Baldur’s Gate 3’s Japanese version will be heavily censored

Details about the Japanese version of Baldur’s Gate 3 have revealed that the game will censor elements like nudity and violence in keeping with the country’s stricter content laws.

Baldur’s Gate 3 quickly earned a reputation for its adult content. Those who played the Early Access version of the game were shown a lot of the blood and dismemberment that would make it into the final release.

Even before release, the Baldur’s Gate 3 risque bear scene was making headlines, as it was bold of a game based on the mainstream D&D 5E license to feature something that would normally only be seen in the Grand Theft Auto or Saints Row franchises.

Not all versions of Baldur’s Gate 3 will be the same, however, as the upcoming Japanese release will take some of the adult content out, to adhere to Japan’s slightly stricter content laws.

Larian Studios

Gore & nudity cuts in Japanese release

Spike Chunsoft is publishing the PS5 version of Baldur’s Gate 3 in Japan. A new post on the Spike Chunsoft website has confirmed that certain alterations had to be made for Baldur’s Gate 3 to receive a CERO rating in the country, allowing it to be sold.

These changes include removing any nudity from Baldur’s Gate 3. This is an option in the English language release, as players can disable all Baldur’s Gate 3 nudity before starting the game, but that setting cannot be altered in Japan.

In terms of violence, the Japanese version of Baldur’s Gate 3 will remove depictions of internal organs, as well as remove the option to torture prisoners in the Goblin Camp section of Act I.

These cuts might seem odd, but titles like The Last of Us Part II attained a CERO Z rating, the highest that the board offers, and even that also had a cut scene. Sony has the strictest content guidelines of the big three console makers, especially in Japan, resulting in Baldur’s Gate 3’s local changes for the Japanese market.

These changes have only been announced for the PS5 version of Baldur’s Gate 3 in Japan and not the PC version. Such censorship wouldn’t mean much on that platform, as it’s easy to restore cut content using mods, allowing Japanese gamers to enjoy Halsin’s bear scene in all of its glory.