Diablo 4 is finally here - there's plenty more hacking and slashing to be had. The next game in Blizzard's mega-popular franchise is available to play now, after years of waiting.The fourth in the action role-playing series is darker than the last iteration - a return to the grittier roots of the original Diablo. So, here's everything we know about Diablo 4.

Diablo 4 release date

At 2022's The Game Awards, a glitzy new trailer announced the game's final release date - 6 June 2023. Before that point, Blizzard had spent a few years remaining tight-lipped.

How to buy Diablo 4

You can now order Diablo 4 across a range of platforms and retailers, so if it's a day-one purchase for you, get ahead of the game.

Diablo 4 square
Diablo 4

Diablo 4 looks like it might be another classic, and you can play it right now.

Diablo 4 platforms

Diablo 4 has now released for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC.

Although Xbox is trying to buy Activision Blizzard, the acquisition is going slowly enough that we now know Diablo 4 will not be coming to Xbox Game Pass (or at least isn't on it for now), which is fairly substantial news.

There is no word on a Nintendo Switch version, which might have something to do with the persistently online game world and graphical upgrades.

You wouldn't be able to play it offline on your travels, for example - something nigh-on mandatory for successful Switch games.

Diablo 4 gameplay

In terms of the gameplay Diablo 4 offers up a familiar feeling, it seems, with a bevvy of skills to use and plenty of gory, bloody combat.

The showcase above contains glimpses of loads of locations and enemies, as well as explanations from its developers not just of how the story is shaping up, but also how the endgame will be kept fresh with challenging content and rich rewards for the most dedicated players.

This includes the welcome confirmation that only cosmetic rewards will be available for purchase in its item shop, ensuring that the best gear is only open to those who've actually earned it in-game.

There are five playable character classes: the barbarian, druid, sorcerer, rogue and necromancer.

The barbarian is naturally a hardcore fighter, capable of using a greater variety of weapons than other characters. The druid can shapeshift (with both werewolf and bear form factors in the demo). The sorcerer has a large amount of magic to play with, while the rogue specialises in ranged fire and subterfuge and the necromancer summons wraiths and zombies to help them fight.

There is a new skill system plus a talent tree. The biggest change between Diablo 4 and its predecessors is that the entire game will be set on a persistently online open-world map. You will be able to wander where you like, while other players can pop up in your game from time to time.

There will be shared raids, boss battles and the like, although you can also opt to play the game alone. As before, while it will be a loot-based RPG, there will be a focus on fast-paced action.

At the end of March 2022, Blizzard shared a major update on the game's progress, including a number of snippets of footage of some of the locations that players will be visiting in Diablo 4.

It looks just as moody and downbeat as fans could want, especially compared to the controversially-colourful pre-release imagery that preceded Diablo 3.

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