BlizzCon 2026 is officially underway at the Anaheim Convention Center, and Blizzard has wasted little time revealing what’s next across some of its biggest franchises. The Opening Ceremony included major announcements for World of Warcraft, Diablo, StarCraft, Overwatch, Hearthstone, Warcraft III and Heroes of the Storm, along with Blizzard’s plans to expand some of its universes beyond games.
Blizzard Entertainment President Johanna Faries opened the event by celebrating the company’s community and the people behind its games, describing BlizzCon as an opportunity to come together around the games, worlds and friendships that have formed around them.
And there was certainly plenty for Blizzard fans to get excited about. For me, the two announcements that immediately stand out are Diablo V and the return of StarCraft. Both are still years away, unfortunately, but seeing Blizzard commit to major new entries in these franchises is probably enough to get longtime fans talking for quite some time. I swear we just had Diablo IV (check our review on their latest expansion).
World of Warcraft: Forever launches this November
There’s an announcement about World of Warcraft: Forever, a completely new third World of Warcraft experience that will exist alongside the current Modern and Classic versions of the game. World of Warcraft: Forever launches on 5 November AEDT, with beta testing beginning on 18 September AEST.
Blizzard says the new experience will let players explore previously unseen parts of Azeroth and will launch with three new zones, more than 1,000 quests, nine dungeons and two raids. It will also introduce the Skyborne, a completely new playable race.
Exactly where Forever sits between the existing Modern and Classic experiences should become clearer as players get their hands on the beta, but Blizzard is clearly positioning it as something substantial rather than simply another game mode. From watching the live event, it’s supposed to be more accessible and focusing more on the journey than the end goal.
Diablo V is officially coming in 2029
Perhaps the biggest announcement of the entire Opening Ceremony was Diablo V. Blizzard confirmed that the next mainline Diablo game is targeting a North American Spring 2029 release. This time around, things aren’t looking particularly good for Sanctuary because Diablo has won.
The premise asks players what they are willing to become after the world has already fallen, which certainly sounds like Blizzard is preparing an even darker chapter for the franchise. There obviously isn’t much gameplay information yet considering Diablo V is still several years away, but simply knowing that Blizzard is already looking beyond Diablo IV gives fans a pretty clear idea of how important the franchise remains to the company.
StarCraft is returning as an open-world shooter
StarCraft is also making a major comeback, although perhaps not in the form many fans were expecting. Blizzard announced a new story-driven, open-world shooter set in the StarCraft universe, currently scheduled for North American Spring 2030.
It marks a significant departure from the traditional real-time strategy gameplay the franchise is known for, although Blizzard has experimented with the idea of a StarCraft shooter before.
We’ll have quite a long wait before finding out exactly how this new game plays, but after such a long absence for the franchise, simply seeing StarCraft return as a major Blizzard project is notable.
Diablo and Overwatch are also getting a Netflix animated series
Blizzard isn’t limiting its plans to games either. The company confirmed that it is working with Netflix on an animated series set within the Diablo universe (and also Overwatch, from the live event). Diablo seems to be the first, or at least, closer than Overwatch. No release date or substantial story details have been announced yet, but Blizzard says this is only the beginning of its plans to bring more of its franchises to other screens.
Considering how rich Diablo’s world and lore are, an animated adaptation actually feels like a natural fit. The bigger question will be whether Blizzard can translate the atmosphere and brutality of Sanctuary successfully into a television series.
Warcraft III gets its first new storyline in more than 20 years
Warcraft III: Reforged is also receiving some unexpected attention. Blizzard has released Forsaken Kingdom, described as the first new Warcraft III storyline in more than 23 years. The campaign explores the fall of Lordaeron and its transformation into the Undercity.
The campaign arrives alongside Warcraft III: Reforged Update 3.0, which introduces graphical improvements and a revamped World Editor among other changes. Both the new campaign and Update 3.0 are available now.
Heroes of the Storm gets a new Hero
Heroes of the Storm isn’t being forgotten either. Xal’atath is joining the Nexus as the game’s newest Hero, arriving on 29 September AEST. Players will be able to try her earlier through the Public Test Realm from 15 September AEST. Blizzard also teased that there could be more coming for Heroes of the Storm in the future, although it stopped short of revealing exactly what that means.
Diablo IV brings back the Prime Evils and Deckard Cain
Diablo IV still has plenty happening before Diablo V arrives. Season of Hell’s Legacy begins on 16 September AEST and celebrates 30 years of Diablo by bringing elements from across the franchise’s history into the current game. That includes the return of the Prime Evils and Deckard Cain, together with rewards and equipment inspired by previous Diablo games.
The Amazon is also coming to Diablo IV during the first half of 2027 as the game’s first standalone class pack. The classic Diablo class will once again fight using her bow and javelin.
Nintendo Switch 2 players will also be able to join in, with Diablo IV: Age of Hatred Collection launching for the console on 16 September AEST. The Switch 2 version will support cross-platform multiplayer and cross-progression.
World of Warcraft: The Worldsoul Saga continues
The existing version of World of Warcraft is moving deeper into The Worldsoul Saga as well. The next major Midnight update, Eclipse (12.2), continues Xal’atath’s attempt to claim Azeroth’s Worldsoul as the overarching storyline approaches its next major stage.
Blizzard also provided an early tease of The Last Titan, the next expansion and the planned culmination of more than two decades of Warcraft storytelling. While The Last Titan will close out a major chapter, Blizzard says it will also establish the foundations for whatever comes next. More information about the expansion is expected early next year.
Overwatch Season 5 introduces Doctrine
Overwatch is heading into Season 5 with a new Support Hero named Doctrine, alongside substantial reworks for Sombra and Roadhog. The season will also introduce Watchpoint: Grimsvötn, a completely new map, while bringing The Reign of Talon to its conclusion. Blizzard describes it as the first year-long narrative arc in Overwatch history.
BlizzCon itself is also putting additional emphasis on music this year. YOASOBI will perform during the first-ever esports halftime show at the Overwatch World Cup, while LE SSERAFIM will return to the BlizzCon Main Stage to close out the weekend.
A new LE SSERAFIM collaboration is already available inside Overwatch, while Blizzard says the next Overwatch Spotlight presentation will take place in February 2027.
Hearthstone is getting the Monk class
Hearthstone is getting its first new class in more than six years, with the Monk arriving sometime in 2027. The class will focus on the fluid and adaptable style associated with Monks elsewhere in Warcraft, although Blizzard hasn’t revealed its full set of mechanics yet. The next Hearthstone expansion, Reign of the Black Empire, will go much further back in Azeroth’s history to a time before the imprisonment of the Old Gods.
It introduces a new Assemble keyword that allows two cards to be merged together into a more powerful card, opening up plenty of potentially unpredictable combinations.
Hearthstone’s Journal is also being overhauled to bring stories, quests, achievements and events from previous expansions together in one place.
Battlegrounds players, meanwhile, are getting Aberrations as a new minion type. These interdimensional creatures are tied to the influence of the Old Gods and will add another option to Battlegrounds compositions.
BlizzCon 2026 still has plenty more scheduled beyond the Opening Ceremony, but Blizzard has already laid out an unusually long roadmap for its biggest franchises. Diablo V and the new StarCraft game may not arrive until 2029 and 2030 respectively, but alongside World of Warcraft: Forever and continued support for Blizzard’s existing games, there’s clearly no shortage of projects underway at the company.
About Lauren Chan
Lauren Chan is a tech writer and software developer with a passion for any new kinds of technologies. Also a cat lover (who doesn’t)?
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