Short Games Like Baldur’s Gate 3 With Deep Parties and Choices
Table of Contents
You loved Baldur’s Gate 3. You don’t have another 100 hours
Baldur’s Gate 3 earns its hours, but finishing it can leave you too drained to start another giant CRPG. Every game below has a main story under 40 hours by HowLongToBeat’s community estimates. Each one also shares a specific mechanic with BG3, not just a fantasy setting.
If you loved the fights
Start with Shadowrun: Dragonfall for turn-based squad combat. Pick Wildermyth instead if you’ll play with someone on the couch.
If you loved the talking
Tyranny gives you faction choices that reshape the map. Disco Elysium is BG3’s skill checks with the combat removed. If length isn’t the issue, our full list of games like Baldur’s Gate 3 matches by what you loved most.
The short list at a glance
The four short RPGs like BG3 are Tyranny, Shadowrun: Dragonfall – Director’s Cut, Disco Elysium – The Final Cut, and Wildermyth. Each has a main story under 40 hours.
⏱️ Verified September 26, 2026: Prices, sales, and subscription catalogues change constantly. Confirm on the storefront before you buy.
| Game | Main story (HLTB est.) | Combat | Platforms | Price (US list) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyranny | ~20 hrs | Real-time with pause | PC (Windows, Mac, Linux) | $29.99 |
| Shadowrun: Dragonfall – DC | ~20.5 hrs | Turn-based | PC, Mac, PS4/PS5, Xbox, Switch | $14.99 PC / $19.99 console |
| Disco Elysium – The Final Cut | ~20–24 hrs | No combat (skill checks) | PC, Mac, PS4/PS5, Xbox, Switch | |
| Wildermyth | ~10–15 hrs per campaign | Turn-based | PC, Mac, PS4/PS5, Xbox, Switch |
Lengths are HowLongToBeat community estimates, except Wildermyth’s, which is a reviewer estimate. Prices were checked September 26, 2026.
How we picked
Each pick had to meet three rules:
- a main story under 40 hours,
- currently for sale on an official storefront,
- at least one mechanic in common with BG3.
Tyranny: choices that matter, built to be short
This is the closest match on the list for choice-driven storytelling.
Tyranny
Platforms: PC (Windows, Mac, Linux) · Price: $29.99 US list on Steam (verified September 26, 2026) · Length: ~20 hrs main story (HLTB estimate) · Mode: Single-player · Rating: ESRB T / PEGI 16.
Your faction choices redraw the map, the way BG3’s biggest decisions reshape its later acts.
Obsidian designed the main story to take 20 to 25 hours, so you’d replay it with different loyalties. Companions react to whose side you take, and some unlock combo attacks with your character.
Who it’s not for: anyone who needs BG3’s turn-based combat. Tyranny’s fights run in real time with pause.
Why it’s short on purpose
The shorter length is a design choice, not a budget cut. Tyranny also runs natively on Mac, so it belongs alongside more BG3-style RPGs that run on Mac.
Shadowrun: Dragonfall: the tactics pick nobody lists
This is the pick the other “shorter” lists miss, and the one we’d buy first.
Shadowrun: Dragonfall – Director’s Cut
Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, PS4/PS5, Xbox One/Series X|S, Switch · Price: $14.99 US on Steam; $19.99 on Switch (verified September 26, 2026) · Length: ~20.5 hrs main, ~29.5 with extras (HLTB estimate) · Mode: Single-player · Rating: ESRB M.
You lead a crew of runners through turn-based tactics, with a story built around the people in your team.
The combat is closer to BG3’s rhythm than Tyranny’s: each turn you plan every move, then the enemy takes its turn. The writing is the real draw. It is sharp, branching, and focused on a small cast whose stories develop across the whole campaign.
Who it’s not for: anyone who loved BG3’s voiced cast. Dragonfall has no voice acting, and you’ll read everything.
Which version to buy
On PC, buy the Director’s Cut rather than the original Dragonfall expansion, because it adds five missions and alternate endings. On console, you can buy it on its own or inside Shadowrun Trilogy.
Disco Elysium: BG3’s skill checks with no combat at all
This pick is for readers who remember BG3’s conversations more than its fights.
