Diablo 4 couldn’t have come at a better time. Diablo 3 debuted a full 10 years ago, meaning players have already plumbed its demonic depths. Diablo 2: Resurrected didn’t introduce anything new to the series, while Diablo Immortal’s new ideas were mostly bad.
But in 2023, Diablo 4 will come out on the PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, and will hopefully give demon slayers everywhere a meaty original adventure with a minimum of microtransactions. As Diablo IV seems to be pretty close to completion, we have a lot of information about the game, from a full class roster to extended trailers. If you’ve been eagerly awaiting your next trip to the world of Sanctuary, you won’t need to wait much longer. And if you’ve never played a Diablo game before, you should have just enough time to catch up.
Diablo 4 release date window
Diablo 4 doesn’t yet have a specific release date, but we do have a solid window: 2023. At Microsoft’s Xbox Showcase in June 2022, Blizzard announced that Diablo 4 would debut in 2023. While it’s still possible that Blizzard could delay the game between now and then, the current release window gives Blizzard all the way until December 2023 to put the game out. Considering how long it’s already been in development, that seems like a reasonable timeframe.
Like the games that came before it, Diablo 4 won’t be a one-and-done deal. Blizzard plans to support the game for years to come, with both competitive multiplayer seasons and story expansions. But we’ll probably need to wait at least a few more months before we hear about the game’s post-launch plans.
A recent report from Windows Central and XboxEra suggests that Diablo 4 could launch in April 2023, with a full announcement at The Game Awards 2022 in December. Blizzard has not confirmed this information, however, so we'll have to wait until the awards show to know for sure.
Diablo 4 classes
Blizzard has announced five playable classes for Diablo 4. For better or worse, they’re all repeats from previous games:
- Barbarian
- Druid
- Necromancer
- Rogue
- Sorceress
Both Diablo 2 and Diablo 3 had seven classes, but the final two came during expansions. At launch, both games also offered five playable character choices.
The good news is that character creation will be a bit more in-depth than in some of the previous games. Players will have the opportunity to choose a character’s sex and customize their appearance, so a male Rogue or Sorcerer is perfectly plausible this time around. Much like previous Diablo titles, the game will also feature skill trees, which means that players can further customize their avatars as they level up.
Diablo 4 beta
Since Diablo 4 will have a strong online component, Blizzard will offer beta tests in order to evaluate the game’s multiplayer systems. However, according to Blizzard’s official support site, the beta tests are still a ways away.
“There is currently no Alpha or Beta testing for Diablo IV,” reads a Blizzard support page. “If you want to participate in the Alpha or Beta testing of our game, you can sign up on the official Diablo IV website. The sign up is only available when the testing is open, or shortly before testing starts.”
While you can’t sign up for the beta yet, you can put your name on a mailing list for beta updates. This way, Blizzard will contact you when beta opportunities arise, and you can choose to participate from there.
Diablo 4 gameplay
Unlike the existing Diablo games, Diablo 4 will be an open-world RPG. Instead of working your way through a series of large-but-disconnected levels, Diablo 4 will let players seamlessly explore five different regions. If you play online, you’ll share these spaces with other players, meaning that you can team up to fight the forces of evil in cooperative World Events, or compete with each other in player-versus-player matches. Naturally, you can also join your friends and play through Diablo 4 as a party, just as in previous games.
For those who haven’t played a Diablo game before, the gameplay is extremely simple. You choose a character class, then set off into the dark fantasy world of Sanctuary to slay hordes and hordes and hordes of demons. Right-clicking (or hitting a controller face button) is your basic attack; left-clicking (or another face button) is your special attack.
As you build your character, you’ll have to optimize your favorite skills, and manage your health and mana. Most enemies will also drop randomized loot, including weapons, armor and gems, which you can use to empower your character — or just make him or her look cool. The formula is easy to pick up and incredibly hard to put down.
Diablo 4 will follow the same basic formula, although the open-world structure should make the game less linear and exploration-heavy than its predecessors. Blizzard has also reintroduced in-depth skill trees, like those in Diablo 2, to give players finer control over how their characters progress.
Diablo 4 trailer
Diablo 4 has been in development for a while, and as such, has years’ worth of trailers to go through. You can find them all on the official Diablo YouTube page, along with developer updates and promotional events.
If you want a good overview of the game, the best trailer to watch is probably the Developer Gameplay Showcase, which debuted at Microsoft’s Xbox event in summer 2022:
This trailer delves into Diablo 4’s open-world design, and some of the gameplay changes that players can expect to see. It also details some of the endgame systems, so players who want to play the game for hundreds of hours rather than dozens should be covered.
We’ll keep this page updated as we learn more about Diablo 4, so stay awhile and listen.
If you can't wait for Diablo 4, we've written about why Diablo Immortal might be a worthwhile alternative.
