Since the game released in 2023, Diablo 4 has seen several seasons but only one major expansion. Vessel of Hated, the game’s first paid DLC, arrived in October 2024. For many, this expansion fell short of expectations, offering a lukewarm addition to the base game that some fans felt walked back much of what they loved about Diablo 4 itself. Now, Diablo’s GM Rod Fergusson has confirmed that Blizzard is working on another expansion for Diablo 4 set to arrive in 2026. This is later than anticipated based on previous plans, but it doesn’t mean Diablo 4 will be stagnant in 2025.
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According to a post from Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, Fergusson revealed the news during a talk about the Diablo franchise at the Las Vice DICE summit. For some fans who hoped to see an expansion this year, that 2026 release date is a disappointment. After all, Blizzard has previously shared intentions to release an annual expansion for the game, and putting out the second one in 2026 immediately breaks that trend.
That said, given the fan reception for Vessel of Hatred, giving the next expansion a little more time in the oven isn’t necessarily a bad thing. While critics reviewed the expansion fairly well, the Metacritic score amongst general gamers tells a different story. Many Diablo 4 fans felt the expansion was just okay, lacking the depth of the original game and not really building upon the story in any meaningful way. It’s possible that walking back the annual expansion plan means Blizzard is taking that feedback and planning to put a little more oomph into the next major expansion.
2025 Roadmap for Diablo 4 Reportedly on the Way
While the next major expansion isn’t coming in 2025, that doesn’t mean Diablo 4 fans won’t see any new content. As a live service game, Diablo 4 operates on a seasonal schedule, with new content arriving on a regular basis. In the same talk where he revealed that the next major expansion won’t arrive until 2026, Fergusson reportedly confirmed that a 2025 roadmap for Diablo 4 is in the works. While we don’t know exactly when it will arrive, this plan should highlight what will follow the current Season of Witchcraft in Diablo 4.
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The Season of Witchcraft began in mid-January and should end on April 15th per the current Battle Pass dates. That means we should start seeing some hints at what’s to come with Season 8 soon enough, if it will kick off in April after the Season of Witchcraft ends. Thus, while the 2025 roadmap won’t include details on the next expansion, it likely will lay out Season 8 and, quite possibly, Diablo 4 Season 9 as well.
As far as specific details on the second expansion go, there isn’t much to go on at the moment. Aside from this new reveal that the release date will be different from what we expect, Blizzard hasn’t said much about the content or theme for the expansion. While fans have their hopes and theories, actual information is thin on the ground so far. Hopefully as we approach that 2026 release date, more information about the next Diablo 4 expansion will be revealed.
What do you think about the delay for the next Diablo 4 expansion? Let us know in the comments below!
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