Diablo Immortal is a free-to-play, multiplayer online action role-playing video game made by Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase. It is a mobile game in the Diablo series and takes place between the events of Diablo II and Diablo III. Players choose a character class, such as Barbarian, Wizard, Monk, Necromancer, Demon Hunter, Crusader, Blood Knight, Tempest, or Druid. Their goal is to find and destroy hidden pieces of the Worldstone to stop Skarn, the Lord of Damnation, from destroying the world of Sanctuary.

The game was first created to focus on touch controls for mobile players but later added support for game controllers and PCs. It uses a business model where players can unlock content by spending real money, but most items can also be earned through gameplay without paying.

Diablo Immortal was announced at BlizzCon in 2018, but many fans were upset because they expected a PC-focused game. It was released on Android and iOS on June 2, 2022, for regions outside the Asia-Pacific area. A beta version for Windows was also released on the same date. The game’s release in the Asia-Pacific region was delayed, with most areas launching on July 8, 2022, and China launching on July 25, 2022.

The game received mixed reviews. It was praised for its combat, graphics, and how well it adapted the Diablo experience to mobile devices. However, critics criticized its story, voice acting, and the amount of content available for purchase. Because of its monetization system, it became the lowest-rated game on Metacritic. Despite this, Diablo Immortal had the largest launch in the franchise’s history, with over ten million downloads by June 2022 and reaching thirty million downloads by the end of July 2022.

Gameplay

Diablo Immortal is a free-to-play game where many players can play online together. It is designed to be played on mobile devices and requires an internet connection to play. Players can save their progress on a Battle.net account, allowing them to continue playing on different devices.

The game plays quickly and has action similar to Diablo III, such as environments that can be destroyed. However, its art style is more serious, like Diablo II. It uses the same isometric view as other games in the series.

Most activities in the game are short, such as dungeons that take 10–15 minutes to complete or smaller tasks that take 1–5 minutes. This fits mobile gaming habits, but unlike many free-to-play games, Diablo Immortal does not limit free play time with an "energy" system.

Players can create one or more characters, choosing from nine classes: Barbarian, Wizard, Monk, Necromancer, Demon Hunter, Crusader, Blood Knight, Tempest, or Druid. Each class has 12 skills, and players choose five to use at once. For example, a Barbarian can slam a hammer or spin rapidly, while a Wizard can shoot a beam of electricity that returns to hit the player. Players can also earn "charms" to improve skills.

Unlike previous games, Diablo Immortal allows players to change a character's class without resetting their progress. This change can be done once per week for each character and does not cost in-game currency or money.

The game is designed for touchscreen devices, with virtual controls like a directional stick and skill buttons. Some skills automatically aim at enemies, but players can manually aim by holding a button. Holding a button can also charge a skill, increasing its power. Players can also use a gamepad or mouse and keyboard for controls.

Diablo Immortal does not use mana or other class-specific resources. Instead, skills have cooldowns (waiting times) before they can be used again, usually 8–12 seconds. Attacking fills a "Ultimate meter," which lets players use powerful attacks temporarily.

Outside the main story, players can complete random quests, "bounties" (like defeating enemies or making items), "challenge rifts" (time-limited dungeons that get harder), and "elder rifts" (similar to challenge rifts but with customizable difficulty using "crests").

At level 45, players can access the "Helliquary," where they hunt and defeat boss demons in 8-player raids. Defeating bosses earns trophies that give permanent bonuses. New bosses are added monthly.

In the "Legacy of the Horadrim" feature, players earn "vessels" by completing achievements. These can be placed in a shrine to unlock bonuses. Nearby, a daily dungeon provides resources to enhance vessels.

Characters earn experience points to increase their level, gaining new skills and stronger abilities. Each class has its own progression system.

Once a character reaches level 60 (with plans to increase this later), players can earn "paragon levels" to invest in talent trees. Higher paragon levels can also lead to finding stronger items.

Defeated enemies and treasure chests drop items ("loot"), which can be bought from NPCs using in-game gold. Some items are unique to certain enemies. Players can equip items through a button or inventory screen. Gems and the "rank up" system improve equipment by using materials from other items. When a legendary gem reaches rank 10, it can "awaken" an item, giving it new effects and appearance. Legendary gems can also "resonate" with others to boost their power.

