Blizzard has unveiled an extensive roadmap for Diablo 4, mapping out content plans for 2025 and teasing what's coming in 2026. While players will have to wait until 2026 for the next expansion, the year ahead is packed with seasonal updates, quality-of-life improvements, and long-requested features that aim to keep the community engaged.
Roadmap Overview: A First for Diablo
For the first time in Diablo's history, Blizzard has published a comprehensive roadmap, giving players unprecedented visibility into the game's future. According to Diablo 4's game director Brent Gibson, this marks a shift from reactive development to a more proactive approach. We've never really been in the position to deliver on a roadmap with the game up until now, Gibson explained in an exclusive interview with IGN. We wanted to be in a position by this year to be able to be more proactive and be in a spot where we can predict out to a year on some of our ambitions.
Season 8: Belial's Return (April-July 2025)
The upcoming Season 8, titled Belial's Return, will feature the Lord of Lies as the pinnacle boss. Players can expect a revamped boss ladder system with additions like Urivar and the Harbinger of Hatred. The season introduces apparition incursions as open-world events and offers 24 boss powers that can be earned by defeating specific targets. The battle pass system will be transformed into the new Reliquaries system, giving players more control over their rewards. Additionally, Blizzard is teasing a new IP collab and an earnable feline pet to round out the season's offerings.
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| As the Lord of Lies returns, players must confront the menacing presence of Belial in Season 8 of Diablo 4 |
Season 9: Sins of the Horadrim (July-September 2025)
The mid-year season will focus on the ancient wizardly order of the Horadrim, bringing Horadric powers to all character classes. A key feature called dungeon escalation will be introduced alongside new nightmare dungeon activities. Perhaps most notably for console players, Season 9 will finally deliver keyboard-and-mouse support, addressing a long-standing request from the community. Gibson acknowledged the importance of this addition: Accessibility is huge for us. We don't want the hardware to be the barrier.
Season 10: Infernal Chaos (September-December 2025)
The final season of 2025 will introduce Chaos Powers as part of the seasonal journey. The popular wave-based Infernal Hordes mode will receive a significant update, with Gibson noting that they're going to take the opportunity to also give it a little bit of love and put a little more player choice options out there. Another IP collaboration is also planned for this season, though details remain under wraps. Gibson emphasized that these collaborations are carefully selected to fit within Diablo's dark fantasy universe: We're avoiding the French Fries sword at all costs.
Looking Ahead to 2026: Expansion and Leaderboards
While the second expansion has been delayed to 2026, Blizzard is promising it will be the biggest expansion we've delivered yet. The roadmap also confirms that official leaderboards—a feature the community has been requesting since launch—will finally arrive in 2026, alongside a new ranking system. Gibson explained their approach: We want to work with the community on getting to a place where we've done it right... we want to also introduce something that speaks to everybody.
Balancing Challenge and Accessibility
A recurring theme throughout the roadmap is Blizzard's effort to address feedback about Diablo 4's difficulty. Bringing challenge back into the spotlight is something that we're focusing on over the course of all the seasons, Gibson stated, while emphasizing they won't sacrifice accessibility. We don't want it to be an experience that is hard at the sacrifice of fun. This balancing act will be evident across all seasons, with different activities receiving attention in each update.
A New Approach to Live Service
The roadmap reflects Blizzard's evolution in handling Diablo as a live service game while maintaining its identity as a premium action RPG with expansions. Gibson described it as a road leading to what we want to do in 2026 with the expansion, with each season building upon the last to strengthen the core experience. While the original plan of four seasons and one expansion per year has been adjusted, the team is focused on delivering consistent quality updates while taking the necessary time to perfect the next major expansion.