Blizzcon 2026: "World of Warcraft Forever", "Diablo V", new "Starcraft" and more
After a two-year hiatus, BlizzCon makes a spectacular return: "World of Warcraft Forever," a "StarCraft" open-world shooter, and "Diablo V" send fans into a frenzy at Blizzard's in-house convention.
If Blizzard invites me all the way to Los Angeles, there has to be something to see. And there was. At Blizzcon, three—or let's say two and a half—new games celebrated their premiere. Besides that, there was news about TV adaptations, new heroes for games thought to be dead, and a crossover with a well-known comic book hero.
«World of Warcraft Forever» – Plus it up
The question of which game Blizzard fans are most looking forward to is quickly answered at the opening event. When Holly Longdale—Vice President of «World of Warcraft»—takes the stage in her beautiful cosplay and announces, «It’s time to plus it up», the noise becomes deafening. When a red-haired dwarf with a huge shotgun and an even bigger bear appears seconds later, the visitors go completely wild. It is the beginning of the original intro to the now over 20-year-old MMO and the prelude to the new «World of Warcraft» project: «Forever».
This turns back the clock again, but this time the classic gaming experience is intended to be maintained throughout. Although that's not entirely true either. There are new areas within Azeroth. For example, the famous magic dome in the Alterac Mountains will be open for the first time. A new dungeon is hidden inside. The graphics have also been improved, there are over 1000 new quests, a new race, reworked skills, and cross-character progression with the Legacy System.
And there is even controller support. Crazy.
When: November 4th
Where: PC
«Diablo V» – He is back
On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of «Diablo», there was arguably the biggest surprise of the day: the announcement of «Diablo V». That a new installment is in the works is clear, but very few expected Blizzard to let the cat out of the bag so early. It will also take at least three years before we can play the fifth part.
At least some details followed, apart from the short teaser trailer. It is said to be set in a time when Diablo has won and Sanctuary has been wiped out. There are no more cities; instead, you travel through the world with a caravan.
When: September 29th
Where: unknown
«Starcraft» becomes a shooter
The rumor mill about a new «Starcraft» game has been bubbling for a long time. It would have been high time for a new installment. The last «Starcraft 2» campaign was released ten years ago. When Dan Hay then takes the stage and says the ominous sentence «It’s time to build a team for an interstellar war», it is clear to the last of the 5,000 people in the hall: «Starcraft» is back, baby. Although, we will have to be patient for quite a long time until the game is released.
What was shown was a Blizzard-typical cinematic trailer full of blood, drama, and destruction. Nothing was shown of the game itself, and not much more is known other than that it is supposed to be an open-world shooter. With «Starcraft Ghost», there was a similar attempt many years ago, but it was scrapped prematurely.
When: Spring 2030
Where: unknown
«Diablo» Netflix series
Apart from the announcement, there was no information about the animated Netflix adaptation of the hellish saga. From the cheers of the visitors, it can be inferred that the anticipation is gigantic nonetheless. Not only that: Blizzard hinted that «Overwatch» and «Warcraft» fans might also get their money's worth soon.
Source: Blizzard
When: unknown
Where: Netflix
«Overwatch» – Doctrine reports for duty
For the tenth anniversary of the successful hero shooter, there is a brilliant animated trailer. It shows Doomfist together with Black Widow and Reaper freeing a mysterious person from an Icelandic volcano prison. This turns out to be Doctrine, the 54th playable character for «Overwatch». The location is called Grímsvötn and also forms the new Escort Map. Doctrine can be tried out early until September 14th.
When: October 6th
Where: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
«Diablo 4» gets reinforcements
Deckard Cain returns in the next season called «Hell’s Legacy». There, you have to face the three arch-villains Baal, Mephisto, and Diablo once again. You have to decide which of their soul shards you want to carry within you. This is supposed to influence the entire season.
For 2027, the Amazon was also teased as the next class, which has a new spear weapon in its luggage.
At the same time, the Switch 2 version of «Diablo 4» was announced. As everyone with a Steam Deck and co. can testify, the game is made for handhelds.
When: September 15th
Where: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2
«Diablo Immortal» meets Spawn
Blizzard is teaming up with comic legend Todd McFarlane and bringing his cult figure Spawn into «Diablo Immortal». The time-limited crossover is part of the latest update «Made to Suffer» and is, according to Todd's own statement: «A Match Made in hell». Looks like I'll have to install that again after all.
When: September 29th
Where: PC, iOS, Android
«Hearthstone» – Expansion promises chaos
The popular card game is getting a new expansion with «Reign of Black Empire». There, the Old Gods compete with the Titans. The new keyword «Assemble» also sounds exciting. Cards with this word can be put together. «We are already excited to see what broken combos will come from this», Blizzard says directly during the presentation, voicing what everyone is thinking.
Additionally, there is a new class with the Pandaren Monk. But that won't come until next year. The new two-versus-two Battlegrounds mode sounds just as exciting. Then I can finally blame others when we lose.
When: October 20th
Where: PC, Android, iOS
«World of Warcraft Midnight: Eclipse» – the next chapter
With «Eclipse», the next big update for the current expansion follows. In it, Xal’atath is close to her goal of possessing the world soul.
The consequences of this lead directly to the next chapter, which bears the name «The last Titan». It is supposed to «bring the war back to Warcraft, with armies and huge battles», promises Longdale.
When: Beginning of 2027
Where: PC
«Warcraft 3 Reforged» – brand new campaign
«Forsaken Kingdom» is the name of the first new «Warcraft» campaign in 25 years. For this, Blizzard had another epic trailer in its luggage, which ends with a dark cloud hiding something huge.
It was the first game from which gameplay was shown. That is no coincidence, because the expansion is already available.
When: available
Where: PC
«Heroes of the Storm» is being revived
Strictly speaking, the MOBA never disappeared, but further development was stopped four years ago. Against the genre giants «League of Legends» and «Dota», even the concentrated load of Blizzard hero power couldn't do anything. All the more surprisingly, the studio has now introduced a new heroine with Xal’atath from «World of Warcraft».
When: September 28th
Where: PC
As a child, I wasn't allowed to have any consoles. It was only with the arrival of the family's 486 PC that the magical world of gaming opened up to me. Today, I'm overcompensating accordingly. Only a lack of time and money prevents me from trying out every game there is and decorating my shelf with rare retro consoles.
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