Players can collect item sets from specific locations. Sets occupy six slots (hands, feet, neck, waist, and two rings). Equipping two, four, or six items from the same set gives bonuses like increased healing or damage.

The game also offers cosmetic items that change a character's appearance without affecting gameplay. Some cosmetics are unlocked by raising a "Dominance" stat for specific factions.

A cross-player "marketplace" lets players trade materials and gems. However, unlike Diablo III's "auction house," the marketplace does not allow trading equipment, which must be earned through gameplay.

While most activities can be done alone, players may meet others while exploring. They can also form temporary groups to play together.

Premise

Immortal is part of the Diablo series and takes place in the world of Sanctuary. It happens five years after the events of Diablo II but before Diablo III. The game begins in the town of Wortham, which is under attack by cultists and undead creatures. Players learn from Deckard Cain, a character who appears in other Diablo games, that they must find and destroy pieces of the Worldstone to stop a dangerous disaster planned by the game's main villain, Skarn, known as the "Lord of Damnation."

The adventure takes players to places such as Westmarch, a city where trade and social activities occur; Ashwold Cemetery; Dark Wood; the Shassar Sea; Mount Zavain, home to the Sanctified Earth Monastery; the Frozen Tundra, where Barbarian tribes live; and Stormpoint, an island prison.

Another part of the story involves a conflict between two groups: the "Immortals," who protect Sanctuary, and the "Shadows," a secret group that tests the Immortals. This conflict is called the "Cycle of Strife."

Business model

The in-game marketplace uses a currency called "platinum," which players can earn by playing the game for free and selling materials, or by buying it with real money. Other in-game purchases, such as the "Boon of Plenty," allow players to obtain "eternal orbs" (a special currency used to buy items like cosmetics and platinum) and "legendary crests" (items that help increase the amount and quality of rewards from "rift" dungeons, such as "legendary gems" for improving equipment). The legendary crest system is considered a "loot box" process because the rewards it provides are random.

As an alternative to small purchases, players can earn "Telluric Pearls" through in-game rewards and use them to create powerful items.

In addition to progress based on levels, the game includes a Battle Pass system that gives experience points, helping players advance their characters faster. The Battle Pass improves by completing activities like bounties, dungeons, and rifts. It is connected to seasons, which include both free and paid tiers. The paid tier offers more chances to earn in-game currencies.

Blizzard has confirmed that seasons encouraging players to create new characters each time (as seen in Diablo III) are not planned for Immortal. Instead, the game will focus on players keeping a single long-term character.

Development

Diablo Immortal was developed together by Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase, a company that helps Blizzard release games in China. Blizzard wanted to bring the main experience of the Diablo games to smartphones. They made design choices to fit the game well on mobile devices, including features not found in earlier Diablo games. By focusing on mobile players, the game aimed to reach people and places where mobile phones are the main way to play games, who might not otherwise play Diablo on other platforms. The game’s director, Wyatt Cheng, and its senior combat designer, Julian Love, both worked on Diablo III before. They added elements to Immortal that they could not include in Diablo III.

The game was first announced at BlizzCon in November 2018. It was confirmed to be released on Android and iOS devices, with cross-platform play and progress that could be used on both platforms. Blizzard planned to add new stories and characters after the game’s initial release. Soon after the announcement, players could pre-register on the game’s website to join a future beta test.

In February 2019, NetEase’s CFO, Yang Zhaoxuan, said the game was “pretty much ready” and still planned for a 2019 release. However, Blizzard would decide the exact release date. In November 2019, during BlizzCon, Blizzard updated its official blog, stating that Immortal was still in development but no release date had been set. The blog explained that meeting Blizzard’s quality standards and achieving ambitious goals for the game would take significant time. Details shared included six playable classes (Barbarian, Crusader, Demon Hunter, Monk, Necromancer, and Wizard) and class-specific abilities that players would pay to use.

At the start of August 2020, during ChinaJoy, Blizzard and NetEase released a new gameplay trailer for Immortal. The trailer showed each of the six playable classes and introduced Baal, a main villain from Diablo II and its expansion, Lord of Destruction. The trailer also showed improved graphics and character models compared to earlier promotional material.

A “very limited” public alpha demo of the game ran from December 2020 to January 2021. It included the first 45 character levels and four of the six playable classes. The alpha was available only to players in Australia using Android devices, though some media outlets also had access. Progress from the alpha could not be used in the full game. At BlizzConline in February 2021, the development team confirmed the next phase would be an additional alpha, likely featuring the full 60-level cap, more story elements, and all six playable classes. They also said they were working on adding controller support alongside on-screen controls and planned to introduce more classes and locations after the game’s release.

