Step into the shadows of the Sanctuary this March.
Activision Blizzard has announced that the Early Access period of Diablo IV will run from March 17-19, allowing players who have pre-purchased Diablo 4 to set a foothold in Sanctuary. Additionally, an Open Beta session will be available to everyone from March 24-26.
Both of the sessions will take place during weekends and will allow players to experience the early stages of the game, including the prologue and Act 1. According to an official blog post, both the Open Beta and Early Access periods will grant the chance to explore Fractured Peaks, the first zone of Diablo IV. Both of the sessions come with a level cap of 25.
Those who have opened their wallets for Diablo 4 before it makes its full launch can dive into Early Access without any extra steps. The blog post states that completing a digital pre-purchase on any platform will automatically grant Early Access to the Open Beta, but those who have an Early Access code will need to follow a series of instructions to redeem their keys and gain access. Those who haven’t paid extra for the pre-purchase will still get the chance to step into the Fractured Peaks the following weekend.
Following players’ first foray into the Sanctuary, Activision Blizzard will run a Diablo 4 Developer Update Livestream at the end of this month on YouTube and Twitch. The livestream will start on February 28 at 11:00 a.m. PST and will feature Game Director Joe Shely, Lead Systems Designer Meng Song, and Lead World Designer Art Peshkov.
The developers will also be gathering feedback during the weekends to polish the game for the June launch, which had previously been rumored to be pushed back to November. But seeing that the game is ready for Early Access, it seems like the developers are still gunning for the targeted release window.
The wait for Diablo IV hasn’t been very smooth, though. That’s because the development of the highly anticipated RPG has been plagued with gameplay leaks and the turmoil inside Activision Blizzard. But nearly four years after its announcement, the company’s long-in-the-works title will take players to Sanctuary on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 5, and PC on June 6.
