Gaming

BlizzCon Roars Back: Diablo 5 and StarCraft Return

By Omar aka Crypt0 · Sep 12, 2026

BlizzCon roared back to life on Saturday as Blizzard Entertainment opened its first in person fan convention since 2023. The two day show runs September 12 and 13 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California, with the opening ceremony kicking off at 10:30 a.m. Pacific on Saturday. Passes are sold out, but the opening ceremony, major panels, and esports matches stream free on YouTube and Twitch, with in game drops for viewers who tune in.

The opening ceremony delivered the surprises fans waited three years for. Blizzard officially announced Diablo 5, the next mainline entry in the nearly 30 year old demon slaying franchise, with the original Lord of Terror returning and a spring 2029 release date already set, according to Polygon's live coverage. StarCraft is coming back too, but in a form few expected: a new open world shooter set in the StarCraft universe, planned for 2030, that completely reimagines what the classic franchise can be. And Blizzard is expanding into streaming, with president Johanna Faries announcing a new Diablo animated series coming to Netflix, plus plans to adapt more Blizzard franchises.

The rest of the lineup was packed. Overwatch revealed its next hero, Doctrine, a vampire fantasy character arriving with the Grímsvötn map and the return of Dokiwatch cosmetics, while divisive heroes Roadhog and Sombra are getting dramatic reworks, with Sombra moving from the damage group to the support group. Hearthstone detailed its next expansion, Reign of the Black Empire, with more narrative focus than ever, and a brand new Monk class arriving in 2027. Heroes of the Storm staged an unexpected comeback with a new hero, Xal'atath, playable later this month. Diablo 4 will bring back a fan favorite class from Diablo 2 next year, add a major new season looking back at the franchise's history, and arrive on a new platform.

The show itself reflects a Blizzard playing offense again. The company skipped BlizzCon in 2024 and 2025 to focus on development, and this year's schedule shows two separate World of Warcraft 'What's Next' panels, an Overwatch hero deep dive, a Diablo developer update, and a full esports slate including the Overwatch World Cup, the Mythic Dungeon International Grand Finals, the Arena World Championship, and the Hearthstone World Championship. Blizzard is also selling BlizzCon digital bundles for World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo 4, Diablo Immortal, and Hearthstone, priced at 24.99 to 29.99 dollars each with an Ultimate Collection at 49.99 dollars, available through September 28, plus two free items: a 15 day cooperative XP boost for StarCraft 2 and a Fix It Gear Head Thrall for Heroes of the Storm.

For players, this weekend is the clearest signal yet that Blizzard's next era is fully underway, with a multi year roadmap spanning Diablo 5, a reimagined StarCraft, and a Netflix series. If Anaheim was out of reach, the free streams and viewer drops make it easy to take part, and the bundles stay on sale through September 28 if you want a piece of the celebration in your own game.

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