Battle.net is an online game service, social network, digital store, and system for managing game rights created by Blizzard Entertainment. The service began in January 1997 at the same time as the release of Blizzard's action-role-playing game Diablo. In August 2017, Battle.net was officially renamed to "Blizzard Battle.net." This name was changed back to "Battle.net" in January 2021.

In March 2009, Blizzard Entertainment introduced an updated version of Battle.net called Battle.net 2.0. More details about this update were shared at BlizzCon 2009, which included support for games such as World of Warcraft, StarCraft II, and Diablo III. The original version of Battle.net was later renamed to Battle.net Classic. Games on Battle.net Classic use a different account system compared to games on Battle.net 2.0.

Today, Battle.net supports buying and selling games, social interactions, and matching players for all of Blizzard's modern PC games, including Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, Overwatch 2, and StarCraft: Remastered. It also supports games from a company connected to Blizzard, called Activision, such as various Call of Duty games and Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. The platform allows players to send instant messages and use voice chat across different games.

In September 2017, Blizzard Entertainment released the Battle.net app for Android and iOS devices. The app lets users chat with friends, add them as contacts, and see which games they are currently playing.

History

When Battle.net first launched in January 1997 (with Diablo as the first game using the service), it provided basic features such as chat and game listings. Players could connect to the service, talk with others, and join multiplayer games of Diablo. Battle.net did not store game data on its servers. When a player joined a game, they connected directly to other players. No data passed through Battle.net servers. This made the service fast and easy to use, but it also allowed cheating because players could change their game data locally. However, private games were available, so many players played with people they knew.

The release of StarCraft in 1998 greatly increased Battle.net usage. Features like ladder rankings and game filters were added. After the StarCraft: Brood War expansion, tens of thousands of players logged on at once (and still do today). StarCraft Battle.net was especially popular in South Korea, where player numbers often exceeded those in the United States.

StarCraft introduced a new copy protection system using CD keys. Unlike Diablo, which allowed any client to connect, StarCraft required a valid 13-digit CD key, provided with each boxed game. Only one person could use a CD key at a time. CD keys could be muted (no chat), voided (limited to a specific channel), jailed (muted and voided), or banned entirely. Every Blizzard game after StarCraft used CD keys to connect to Battle.net. StarCraft: Brood War used the CD key from the original StarCraft on the same computer, so it could only be installed if the original game was already present. The Gateway system in Brood War allowed players on different regional servers to play together, but they could not join the same game or chat.

Diablo II was released in 2000 and used the client–server model. This meant the game ran on Blizzard’s servers instead of players’ computers, and all character data was stored on Battle.net. The game also had an "open character" feature, allowing players to use characters locally or on a LAN and then transfer them to Battle.net. However, open games on Battle.net were not protected from cheating because players could modify their characters locally. Diablo II also introduced avatars in chat rooms that looked like players’ in-game characters. It used a new Battle.net interface with expanded ladder support, including a "Hardcore" ladder where characters were permanently removed if players died in-game. Usage of Battle.net increased steadily, especially after the Diablo II: Lord of Destruction expansion in 2001.

Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (2002) and its expansion The Frozen Throne (2003) added new features to Battle.net. The most significant was "Anonymous Matchmaking," which matched players based on skill levels automatically. This made it easier to find games quickly and reduced "win-trading," where players artificially raised their ranks. "Arranged Teams" allowed friends to form teams and be matched against others of similar skill. However, some players found ways to cheat the system by intentionally losing games. Automated tournaments were also added. Other features included chatroom icons, friends lists, and clan support.

In 2009, Blizzard revamped Battle.net. The new system had three sections: one to unify accounts, characters, and friends into a single Battle.net account; one to improve competitive features like matchmaking and ladder systems; and one for a new chat system that allowed communication across games, servers, and characters. World of Warcraft initially used separate accounts but merged with Battle.net in 2009. Players could now chat across games, factions, and servers. Battle.net became mandatory for World of Warcraft players in 2009.

StarCraft II was the first game to fully support the new Battle.net interface. It was released in three parts: the base game Wings of Liberty, the expansion Heart of the Swarm, and the standalone expansion Legacy of…

Development

Blizzard Entertainment added a two-factor authentication option to protect Battle.net accounts. This feature was first introduced in 2008 with a small device that users could buy from Blizzard. The device, which fit on a keychain, generated random numbers linked to a user’s account. These numbers were entered when logging into Battle.net to confirm the user’s identity. In 2009, Blizzard launched a mobile app for iOS and Android devices that performed the same function. An update in June 2016 made the process easier, allowing users to press a single button on their mobile device when logging in from a computer to confirm their identity. While two-factor authentication is not required to use Battle.net, some game features require it to be enabled through the device or app.

