The Baldur's Gate remakes should ditch RTWP and go full turn-based

Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 remakes are in the works, with Wizards of the Coast even pulling BG2's co-lead designer back into the fold. Nobody knows yet how radical the changes will be — but one change in particular would be very welcome: dropping real-time-with-pause combat and going full turn-based.

A PC Gamer reader poll last month made the community's preference pretty clear — 75% voted for turn-based over RTWP. The argument for making the switch is straightforward: RTWP isn't going anywhere. The originals and their Enhanced Editions are right there, full of the stuff, and they're not going anywhere. The remakes could do something different. Baldur's Gate 3 showed exactly what turn-based fights can be — elaborate environmental puzzles where every action carries weight, instead of getting swallowed up in the chaos of a real-time scrum. There's also a D&D authenticity argument: tabletop combat is built on patience and planning, and turn-based systems reflect that in a way RTWP never really could.

A remake that just delivers a prettier version of BG2 isn't much of a remake at all — the original still holds up fine on its own terms. Big swings, like rethinking the combat system entirely, are what give a classic a genuine second life. That doesn't mean changing everything, though. Jaheira's rough edges should stay rough. Vampires should still be a pain to fight. Jon Irenicus absolutely does not need a comic-relief sidekick.

Turn-based is the one change that could modernise the experience without gutting what made Baldur's Gate great in the first place — and going by the poll numbers, most players are already on board.