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BlizzCon 2026 announcements: Diablo V, StarCraft and the key release dates
September 13, 2026Blizzard’s BlizzCon 2026 opening ceremony outlined two timelines: Diablo V and a new StarCraft are years away, while Diablo IV, World of Warcraft, Warcraft III: Reforged and Heroes of the Storm have dates players can act on much sooner.
BlizzCon 2026’s opening ceremony presented a roadmap split between the distant future and the immediate one. Blizzard announced Diablo V for spring 2029 and a new StarCraft open-world shooter for spring 2030, while also confirming nearer-term dates and availability details for Diablo IV, World of Warcraft, Warcraft III: Reforged and Heroes of the Storm.
That difference matters more than the number of announcements. The two biggest new games are still defined mainly by their premises and release windows. Players looking for something they can access, test or prepare for in September 2026 have a much clearer list.
This roundup covers announcements from the opening ceremony on September 12, 2026. BlizzCon panels continued on September 13 and may provide details that warrant separate, sourced updates.
Diablo V is due in spring 2029
Blizzard confirmed that Diablo V is in development and scheduled for spring 2029. Its announced premise begins in a version of Sanctuary where Diablo has triumphed and its heroes have been defeated.
Beyond that premise and release window, Blizzard’s opening-ceremony announcement did not specify platforms, an exact launch date, pricing, a service model, gameplay systems or the number of classes. It is therefore too early to determine how Diablo V will differ mechanically from Diablo IV or whether it will be offered through Game Pass.
StarCraft returns as an open-world shooter in spring 2030
Blizzard also announced STARCRAFT, described in its distributed release as an original open-world shooter, for spring 2030. The official announcement uses STARCRAFT as the game’s name. Although the reveal video is titled STARCRAFT | Announce Cinematic | Dominion, “Dominion” has not been confirmed as the game’s subtitle.
The wait is even longer than the one announced for Diablo V. PC Gamer reported that the public reveal was a cinematic and did not contain gameplay footage. Blizzard’s opening-ceremony material did not detail the perspective, playable factions, solo or multiplayer structure, progression, platforms, price or a possible RTS component.
For now, the open-world shooter description and spring 2030 window are confirmed. Most of the information needed to understand how the new StarCraft will actually play remains unannounced.
What players can access or prepare for soon
Blizzard’s nearer-term announcements were more specific, beginning with Diablo IV.
- Diablo IV: Season of Hell’s Legacy begins rolling out on September 15, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. PT, according to Blizzard’s Diablo opening-ceremony recap.
- Diablo IV’s Amazon class pack is planned for the first half of 2027. Blizzard did not provide a more precise date in its opening-ceremony announcement.
- World of Warcraft: Forever launches on November 4, 2026, with its beta beginning on September 17, 2026, according to the official Xbox Wire opening-ceremony recap.
- Warcraft III: Reforged received the Forsaken Kingdom campaign with its 3.0 update. The official recap said both were playable as of September 12, 2026.
- Heroes of the Storm adds Xal’atath on September 28, 2026, following the character’s PTR debut on September 14, 2026.
Warcraft III: Reforged therefore supplied the opening ceremony’s immediately available release. The Heroes of the Storm PTR, Diablo IV season and WoW Forever beta followed on September 14, September 15 and September 17 respectively, while World of Warcraft: Forever received the later November launch date.
A Diablo animated series is in development at Netflix
Outside games, Blizzard and Netflix confirmed that they are developing an animated series set in the world of Diablo. The announcement did not provide a release window, format, creative team, cast or story details, making this a development confirmation rather than a production with a public timetable.
The practical takeaway from the BlizzCon 2026 announcements
Blizzard now has two distant marquee projects on its calendar, but neither Diablo V nor STARCRAFT is close enough for firm conclusions about platforms, access or detailed gameplay. Their spring 2029 and spring 2030 windows are the central facts for now.
The actionable portion of the opening ceremony is the shorter-term schedule: Diablo IV’s season begins September 15, the WoW Forever beta starts September 17, Xal’atath reaches Heroes of the Storm on September 28 after a September 14 PTR debut, and Warcraft III: Reforged’s Forsaken Kingdom campaign was already available by the day of the ceremony.
For another major-show recap, see our Gamescom 2024 Opening Night Live announcement roundup.
While games are fun, it’s highly important to note that there’s more to life than sitting countless hours playing video games – there’s a purpose and more to life; seek out that purpose more often!