Disco Elysium – The Final Cut
Platforms: PC, Mac, PS4/PS5, Xbox One/Series X|S, Switch · Length: ~20–24 hrs main story (HLTB estimates) · Mode: Single-player · Rating: ESRB M.
It takes BG3’s dice-rolled dialogue checks and makes them the whole game.
Your skills speak up during conversations, and a failed roll changes the story instead of ending it. It rewards the same “what happens if I try this” curiosity that made BG3’s dialogue worth replaying.
Who it’s not for: anyone who wants a party or tactical fights. You play one detective, and there is no combat system.
Is it too different?
It’s the least like BG3 in how it plays and the most like it in how ambitious the writing is. Its ESRB rating page lists drug use, sexual themes, and violence, so it’s firmly for adults.
Wildermyth: short campaigns you can play in co-op
This is the pick if you played BG3 with a partner.
Wildermyth
Platforms: PC, Mac, PS4/PS5, Xbox One/Series X|S, Switch · Length: ~10–15 hrs per campaign (reviewer estimate) · Mode: Single-player; local co-op for up to 4 on console.
Your heroes bond, feud, age, and fall in love, much like BG3’s camp relationships.
Those relationships change how the heroes fight together, so party dynamics matter in combat. Battles are turn-based on a grid, and positioning and flanking decide more than raw damage.
Who it’s not for: anyone who wants hand-written companions. Wildermyth’s stories are generated, so the writing is looser than BG3’s.
Choosing a campaign length
The Console Edition offers five curated campaigns. Co-op on console is local only; if you need online play, see more co-op RPGs like Baldur’s Gate 3.
Great games, but not short: skip these for now
These are excellent games that fail the one thing this reader asked for.
Divinity: Original Sin 2
It’s the closest game to BG3 on any list, which is why it keeps showing up on “shorter” lists too. HowLongToBeat puts its main story at about 59 hours, well past our limit.
Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2, and Pillars of Eternity
One competing “shorter” list estimates Baldur’s Gate 2 at 50 to 60 hours. Pillars of Eternity’s main story sat around 40 hours in launch coverage, right on our limit. Save all three for when you want another long campaign.
Short games like Baldur’s Gate 3: FAQ
1. Is there a shorter game like Baldur’s Gate 3?
Yes. Shadowrun: Dragonfall and Tyranny both have main stories of around 20 hours, by HowLongToBeat community estimates.
2. How long is Tyranny?
Tyranny’s main story takes about 20 hours by HowLongToBeat estimates, and Obsidian designed it to run 20 to 25 hours.
3. Is Divinity: Original Sin 2 a short game like Baldur’s Gate 3?
No. HowLongToBeat puts Divinity: Original Sin 2’s main story at about 59 hours, well past a 40-hour limit.
4. Is Disco Elysium like Baldur’s Gate 3?
Only in dialogue. Disco Elysium makes BG3-style skill checks the whole game but has no party and no tactical combat.
5. Which Shadowrun game should I play first?
Start with Shadowrun: Dragonfall – Director’s Cut. It stands alone, and it adds five missions to the original expansion.
6. Is Wildermyth co-op?
Wildermyth’s Console Edition supports local co-op for up to four players on PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch. Console co-op isn’t online.
7. What’s the shortest turn-based RPG like BG3 here?
Wildermyth, at roughly 10 to 15 hours per campaign. Shadowrun: Dragonfall’s main story runs about 20.5 hours.
8. Are these short BG3-like games on PS5 or Switch?
Three are: Shadowrun: Dragonfall, Disco Elysium – The Final Cut, and Wildermyth. Tyranny is PC-only.
9. Is Pillars of Eternity a short game like BG3?
Not really. Launch coverage put its main story around 40 hours, right on this list’s limit.
10. Can I play short BG3-like games on Steam Deck?
We haven’t verified Steam Deck status for these picks yet. Check our BG3-style RPGs for Steam Deck first.
Pick by what you’ll miss most
If you buy only one, make it Shadowrun: Dragonfall – Director’s Cut. It’s turn-based, character-driven, about 20 hours long, and the cheapest pick here. Choose Tyranny for choices, Disco Elysium for dialogue, and Wildermyth for couch co-op.
