Yes, you can change your race during character creation and before you leave the Nautiloid

Baldur's Gate 3 lets you change your character's race at any point while you are still in the character creation menu. If you have already started playing and left the Nautiloid ship at the beginning of the game, you cannot change your race without restarting or using console commands — the game does not have a built-in option to alter race mid-playthrough.

The easiest time to change your race is before you finish creating your character. You can swap races as many times as you want during this stage, and the change takes effect when ready when you load into the game world.

Key Takeaways

  • You can change your race freely in the character creation menu before you start playing.
  • Once you leave the Nautiloid and enter the main game world, the standard game interface does not offer a race-change option.
  • Restarting your character is the straightforward way to change race after you have begun playing.
  • Console commands can alter your race mid-game on PC, but this requires enabling developer tools and typing commands directly.

How to change your race during character creation

Open the character creation menu when you start a new game. On the left side of the screen, you will see your character's appearance and basic details. Look for the Race option — it is typically displayed near the top of the character details panel, often showing your current selection like "Human" or "Elf".

Click on the race field to open a dropdown or selection menu showing all available races. Baldur's Gate 3 includes Human, Elf (with subraces like High Elf, Wood Elf, and Drow), Dwarf, Halfling, Dragonborn, Gnome, Half-Orc, and Tiefling. Select the race you want, and your character's appearance will update to reflect the change. You can change this as many times as you like before you confirm your character and start the game.

Why you cannot change race after leaving the Nautiloid

Baldur's Gate 3 treats race as a permanent character attribute once you enter the game world. The developers did not include a mid-game race-change feature in the standard interface, likely because race affects not only appearance but also dialogue options, companion reactions, and story moments that have already played out.

If you have already progressed past the Nautiloid and want a different race, your main options are to start a new character or to use console commands if you are playing on PC. Neither option is built into the normal game menu.

Using console commands to change race on PC

If you are playing on PC and want to change your race without restarting, you can use the console command system. First, you must enable the console by opening your game's configuration file. Navigate to your Baldur's Gate 3 user folder (usually found in Documents\Larian Studios\Baldur's Gate 3) and open the file called bg3.ini with a text editor.

Find or create the line EnableConsole = 1 in the file and save it. When you launch the game, you can now press the tilde key (~) to open the console. Type the command rs.SetRace("race_name"), replacing "race_name" with the race you want — for example, rs.SetRace("elf") or rs.SetRace("dragonborn"). Press Enter, and your character's race will change when ready.

Be aware that using console commands may cause unexpected visual glitches or dialogue inconsistencies, since the game has already recorded your original race in its save file. This method works but is not officially supported by Larian Studios.

What changes when you switch races

Your race affects several elements of your playthrough. Different races have different ability score bonuses — for example, Elves gain bonuses to Dexterity, while Dwarves gain bonuses to Constitution. These bonuses can influence how well your character performs in combat and skill checks.

Race also unlocks different dialogue options in conversations with NPCs. Some characters react differently to you based on your race, and certain story moments may reference your background. If you change race mid-game using console commands, these dialogue branches will not retroactively update, so you may see references to your old race in quest text or NPC dialogue.

When to restart instead of using console commands

If you are early in the game — still in Act One or the first few hours — restarting is often faster and cleaner than using console commands. You will avoid potential glitches, and you will experience dialogue and story moments with your new race from the beginning, which feels more natural.

Restarting also gives you a chance to adjust other character details you may want to change, like class, background, or appearance. If you are deep into Act Two or Act Three, console commands might feel less disruptive than starting over, but be prepared for minor visual or dialogue oddities.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change my race if I am in the middle of Act Two?

You can use console commands on PC to change your race, but the game will not update dialogue or story references that already happened. Restarting is the cleaner option if you want a fresh experience with your new race.

Does changing my race affect my class or abilities?

Your class stays the same when you change race. However, your race determines ability score bonuses, so switching races may make you slightly better or worse at certain skills depending on which race you choose. You can manually adjust your ability scores during character creation to compensate.

What if the console command does not work?

Make sure you have saved the bg3.ini file correctly and that EnableConsole = 1 is in the file. Restart the game after editing the file. If the tilde key does not open the console, try other keys like backtick or check your keyboard layout — some regions use different keys for the console.

Can I change my race on console versions like PlayStation or Xbox?

No. Console commands are only available on PC. If you are playing on PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S, restarting your character is your only option to change race.

Will changing my race affect my save file or cause corruption?

Using console commands to change race should not corrupt your save file, but it may cause minor visual glitches or dialogue inconsistencies. Always back up your save file before experimenting with console commands.