Blizzard has officially announced Diablo 5 as the next entry in its iconic ARPG franchise. In honor of the Diablo franchise’s 30th anniversary, the developer shared its plans for the future of the franchise at BlizzCon 2026, including the surprise reveal of the successor to Diablo 4. While fans won’t be able to play this new Diablo game for some time still, there is a clear direction for the future of the franchise beyond Diablo 4.
It’s already been over three years since Diablo 4 originally launched back in June 2023, and the game has seen 14 seasons and two major expansions in that time. Although Diablo 4 was originally scheduled to receive yearly expansions following its launch, plans seem to have shifted and now Diablo 5 will debut six years after Diablo 4 has had its time in the spotlight. Diablo 4 will still be supported for the foreseeable future until Diablo 5’s release, but fans now have a concrete sense of the series’ release timeline.
Blizzard Reveals Diablo 5 at BlizzCon 2026
Announced during the opening ceremony of BlizzCon 2026, Diablo 5 is set to take up the reins from Diablo 4 as the next installment in the franchise. While details are scarce at the moment regarding Diablo 5’s gameplay and classes, Blizzard has confirmed that it will feature the return of the Lord of Terror himself in a major way. Currently, Diablo 5 is targeting a Spring 2029 release, so it may be a while before fans get any substantial update on the game’s progress.
Following the defeat of Mephisto in the Lord of Hatred DLC for Diablo 4, the overarching narrative of the franchise reached a natural conclusion. Although Diablo 4 is still getting plenty of content in the near future, the major story of the Age of Hatred saga is over, leaving room for a full-fledged sequel to pick up where it leaves off. Blizzard has teased that Diablo 5 will differ from Diablo 4 and its narrative of preventing Lilith and Mephisto’s destruction of Sanctuary, instead focusing on a world where Diablo has already sown chaos and terror, leaving players to experience the aftermath.
Aside from Diablo 5, fans of the series can look forward to more from Diablo 4 in the coming months. Diablo 4 Season 15 sees the return of several classic Uniques from Diablo’s past, such as Leoric’s Crown, Nemesis Bracers, and Stone of Jordan, as well as the return of the classic Diablo Prime Evils and the Horadrim Deckard Cain. Also announced during BlizzCon is the return of Diablo 2’s Amazon class in Diablo 4, launching in 2027.
Diablo Immortal also has some exciting content coming soon, especially for comic fans. The Diablo Immortal x Spawn crossover merges two Hells as Todd McFarlane’s iconic antihero joins Sanctuary. This collaboration will feature a new look for Spawn that fits into Diablo Immortal’s world complete with chains, hellfire, and necroplasmic power to slay the demons infesting Sanctuary. The wait for Diablo 5 may still be long, but that doesn’t mean Diablo fans won’t be able to get their fill of exciting new content from across the franchise in the meantime.
