With no annual Expansion to rely on, 2025 will be a tough make-or-break year for Diablo 4

Diablo 4 started 2025 in a good place, but the year is going to be challenging for Blizzard Entertainment’s action RPG/MMO. There won’t be a major expansion this year, and it will arrive only in 2026 to continue the story that Vessel of Hatred was developing. Moreover, there’s not much in the way of competition, and there’s only so much cosmetics can do in terms of revenue. You may disagree on what “competition” implies here, but I’ll go over what I mean.

While I enjoyed the current season, not every season last year had the same level of success. In fact, the previous one, Season of Hatred, which came with the expansion, was an insufferable, tedious experience. Diablo 4’s team will need to work really hard to keep going in 2025.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinions.

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With no competition or expansion in 2025, Diablo 4 is really going to have to work hard to keep momentum

I know what some of you are probably thinking — of course, Diablo 4 has competition. What about Path of Exile 2? It’s massive right now. Yes, Path of Exile 2 is an incredible game and one I love playing in my downtime.

However, I don’t think the two compete with each other. They are very different types of ARPGs. PoE 2 went down a decidedly different — and some might say better — path.

2025 started decently, but Blizzard needs to maintain the momentum (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Last Epoch isn’t doing much either — I can’t say I’ve heard many talk about it. Lost Ark is providing updates, and while there are some things to be excited about there, I still don’t think it has the same level of excitement and hype that Diablo 4 could potentially generate in 2025.

Revenue is important, and if there’s anything Blizzard has the power to do, it is making money through cosmetics — sometimes to a very disturbing degree. Sure, some will buy whatever overpriced cosmetics are available in Diablo 4, but that’s only going to satiate a certain portion of the audience.

That said, it’s still a dire time for the game. There have been several seasons over the last year that have disappointed fans. I don't think there’s been a more important time to nail these next few seasons and give players the kind of power fantasy they want in Diablo 4. Not seasons where everything is nerfed or stripped down, but being able to play what they want and feel powerful while doing so.

Some examples are Loot Reborn or Season of the Infernal Hordes, which were back-to-back major successes. Following the Season of Witchcraft with something like Season of the Construct would be an incredibly bad idea. I believe Blizzard Entertainment can create content to keep the fanbase happy, which is going to be a crucial task.

With fans likely having to wait until mid-2026 for a new major content drop, these seasons must win over both PC and console gamers.