Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance is finally on PC

Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance is an action-RPG spinoff of BioWare's big Dungeons & Dragons adventure that debuted on the Xbox and PlayStation 2 in 2001. Earlier this year, a remastered version made a surprise appearance on PlayStation and Xbox consoles, and publisher Black Isle Studios confirmed that it would make its way to PC as well. And now we've got another surprise appearance on our hands: The PC version is out today.

Dark Alliance is quite different from the Baldur's Gate games that inspired it, with a strong emphasis on action over RPG. It offers three customizable characters to choose from—an elf sorceress, a dwarf warrior, and a human archer—and a three-part journey from the sewers beneath Baldur's Gate to the peak of Burning Eye Mountain and into the Underdark itself. You can take on the campaign solo or in two-player local co-op mode, and the Steam version supports Remote Play, so you may go adventuring with a friend even if they're somewhere else.

Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance goes for $30, and I won't lie, that price puts me off just a bit. The 4K facelift is nice, but at its core it remains a 20-year-old PS2 game that's noteworthy in large part because it's never previously been on PC. Baldur's Gate 2: Enhanced Edition is just $20 if you want the full RPG experience, and plenty of cheaper, more modern options are available if you're just looking for an action-RPG to kick back with.

Still, if nostalgia or curiosity compel you, or you're a die-hard completionist who's been waiting two solid decades to make this happen, your big day is finally here. Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance is available now on Steam and GOG, and it's also headed to the Epic Games Store.

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.