Diablo 4 annual expansion plans scrapped but there is still more to come

Blizzard has abandoned its plans to release a new Diablo 4 expansion every year, but it has confirmed a new one will arrive in 2026.

Prior to the launch of Diablo 4, Blizzard hoped to release an expansion every year, with the first, Vessel of Hatred, releasing in October 2024, just over a year after the base game’s release.

Now, however, Blizzard has confirmed they have scrapped their annual expansion plans and has revealed that the next one will be released in 2026 instead of 2025.

This was announced by Diablo 4’s General Manager Rod Fergusson during the Las Vegas DICE Summit 2025. Clarifying to IGN later, Fergusson said:

“In 2025, or just before Season 8, we will have a 2025 roadmap for Diablo 4. Now, our second expansion won’t be on that roadmap, because our second expansion is coming in 2026, but at least players will have the road ahead.”

Blizzard had previously said that plans for Diablo 4 would become “more fluid” in late 2024, so the announcement hasn’t come as a huge shock.

Blizzard’s plans for Diablo 4 in 2025

Diablo expansions are much more significant than seasons in terms of size and content. They tend to provide a new character class, region, a new set of quests, endgame modes, and much more.

In contrast, seasons usually only offer a temporary gameplay change that goes away when the season is over.

While some elements of a season may prove popular enough to be folded into the main game, like Vampire Powers, expansions change the game forever and in a much more meaningful way.

This could be why Blizzard has opted to give itself more development time, wanting to craft a true follow-up to Vessel of Hatred.

However, it does beg the question of how Blizzard will sustain the game between 2025 and 2026. While many Diablo 4 players love its seasonal content, this may not always be enough to tempt players back.

It’s entirely possible that Diablo 4’s seasons become more substantial in terms of content, potentially adding new quests and even another character class before the game’s second expansion.

While character classes are usually added as expansions, Diablo 3’s Rise of the Necromancer was a smaller DLC, unlike a full expansion as it had with Reaper of Souls.

Therefore, while we may not see another expansion until 2026, there could be smaller DLCs or additions to Diablo 4 between now and that time.