Since its first announcement in November 2019, fans have been anxiously awaiting the fourth installment to the Diablo franchise. With its July 6, 2023 release date revealed at the 2022 Game Awards, it seems that wait is finally coming to an end. However, for those who just can’t stand the four-month wait, Blizzard has finally confirmed during an IGN Fanfest that Diablo 4‘s open betas will launch next month.
For those who purchase the Diablo 4 preorder, an early access beta will be available to play between March 17 and March 19. The general public will be able to access the publicly-available open beta the following week from March 24 to 26. Progress between the early access and the open beta will be saved, but the official game launch will give all players a fresh start. In order to redeem their beta code, a Battle.net account will be needed.
This open beta will allow players to go through Diablo 4‘s Prologue and the entirety of its Act 1. Players can level up their character up to level 25 out of the game’s maximum 100 as they explore the Fractured Peaks area, as seen in the game’s opening in-game cinematic which premiered along with Diablo 4‘s beta dates and details.
In addition to beta dates and the opening cinematic, an interview with Diablo 4’s director John Shely was also conducted and released during IGN’s Diablo 4 FanFest, which revealed several interesting details about the aims of the open beta and Diablo 4‘s cinematic cutscenes. According to Shely, it was a goal to offer more character customization than ever before in Diablo 4, which included the way the game’s cinematics would depict the player. All cinematics within the game will feature the player’s customizable character, as seen in its opening prologue. Additionally, due to how early this beta will be available to play compared to launch, Blizzard will be taking note of player feedback for game balance in mechanics such as combat as well as making sure server infrastructure will hold up for launch.
Diablo 4 will be available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC platforms.