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Diablo 2 is truly one of the most memorable ARPGs of all time. It completely redefined what it meant to be an ARPG — rebuilt and redesigned the franchise forever. How many games can you think of that are basically D2 clones? You can probably come up with a dozen of them easily. No matter how many times Blizzard has changed things up, with Diablo 3 and Diablo 4 respectively, people still turn to D2, or even the modern update of Diablo 2 Resurrected.
However, I was asked this question recently and it gave me pause to think: Would Diablo 2 do well if it was released in the modern 2025? I think there are certainly reasons to say yes, and there are also reasons to say no. It’s a pretty complicated topic, and at the end of the day, this is my opinion — your thoughts could certainly differ.
Diablo 2 could be popular in 2025 as an original release, but nowhere near its actual popularity
I do think Diablo 2 could still be popular if it were a game that was released in 2024/2025 instead of Diablo 4, but it wouldn’t reach the heights that it did. Even if it were released as a side game, alongside or after D4, I think it would still have a chance. Even the outdated systems and formulas and grinding is something people still yearn for. The people yearn for the grind for loot and Runes.
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There are certainly reasons why D2 would still be popular, and a few reasons why it would not be popular, so we’re going to go into both. Of course, I can’t really see the future, so this is all hypothetical. We have to assume some other game would come along and be the sequel to Diablo. That or there was simply no other Diablo game until 2025. It’s certainly something worth thinking about.
Why Diablo 2 would still be a popular game if released today
I think Diablo 2 would still be a popular game in the modern day, with this retro look and all the original gameplay. Part of it is that people like retro! Give it that old-school look, make it challenging, slap some great loot in it, and you’ll have people coming back for more every single time, I promise.
Unless you’re a long-time veteran, D2 can still be considered a pretty hard game, especially when you push past the basic difficulty. Not knowing what to do and when can seal your doom easily. Just look at the Soulslike craze, and you’ll see that this game would still do exceptionally well.
It would also become popular because players would be constantly trying to push their builds to get through the game as fast as possible, or come up with the more reliable, devastating combos they possibly could. There are many players who would also come to this game, see the speedrunning possibilities, and jump right in.
Why Diablo 2 wouldn’t be as popular if released today
I love Diablo 2, don’t get me wrong. However, this game can be incredibly brutal if you aren’t lucky. Trying to farm set pieces, get the perfect Runes to make the ultimate weapon, this can take hours, days, weeks, months! That is, unless you buy them online, I suppose, but we’re not taking that into account.
It’s also not one of the more balanced games, so some classes will definitely outperform others. In terms of length, if you don’t know what you’re doing, getting to Level 99 is going to take a nightmarish eternity.
But I think the majority of what will turn people off is just how long it can take to find the right gear. If you don’t like farming Uniques in Diablo 4 or Path of Exile 2, you’re going to hate it even more in D2.
For the casual player, Diablo 2 can be an incredibly slow game. Waiting for your Stamina bar to refill, getting obliterated by a group of enemies or even one named foe;not having the right resistances and watching as a poison-boss melts you in seconds. There are definitely times it can be infuriating.
Ultimately, I think Diablo 2, if it were released as a game in 2025, would still do well. It would be popular, because it also has Blizzard’s name attached. That counts for a lot even now. Would it reach the amazing heights it originally did? Now that I doubt. If it did, it would take a very long time.
