Diablo 4's Expansion Post-Vessel of Hatred Delayed to 2026

If you were eagerly awaiting a new expansion for Diablo 4 in 2025, you'll need to adjust your expectations. Rod Fergusson, the general manager of Diablo, announced at the DICE Summit in Las Vegas that fans will have to wait until 2026 for the next major expansion of Diablo 4.

During his talk, Fergusson outlined plans to enhance the relationship between the development team and the community by adopting strategies similar to those used for Diablo Immortal and World of Warcraft. This includes the release of content roadmaps. He mentioned that a roadmap for Diablo 4's 2025 plans, which will detail seasons and updates, will be shared soon. However, he clarified that the next expansion won't be included on this roadmap, as it is scheduled for release in 2026.

"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," Fergusson stated.

While Fergusson didn't delve deeply into the reasons behind the delay of the second expansion, he provided some insights earlier in his talk. Originally, Blizzard planned to release expansions annually, starting with Vessel of Hatred in 2024, followed by another in 2025. However, Vessel of Hatred was released 18 months after the game's initial launch instead of the intended 12 months. Fergusson explained that the team, which typically works a season or two ahead, had to shift resources to address player feedback and make necessary adjustments to live content, causing internal delays and pushing back all planned content, including the next expansion.

Diablo 4 recently launched its Season of Witchcraft, introducing new witchcraft powers, a fresh questline, and more. We rated the base game of Diablo 4 a 9/10, praising it as "a stunning sequel with near-perfect endgame and progression design that makes it absolutely excruciating to put down."