BlizzCon 2026 Recap: StarCraft Returns as an Open World Shooter in 2030, Diablo 5 Lands Spring 2029, and Diablo 4 Hits Switch 2 on September 15

Blizzard had not held a BlizzCon since 2023, and the company has had a rough year of layoffs since, so we went into today's opening ceremony in Anaheim wondering whether it would be a show of confidence or a holding pattern. It was the former. In 75 minutes, Blizzard revealed a brand new StarCraft game, put a release window on Diablo V, confirmed Diablo IV for Nintendo Switch 2 this coming Tuesday, unveiled a new Overwatch hero and dated the next Hearthstone expansion.

The headline is StarCraft. Sixteen years after StarCraft II, Dan Hay walked on stage and announced that the next game is called, simply, StarCraft, and that it is not a strategy game. In his words, it is "an open world shooter where every step is earned." You play a Dominion soldier fighting the returning swarm. Only a three minute cinematic was shown, nothing playable, and the release window is 2030, so this is a very early announcement. The cinematic itself is worth your time.

Video: StarCraft on YouTube

Diablo turns 30: Diablo V, Switch 2, and the Amazon

Diablo got the biggest block of the show, tied to the series' 30th anniversary. Blizzard's official recap confirms that Diablo V is in development and coming in spring 2029. The premise is bleak by design: Sanctuary has fallen, the heroes are gone, and Diablo has won. The team sums it up with one question, "What must you become when the world has already fallen?" No platforms, no price and no gameplay yet, and a dedicated panel later today is meant to explain the vision in more detail.

The news you can act on much sooner is Diablo IV on Nintendo Switch 2. The Age of Hatred Collection, which bundles the base game with the Vessel of Hatred and Lord of Hatred expansions, launches on Switch 2 on September 15, three days from now. The same day, Season of Hell's Legacy goes live at 9:30 a.m. PT on every platform. It is an anniversary season built around tributes to the series' past, and its central mechanic has you confronting the three Prime Evils, Baal, Mephisto and Diablo, collecting soul splinters and borrowing their power. Further out, the Amazon class arrives in the first half of 2027, bringing bows and a new javelin weapon type, with four archetypes: Champion, Skirmisher, Ranger and Commander. Blizzard also confirmed an animated Diablo series is in development with Netflix, with details to come. If you play the mobile game, note that Diablo Immortal has its own stage at the show this weekend, and our list of Diablo Immortal codes is still active if you want free rewards before the Spawn crossover panel tomorrow.

Overwatch and Hearthstone

Overwatch revealed Hero 54, Doctrine, a vampire inspired Support hero and an ally of Doomfist who fights with a scepter, infusions and bat-like drones. He is playable right now in a limited time Hero Trial that runs through September 14, then joins the roster for real when Season 5 launches on October 6. Season 5 also closes out the year long Reign of Talon story that started with D.Mon back in August, adds a new Escort map called Watchpoint: Grimsvotn set in an Icelandic volcano prison, and delivers two big reworks: Roadhog gets an overhaul, and Sombra moves from Damage into the Support role. There is a thank you gift too. Play one game after the opening ceremony and you earn a Mythic Voucher, redeemable by October 5 for one complete Mythic bundle from Seasons 1 through 14.

Hearthstone's next expansion is Reign of the Black Empire, set tens of thousands of years in Azeroth's past when the Old Gods ruled, and it launches on October 20. It introduces a keyword called Assemble that merges the text of two minions into one, plus a free Journey hub in the Journal and a 2v2 mode. The bigger surprise was the first new class in four years: the Monk arrives in 2027. World of Warcraft, meanwhile, got a lighter touch on the main stage. Game director Ion Hazzikostas announced that Midnight's next major update is called Eclipse, with the deep dives left to two What's Next panels this evening, so expect more concrete WoW dates from those.

Our take

Two of the three biggest reveals are years away, and 2030 for StarCraft is far enough that we would not plan anything around it. What impressed us is the near term stuff: a Switch 2 port of a full Diablo IV bundle in three days, a new Overwatch hero you can try tonight, and a Hearthstone expansion five weeks out. Blizzard needed to show that it still ships, and today it did.