Blizzard has announced the open beta and early access dates for its upcoming action RPG Diablo 4 to be March 24 to March 26. The news arrived with just under four months to go until the full release of Diablo 4, and it comes at a bit of an awkward and chaotic time for Blizzard lately.

During an all-hands meeting on Zoom with Blizzard President Mike Ybarra, many of the company's employees left feeling demoralized and outraged. Some employees took to social media to air their grievances and criticized both Ybarra and other Activision Blizzard brass for being out of touch. Given that the release of Diablo 4 is just months away, and given the success of projects such as World of Warcraft: Dragonflight that have come from work-from-home environments, it remains to be seen how the backlash will affect both the company and the imminent beta and early access periods for Diablo 4.

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The Diablo 4 open beta is planned to last from March 24 through 26. However, those who pre-purchased the game will be granted exclusive early access to the open beta, from March 17 through 19. The news was revealed during day two of IGN Fan Fest, which was previously alluded to by Rod Fergusson, the general manager for the Diablo series. The news was accompanied by a suspenseful new trailer that gives a glimpse of what the Horadrim face in the wake of Lilith's return. Lilith is the main antagonist of Diablo 4 and the daughter of Mephisto, one of the Prime Evils that last appeared in Diablo 2. Players that participate in the open beta will be able to experience the prologue and the first act of the game, with a level cap of 25. Additional details about the game's systems and the open beta will be revealed during a Diablo 4 developer stream at 11:00 AM PST on Tuesday, February 28.

Diablo 4 Open Beta Dates

  • March 17 - March 19 (Pre-order early access)
  • March 24 - March 26 (Open beta)

Given that Diablo 4 itself is still slated for full release on June 6, the open beta period will take place with just over two months to go until launch. With stiff competition coming from other June releases such as Final Fantasy 16, it raises questions on whether Blizzard will stick to that release date or change it at the last possible moment. Only time and player feedback during the beta will tell.

However, Diablo players that are waiting for the open beta will soon have some content to sink their teeth into. Season 28 of Diablo 3 begins next Friday, February 24, which may be the last full season ahead of Diablo 4's release. With loot to grab and demons to slay, Diablo fans will soon have plenty to do across two games.

Diablo 4 will release on June 6 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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Source: Blizzard