During a special episode of the official Xbox podcast, Microsoft announced that Blizzard Entertainment's 2023 action RPG, Diablo 4, would be heading to Xbox Game Pass in March 2024. Diablo 4 was the first Activision-Blizzard game to hit the service, following the completion of Microsoft's Activision-Blizzard acquisition in October 2023. Microsoft had promised earlier that it intended to bring as many Activision-Blizzard games as possible to Game Pass upon the deal's completion, just as it did after acquiring Bethesda Softworks in 2021. However, while a lot of people expected Microsoft to drop multiple Activision-Blizzard titles on Game Pass simultaneously, the company decided to release them one by one instead, this time around.
Diablo 4 was only about nine months old by the time it came to Xbox Game Pass. Now, roughly a year later, the game is making its debut on Sony's rival subscription service, PlayStation Plus. Sony announced this week that the online-only ARPG would be available at no extra cost to all PS Plus subscribers as part of July 2025's PS Plus Essentials lineup. The game, which will be added alongside Jusant and The King of Fighters 15, will be available to download starting July 1. Like in most cases, players who add the game to their PS Plus library before August 4 will be able to access these games at any time, so long as they're subscribed to the service.
PS Plus July 2025 Free Games Show Xbox Is Still Playing Ball
PlayStation Plus has a great line-up of free games for July 2025, including one that shows Xbox is still committed to putting its games everywhere.
Diablo 4's Addition to the PS Plus Essentials Lineup Could Be a Bad Sign
Diablo 4 Has Arrived on PS Plus Sooner than Expected
The addition of Diablo 4 to the PS Plus library is exciting news for PlayStation fans, but it's also kind of concerning. While it's great that more people will be able to access the game than ever before, it's somewhat surprising that it is being added to a non-Game Pass subscription service so soon. Up until now, Blizzard Entertainment has never made any of its games available as a PS Plus monthly title before. Plus, when AAA games come to PlayStation Plus earlier than expected, that sometimes indicates that they're underperforming commercially. If Diablo 4 doesn't get a surge of new players because of this PS Plus release, then it may suffer as a result in the long run.
Despite its Successful Launch, Diablo 4 Has Struggled to Attract Players Recently
Although the game received a relatively mixed reception from fans, Diablo 4 was nowhere close to a commercial failure at launch. Just one day after it was released, Blizzard announced that it had become the fastest-selling game ever in the company's history. Diablo 4 generated $666 million in revenue only a few days later, and it dominated the U.S. Sales charts, beating out the likes of Final Fantasy 16 and Street Fighter 6. Blizzard confirmed in August 2023 that the game had reached 12 million players worldwide; notably, this was before it was released on any subscription services.
In spite of its successful debut, however, Diablo 4 has been struggling to attract players lately, in part because of its highly-criticized seasonal updates. On Steam, the game only has around 4,000 concurrent players at the time of writing, which, while not terrible, is just a fraction of the players that other ARPGS like Path of Exile 2 and Lost Epoch have at the moment. Diablo 4's Steam player counts usually spike at the start of a new season or a free-to-play week, but these jumps aren't always that significant.
It's Hard to Say if Diablo 4 Will Be Supported by Blizzard for as Long as Diablo 3 Has
The last mainline game in the Diablo series, 2012's Diablo 3, didn't have nearly as successful a launch as Diablo 4 did. However, it was still able to enjoy a healthy and long lifespan, without being released on any subscription services. To this day, in fact, Blizzard Entertainment is supporting the game with seasonal updates. Although most of them are filled with recycled content nowadays, it's honestly impressive that Diablo 3 has lasted this long. Since Diablo 4 has been added to PS Plus so early in its lifespan and is already struggling to compete with its ARPG rivals, it's hard to say if the game will be supported as long as Diablo 3 has.
Diablo 4
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 88 /100 Critics Rec: 93%
WHERE TO PLAY
Diablo® IV is the ultimate action-RPG experience with endless evil to slaughter, countless abilities to master, nightmarish dungeons, and legendary loot.
Embark on the epic campaign solo or with friends, meeting memorable characters through a gripping story in a beautifully dark world, or explore an expansive end game: battle iconic bosses for powerful loot, fight back the encroaching onslaught of Hell in Helltides, master the Forge to create your ultimate weapons and progress powerful characters, with cross-play and cross-progression on all available platforms.
Discover the critically acclaimed franchise that defined the Action RPG genre. As the battle between the High Heavens and Burning Hells rages on, hatred devours Sanctuary as evil spreads and a new wave of cultists and worshippers arise to embrace Lilith’s coming. Only a brave few dare to face this threat and bring light to the all-consuming darkness.
Expansive Open WorldForge your own path through the corrupted lands of Sanctuary, an ever-growing, fully explorable world teeming with challenges, quests, enemies, and loot. Join your fellow adventurers, rescue and retake besieged towns, delve into nightmarish dungeons and uncover lost secrets as you fight back evil. The many zones of Sanctuary are yours to explore, and with rotating areas of extreme peril like World Bosses and Helltide, danger lurks at every turn.
Immersive Character DevelopmentCreate and customize your character to face the encroaching darkness. Choose from one of five classes and build your hero with skills, abilities and cosmetics, creating a champion that is uniquely your own. Grow stronger as you progress through powerful Skill Trees and develop even more unique end game specializations with Paragon Boards.
Legendary Gear, Epic BattlesDiscover and experiment with a vast arsenal of powerful weapons, armor and more to fight back against the demons threatening Sanctuary. Explore unique combinations, create your own upgrades and collect a plethora of powerful tools to battle in immersive, action-packed combat against the deadliest of enemies.
Seasons & EventsThe tales of Sanctuary continue to unfold. Create Seasonal Characters and join in fresh adventures - master new mechanics and take on the latest threats in each new Season. Complete harrowing feats of the Season Journey and earn new Battle Pass rewards. Plus, sharpen your swords and get in the spirit of the seasons when Limited-Time Events sweep through Sanctuary.
End Game UndertakingsThere’s even more Diablo® IV to explore as you reach higher levels and more fearsome World Tiers. Face the greatest challenge yet as you take on the most powerful demons in The Pit, steel yourself against Uber Bosses to reap uber unique rewards, fight back overflowing armies of Hell as Helltides emerge across Sanctuary, battle larger-than-life World Bosses, and master the Forge to create the mightiest weapons fit for a hero.
- Engine
- Proprietary Engine
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Hack and Slash
