Diablo 4 Beta Kicks Off Next Month

It's been a long road, but we're finally just months away from the long-awaited release of Diablo 4. And as revealed today at IGN FanFest, we're getting a taste of gameplay even sooner. Diablo 4 is getting an open beta next month, with pre-order early access buyers getting to play early on March 17 through 19, and the general public getting access March 24 through 26.

We learned this at IGN FanFest in an interview with game director Joe Shely, who also showed us the opening cinematic for Diablo 4, which you can watch below. If the central character you're watching in that cinematic doesn't look familiar, surprise, that's because it's a custom character made in the character creator. Custom characters will feature in Diablo 4's cinematics, of which there are apparently multiple in the beta alone to check out and even more across Diablo 4's 30+ hours of campaign and sidequests.

Said beta consists of a "significant look at the game," per Shely: both the prologue and the first act taking place in the "Fractured Peaks" zone, with characters able to level all the way to 25 and all main and sidequests in that area available. For early access pre-order owners, progress in the beta will transfer between the two beta weekends - so if you start on the 17th, you can play on that same file again March 24 through 26. However, beta progress will not carry over to the final game.

Diablo 4's full release is June 6, and it's coming to PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, and PC. The beta will be available on all those platforms. While you wait, stay tuned to IGN FanFest for the latest from properties like Street Fighter 6, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, HBO's The Last of Us, and more.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.