshooting! We’ll have a full guide for launch tomorrow. — (Image credit: Larian Studios (Twitter))

A "full guide" to what players can expect in the final lead-up to launch is now available on Steam. Baldur's Gate 3 is set to go live at 8 am PT/11 am ET on August 3—here's the full unlock schedule.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.