Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance
A spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance is a third-person action role-playing game from Wizards of the Coast, developed by its subsidiary Tuque Games. It draws on the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop system and takes its name from Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance and its sequel, positioning itself as a spiritual successor—though its own story and gameplay are unrelated to those earlier games. The title launched in June 2021 on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. On February 24, 2025, it was removed from digital storefronts and its online multiplayer servers were turned off; existing owners can still play the single-player mode.
The game is set in the tundra of Icewind Dale and features characters from R. A. Salvatore's The Legend of Drizzt novels: Drizzt Do'Urden, Catti-brie, Bruenor Battlehammer, and Wulfgar are the four playable characters. It offers both single-player and multiplayer modes. In single-player, players can pick any of the four characters and switch between them. Multiplayer supports online co-op for up to four people.
Development began in 2019, when Tuque Games was working on a Dungeons & Dragons title in partnership with Wizards of the Coast. That October, Wizards acquired Tuque Games. Salvatore assisted from the project's start. Local cooperative multiplayer was initially announced but later dropped by the developer, though it was eventually confirmed to arrive via a post-release patch. The game was officially revealed with a teaser trailer at The Game Awards in December 2019. Originally planned for a 2020 release, it was delayed to 2021. It launched on June 22, 2021, for the listed platforms and simultaneously on Xbox Game Pass. Koch Media handled the retail version.
In the Forgotten Realms setting, Dark Alliance takes place after the 1988 novel *The Crystal Shard*—the first book in Salvatore's The Icewind Dale Trilogy and the fourth in the Legend of Drizzt series—in the Icewind Dale region of Faerûn. Salvatore noted that readers of the books might get a richer experience from the game, and that the game adds to the story beyond what the books provide. He acknowledged that video games require creative liberties for fun and player-driven storytelling. Both Dark Alliance and the 2020 tabletop module *Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden* share the same region, but the video game occurs earlier in the canon t
- Developer
- Tuque Games
- Publisher
- Wizards of the Coast
- Release Date
- June 22, 2021
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
- Genre
- Third-person action role-playing
- Setting
- Icewind Dale, Forgotten Realms
- Based On
- Dungeons & Dragons tabletop role-playing system
Lore & Background
Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance is set in the tundra region of Icewind Dale and features characters from R. A. Salvatore's novel series The Legend of Drizzt, including the four playable characters: Drizzt Do'Urden, Catti-brie, Bruenor Battlehammer, and Wulfgar. The game includes both single-player and multiplayer modes. In single-player, the player can choose any of the four characters to control and swap between them. The multiplayer mode allows for online co-op for up to four players. Local cooperative multiplayer was initially announced but later dropped by the developer, though it was subsequently confirmed that the feature would be available via a post-release patch.
Reader's Guide
Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance received 'mixed or average reviews' according to review aggregator Metacritic. IGN's Travis Northup criticized the game as 'a joyless labor that's mind-numbingly repetitive, deeply lacking in storytelling, and absolutely overflowing with bugs.' The game was originally slated for release in 2020 but was delayed to 2021. It was simultaneously released on the Xbox Game Pass service, and Koch Media published the retail version. The game was delisted from digital storefronts and its online multiplayer servers shut down on February 24, 2025, though single-player mode remains accessible to existing owners. Its significance lies in its connection to the Dungeons & Dragons franchise and its attempt to serve as a spiritual successor to the Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance titles, despite receiving generally unfavorable critical reception.
Did You Know?
- The game is set after the 1988 novel The Crystal Shard, the first book in Salvatore's The Icewind Dale Trilogy.
- R. A. Salvatore assisted the game's development and has been involved since its inception.
- The game was officially announced with a teaser trailer shown during The Game Awards 2019 in December.
- Both Dark Alliance and Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden are set in Icewind Dale, but the video game occurs before the tabletop adventure module in the canon timeline.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who developed and published Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance?
Tuque Games, a studio owned by Wizards of the Coast, built the title, and Wizards of the Coast handled publishing. It shipped on June 22, 2021 for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.
What genre and setting does Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance use?
It is a third-person action role-playing game set in the Icewind Dale region of the Forgotten Realms. Combat is real-time and fast-paced rather than turn-based, and players create their own characters rather than playing a fixed cast.
How does Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance connect to Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance?
It borrows the naming convention and action-RPG spirit of the Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance series, making it a spiritual successor in marketing terms. In practice, its story, roster, and mechanics are completely independent of those earlier games.
Which platforms support Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance?
The game runs on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. All five platforms received the title simultaneously at launch.
Is Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance still available to purchase?
No. On February 24, 2025, the game was delisted from every digital storefront and its online multiplayer infrastructure was shut down, ending new sales and connected play.
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