Many of the classic Gold Box Dungeons & Dragons games are coming to Steam later in March, with a dedicated launcher and the ability to transfer characters between compatible games. D&D inspired early video games, like Final Fantasy, so it was only natural that developers would try to recreate D&D as a video game.

For many people, the original Baldur's Gate kicked off the era of classic D&D games that really captured the essence of the tabletop game. Baldur's Gate was not the first D&D, as there were many titles released throughout the late '80s and early '90s. These games are referred to as the Gold Box series and they were produced by multiple developers, using the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons ruleset. The games took different approaches when it came to adapting the AD&D rules, including some that used the first-person perspective, as seen in the Wizardry series. These include games that used different settings, including some D&D campaign settings that aren't in 5e yet, including Al-Qadim, Dark Sun, and Dragonlance.

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The Gold Box games were made playable on modern systems through DOSBox and they're now coming to Steam on March 29, 2022, via publisher SNEG. The games include Forgotten Realms: The Archives Collection One (Eye of the Beholder I, II, and III), Forgotten Realms: The Archives - Collection Two (Curse of the Azure Bonds, Gateway to the Savage Frontier, Hillsfar, Pools of Darkness, Pool of Radiance, Secret of the Silver Blades, Treasures of the Savage Frontier, and Unlimited Adventures), Forgotten Realms: The Archives - Collection Three (Dungeon Hack, Menzoberranzan), Krynn series (Champions of Krynn, Death Knights of Krynn, The Dark Queen of Krynn), Dark Sun series (Shattered Lands, Wake of the Ravager), Ravenloft series (Strahd's Possession, Stone Prophet), D&D Stronghold: Kingdom Simulator, and Al-Qadim: The Genie's Curse.

Dungeons & Dragons Eye of the Beholder Screenshot

The Gold Box titles will also include extra features that weren't present in the original games. There will be a special Gold Box launcher that can be used to transfer characters between games, as some act as a series that allowed characters to be used across multiple titles. The Dragonlance setting might be returning to D&D, and the Krynn series offers a glimpse at the earliest incarnation of its world. The games will receive enhanced DOSBox support, to ensure the best performance on modern systems. There will also be companion apps for games, including auto mappers, as some of them feature labyrinthine dungeons.

There has been a push to bring back many of the classic D&D games from the past, with the Black Isle Studios titles being ported to modern systems. Titles like Baldur's GateBaldur's Gate 2: Shadows of AmnIcewind DalePlanescape Torment, and Neverwinter Nights are now available on modern platforms. One of the biggest surprises was Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance being remastered after twenty years. It seems there is a lot of interest in giving players the chance to experience the older D&D games across many devices, and a revival of the Gold Box series was the natural next step.

Next: D&D: New Dragonlance Backgrounds & Feats

The Dungeons & Dragons Gold Box games are coming to Steam on March 29, 2022.

Source: SNEG/Steam