When Blizzard declared June 6 as the release date for Diablo 4, it also announced an open beta. Currently, there is no way to sign up for it, but those who preorder the game can gain early access. According to the game’s producer, the start date for the open beta could be announced soon. Rod Fergusson, the Diablo 4 producer, tweeted last week that the open beta’s start date would be revealed soon. He also mentioned a gaming moment this month, which could possibly be referring to IGN’s Fan Fest 2023 stream. IGN’s Fan Fest 2023 will be held on February 17 and 18 and will feature Diablo 4. The Diablo social media accounts have not mentioned any announcements for this month, but given Fergusson’s tweet and the upcoming release date, it could be the right time to announce the open beta start date.
Diablo 4 has already gone through a Blizzard “friends and family” alpha test and another, wider playtest, which resulted in some leaked footage. Last September, Diablo 4 invited diehards to an endgame beta test. I played through the game’s first area last year and can confirm that it feels like Diablo. The open world structure is similar to Diablo 3, but Blizzard has said that the full game will let you travel across its big map and choose which region you want to play in.
Diablo 4 plans to be more like a live service game. It will require players to be online and will bring in other players to aid you in its open world events. It won’t be free-to-play, but will include a battle pass tied to its endgame seasonal content. It’s likely that the open beta will resemble a much more finished game.
It’s common for Blizzard to run multiple betas in the run up to its releases. It’s possible that the open beta for Diablo 4 will start within the next two months, giving everyone enough time to get a glimpse of its scope and help prepare it for launch. Nobody wants to go through another error 37 situation again.
