Baldur's Gate 3's newest update has finally landed on consoles and Mac, granting PlayStation and Xbox s the ability to access mods for the first time. Released on September 5 for PC, Patch 7 adds an official in-game mod manager to Baldur's Gate 3 along with a host of other improvements, fixes, and general changes. Until now, the timing of a Patch 7 console release was only stated to be an October window, which has now been fulfilled at essentially the earliest opportunity possible.

Developer Larian Studios announced the rollout of Patch 7 for consoles and Mac in a community update on the official Baldur's Gate 3 website. The announcement is accompanied by an animated short lampooning the chaos of a modded game, which stars key party like Astarion and Shadowheart.

The update also brings September's Hotfix 26 and a new Hotfix 27 along with it, addressing problems with the mod manager along with crashes and various issues like characters getting stuck on ladders after Patch 7. It also reiterates that Patch 7 isn't the end, promising "crossplay and a photo mode for Baldur's Gate 3 in the future."

What Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 7 Means For Console Players

A Limited Supply Of Mods Is Still A Big Deal

In some ways, Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 7 is an even bigger deal on console than on PC, as PC players could always nab plenty of mods through various third-party sites. Access to mods on PlayStation and Xbox is extremely uncommon, with Bethesda RPGs like The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim and Starfield generally standing out in a sea of games with no such options. Mods will still be limited through a more rigorous curation process, however. At the moment, 69 mods have been cleared for consoles, but more are set to come in the future.

Mods aren't the only exciting part of Patch 7, and another big highlight is the addition of more evil endings to make dark campaigns pay off in memorable ways. Bosses in the challenging Honour Mode receive some more Legendary Actions in the patch, which allow them to interrupt the order of combat with powerful attacks and more. Split-screen play is now dynamic, meaning that the separate sides of the screen merge when players are in proximity.

Our Take On Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 7 Coming To Consoles

Everyone Wins When The Fun Is Easier To Access

It's great to see more widespread access to Baldur's Gate 3 mods, even if it's more limited than what PC players can enjoy. The availability of the game on consoles and Mac could do a lot to expand the market for RPGs in the same vein, which are traditionally referred to as CRPGs due to releasing on computers rather than consoles.

Time will tell just how robust the console modding options for Baldur's Gate 3 will be, and I wouldn't hold my breath for anything too deeply transformative. Either way, Patch 7 might be one of the best updates for Baldur's Gate 3 yet, especially when it comes to cracking open doors that have previously been firmly shut.

Source: Baldur's Gate 3, Larian Studios/YouTube