By November 1997, Blizzard reported that Battle.net had 2.2 million games played, 1.25 million unique users, and added 3,500 new users daily. By April 1999, the service had 2.3 million active users and over 50,000 users online at the same time. By September 2002, active users reached 11 million. By September 2004, active users grew to nearly 12 million, with users spending over 2.1 million hours online daily. At that time, there were an average of 200,000 users online at once, and the peak number reached 400,000. In 2006, Blizzard stated that Battle.net, combined with the World of Warcraft subscriber base, was a major leader in online gaming, noting that "even Xbox Live is not even close to us."

A group of developers has formed around Battle.net. Unofficial tools and clients for Battle.net are available, and many of the communication protocols used by Battle.net-enabled games have been studied and shared by volunteers.

Several communication tools have been created, including a "whisper" feature that allows players to send private messages to friends even during a game.

Custom games, which use maps not created by Blizzard, have helped grow the community and now make up a large part of the games played. In Warcraft III, popular custom games include tower defense maps, "hero solo" maps (such as Defense of the Ancients and arena maps), and pure real-time strategy games like "Civilization Wars," where players manage their economy, technology, and unit variety but do not directly control their units.

Controversy

A group of gamers studied the network protocol used by Battle.net and Blizzard games and created a free software called bnetd. This software allows players to use their own servers instead of the official Battle.net servers to play Blizzard games.

In February 2002, lawyers for Blizzard Entertainment threatened legal action using the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) against the developers of bnetd. Blizzard games are designed to work only with servers controlled by Blizzard, known as "Battle.net." These servers check CD keys to stop software piracy.

Although the bnetd developers offered to add Blizzard's CD key system to their software, Blizzard claimed that any public software like bnetd could help pirates. Blizzard asked for the bnetd project to be shut down under DMCA rules. This case was one of the first major tests of the DMCA, so the Electronic Frontier Foundation helped. Negotiations to resolve the case without a trial failed, and Blizzard won. The court ruled that the developers broke the End User License Agreement (EULA) for StarCraft and the Battle.net Terms of Use. Blizzard won the appeal in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals on September 1, 2005.

On July 6, 2010, Blizzard announced plans to require users to use their real names on their forums. Many people were unhappy with this change, and some game magazines called it a bad idea. The change caused the largest user response ever on Blizzard forums. One employee shared his real name to show it was not a big deal, but after that, his personal information, including his phone number, picture, age, and home address, was posted online.

Some technology media believed the change would help the community, but others worried it could put users at risk, such as from stalking, harassment, or employment issues. Concerns were raised about safety for women and transgender gamers, who often face harassment online.

Blizzard responded by saying the name change would not apply to old posts, that parents could block minors from posting, and that forum use was optional. However, because of the strong negative reaction, Blizzard President Michael Morhaime canceled the plan.

In 2012, Blizzard faced several security issues. In May 2012, shortly after Diablo III launched, hackers stole accounts by guessing passwords. Blizzard noted that affected accounts did not use an authentication option and improved security, such as requiring authentication for the Auction House. In August 2012, hackers accessed Battle.net servers and gained some personal information, including email addresses, security question answers, and scrambled passwords. Blizzard told users to change passwords and security questions.

These security problems led to a class-action lawsuit in November 2012. The lawsuit claimed Blizzard made money from selling Authenticator devices instead of improving server security and did not inform users quickly enough about the August breach. Most claims were dismissed in July 2013 because the plaintiffs could not prove harm. Remaining claims were resolved through mediation, and the case ended in February 2014.

Games by Battle.net version

• Diablo
• Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition
• Diablo II (Lord of Destruction)
• StarCraft (Brood War)

• Diablo Shareware
• Diablo Spawn
• Diablo
• StarCraft Shareware
• StarCraft Spawn
• Japanese StarCraft (public beta of a Japanese version of StarCraft)
• Japanese StarCraft Spawn

• World of Warcraft (The Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm, Mists of Pandaria, Warlords of Draenor, Legion, Battle for Azeroth, Shadowlands, and Dragonflight)
• Warcraft III: Reforged
• StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty (Heart of the Swarm and Legacy of the Void)
• StarCraft: Remastered
• Diablo IV
• Diablo Immortal
• Diablo III (Reaper of Souls)
• Diablo II: Resurrected
• Hearthstone
• Heroes of the Storm
• Overwatch 2
• Blizzard Arcade Collection (The Lost Vikings, Rock n' Roll Racing, Blackthorne, The Lost Vikings 2, and RPM Racing)
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (Warzone)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered
• Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
• Call of Duty: Vanguard
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (Warzone 2.0)
• Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• Avowed
• Doom: The Dark Ages
• The Outer Worlds 2
• Sea of Thieves

• Overwatch
• Destiny 2
• Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (The Frozen Throne)