Diablo 5 is Coming in 2029, Here’s Everything Announced So Far

With Diablo 4’s impressive Lord of Hatred expansion breathing new life into the game while also closing out its big-bad Mephisto storyline, at BlizzCon 2026, Blizzard announced its follow-up, Diablo V. With decade-long gaps between Diablo 2, 3, and 4, seeing the fifth installment announced so soon is something of a surprise, with the development team confirming that the story began as a potential expansion to Diablo 4 before morphing into its own thing. Best of all, Blizzard has announced the release window: Spring 2029, which is Autumn for us in Australia.

In addition to a teaser trailer that sets the dark tone for Diablo 5, which takes the series’ brimstone-filled apocalyptic imagery to new heights, even without an early look at gameplay or systems, there’s a lot that we learned about the game at BlizzCon. At a high level, what separates this from Diablo 4 is that the structure and itemization are set to have more in common with Diablo 2 than the open-world Sanctuary of D4.

In fact, it sounds like Diablo 5 is ditching the static (geometry-wise) massive open world of the fourth game in favor of procedural maps and dungeons. This means locations and layout of its open areas will shift and change à la Diablo 2 rather than being set in stone.

There are so many little tidbits that, for readability and impact, we’ve put everything we’ve learned about Diablo 5 into a handy list. Let’s get to it.

• The game is set in Sanctuary on the continent of Westmarch, with the story set around 100 years after the events of Diablo 4 and the Lord of Hatred expansion.
• Diablo is the main villain, with the Lord of Terror having “won” and taken over after a group of heroes failed to stop him.
• You play as the ‘Heir to Westmarch’ and share a “unique bond” with Diablo that will factor into the story and gameplay.
• The game's large open regions and dungeons will be procedural and change every time you play, keeping the action and discovery fresh.
• In the world, Dread Commanders will serve as bosses controlling various regions and warping the landscape, and players can also enter Diablo’s Terror Realm.
• With a darker tone and a world in ruins, and humanity fallen, there will be no towns in the game; instead, “you’ll need to build a caravan of allies who travel with you through the scorched wastes.”
• In addition to a single-player campaign, the game will also support multiplayer, though details on how this will work are unknown. Will it be instanced like Diablo 2 and 3 or more like Diablo 4’s MMO-like setup of players running around in towns and the open world?
• The game will launch with more playable classes on day one than any Diablo game to date, including expansions.
• Three classes have been announced so far, with two returning favorites from Diablo 3, the Demon Hunter and Monk, and a brand-new class called the Plague Knight (seen above).
• The Plague Knight is described as a tank and heavily armored brawler with access to poison, disease, and pestilence abilities.
• The inventory is returning to the “inventory Tetris” style of Diablo 2, where different items take up more or less space. Belts are also returning after being absent in Diablo 4.
• Item rarity returns, along with set items and gear that follow the design seen in Diablo 4’s Talisman system to support build diversity. 
• Diablo 2-style Runes and Runewords are also returning to augment and enhance items. “A rich and deep crafting system” will also be there on day one.
• Blizzard notes that it’s currently experimenting with gear stat requirements, such as needing a certain amount of Strength to equip a heavy shield or spear.
• Treasure Goblins are returning, though Blizzard notes that they’ll be different here. In fact, Blizzard has confirmed that players will meet a Treasure Goblin named Zarg who will join your caravan.
• Diablo 5’s game director is Joe Shely, a Diablo 2, 3, and 4 veteran, with Jennifer Hepler leading the narrative and writing, a BioWare veteran who worked on the original Dragon Age games.

Although there’s a lot to chew on here, Blizzard has confirmed that starting in 2027, it will begin providing regular updates on Diablo 5’s progress, detailing features, ideas, and even deep dives into certain aspects of the game. The development team will also listen to community feedback and use it to “inform” the decisions it makes as the game continues to take shape.