Diablo 4 has been through a lot of ups and downs since its launch in 2023, and looking through the recent news you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s more downs than ups these days. The ongoing Diablo 4 Season 3 has seen a rather tepid response, with players tired of the format and not especially enthused by its seasonal theme. Eyes have drifted to shinier rivals such as the recently launched Last Epoch and the upcoming Path of Exile 2. Yet, as the Blizzard RPG arrives on Xbox and PC Game Pass, now is actually a fantastic time to pick it up for the first time.
Now that you can play Diablo 4 on Game Pass, anyone with a subscription to Microsoft’s game library can play it for free (or, at least, at no additional cost). But should you check it out, if everyone’s down on it right now? The answer is yes, you absolutely should. While the current seasonal content hasn’t been a winner, the core of Diablo 4 remains one of the best and most polished action RPG games around, and its main campaign is well worth a go.
Almost all of the problems the Diablo 4 player base has with its current incarnation are ones that only arise once you’re far past its fantastic campaign and have plunged a good amount of time into its endgame. Start now and you don’t even need to worry about making a seasonal character – just enjoy the story and the experience of exploring its vast world for the first time, luxuriating in the immensely well-realized class identities of playing each of the Diablo 4 classes.
If you need a more in-depth pitch on the base game, our Diablo 4 review is full of praise for its story, which is probably the best in any ARPG I’ve played. Once you’ve seen that through, if you’re feeling like this is a game you’ll want to stick with, we’ll probably be close to the kick-off of Diablo 4 Season 4, which is looking like a big upgrade in almost every way.
The next season’s theme has yet to be announced, but Blizzard has already revealed its comprehensive Diablo 4 rework, which we’re going to see put to public testing at the start of April to hone its balance and tuning ahead of the Season 4 launch. If you remember the big “loot 2.0” overhaul that transformed Diablo 3’s underwhelming early years ahead of its Reaper of Souls DLC, this is set to do that for Diablo 4, and you’ll be ready to go when it arrives.
As a little cherry on the top, there’s even a Diablo 4 Mother’s Blessing event on the go over the week of Tuesday March 26 to Tuesday April 2, so you’ll get bonus experience and gold just for playing. While you certainly don’t need that for the campaign, it’s a nice bonus to help make your first playthrough that little bit smoother.
So take the opportunity now to discover the best parts of Diablo 4, and when Season 4 kicks off you can see how the chips fall. If you’re eager for more, and it looks up your alley, then you’ll be set to go. If you decide you’ve had your fill, the Diablo 4 campaign will still have been well worth seeing for yourself.
While the game is pretty approachable out the gate for newcomers, we’ve put together the best Diablo 4 builds to help you get started. Or, if you’re curious what your other options are, here are the best games like Diablo that you should be playing in 2024.
You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or grab our PCGN deals tracker to net yourself some bargains.