In February 2021 interviews, the team said they focused on mobile platforms but would not stop others from trying to make the game for other devices. They confirmed the game used a new engine called the Messiah Engine, not used in any previous NetEase games, and would meet the same quality standards as other Blizzard games.

The team shared how player feedback was central to the alpha test. They used a system that let them review all feedback from an in-game tool. For example, they strengthened the wizard class’s ice-based attacks based on player suggestions, addressing concerns that the class was too weak.

In April 2021, Immortal entered a new closed alpha test, limited to Android players in Australia. This test added the Crusader class, raised the level cap to 55 (compared to 60 in the full game), and introduced the “Cycle of Strife” feature. The alpha lasted at least a month to test this new gameplay element. At the start of this second alpha, the game’s director, Wyatt Cheng, confirmed there would be at least one more testing phase before the game’s release.

In May 2021, Activision Blizzard, the parent company of Blizzard, said Immortal was “on track for global release later in 2021.” However, in August 2021, Blizzard announced a delay until the first half of 2022. The update explained the delay was to improve gameplay based on alpha test feedback, such as making the “Cycle of Strife” feature easier to use, improving the “Helliquary” and bounties, adding controller support, and adjusting character progression systems.

A closed beta version of Immortal launched on October 28, 2021, intended to last “just under three months.” It was available to Android players in Australia and Canada, expanding later to Korea, Japan, and China. This version added the Necromancer class, a new “Hell IV” difficulty level, the “Legacy of the Horadrim” feature, and early controller support (a work-in-progress version). Other additions included “awakening” and “resonance” for legendary gems, and item sets.

The beta also introduced a player ranking system and rewards for the 8 vs. 8 “Battlegrounds” mode. It changed the end of the “Cycle of Strife” from a series of 8 vs. 8 battles to a new system called “Challenge of the Immortal,” a 30 vs. 1 battle centered on the top player. The “Helliquary” feature was also changed: enemies that could be defeated by solo players became 8-player raid events requiring teamwork.

In-game purchases became available for the first time during the beta. However, purchases made during the beta would not carry over to the full game. Players who made purchases during the beta would receive equal credits back to their accounts after the testing period ended.

In February 2022, after the beta ended in January, game director Wyatt Cheng and senior system designer Kris Zierhut announced additional changes based on player feedback. These included shifting bounties to single-player experiences, balancing the difficulty of “Helliquary” raid bosses, refining controller support, and finalizing the “Paragon” system.

Release

On March 28, 2022, Blizzard started accepting pre-orders for Diablo Immortal on iOS to match Android pre-registrations, which had already begun. A new trailer showed exclusive in-game "Horadrim" cosmetics that would be available to all players if the game reached 30 million pre-registrations before its release. Players would need to complete the tutorial within 30 days of launch to receive these items. The App Store listing listed June 30, 2022, as the release date, but Blizzard later said this was a temporary date while they finalized plans. During this time, Blizzard announced players could change the class of an existing character without losing progress.

On April 25, 2022, Blizzard released a new trailer and confirmed the game’s release date as June 2, 2022. They also announced an open beta for the Windows version of the game on the same date, with all content, progress, and purchases from the mobile version carried over to the full version. Cross-play and cross-save support would be available across platforms. Blizzard explained their decision to release the game on PC, despite earlier plans for mobile exclusivity, by saying they wanted to ensure the game was polished before launching on both platforms.

The final version of the game added support for more controllers, including the PlayStation 5’s DualSense, Rotor Riot, and SteelSeries Nimbus. PC pre-loading began on May 26, 2022, alongside a "roadmap to hell" detailing the game’s rollout. The game launched on June 2 for most regions but on June 23 for Asia-Pacific countries like Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. It would only be available on PC in Vietnam. The game included native voice chat transcription and speech-to-text features. Later, it was announced the game would not launch in Belgium and the Netherlands due to stricter laws about loot boxes.

Blizzard gave reviewers Razer Kishi controllers to test, which attach to smartphones for a console-like experience. Game director Wyatt Cheng said Diablo Immortal aimed to raise standards for mobile games. The mobile version became available in some markets a day early.

In September 2022, the game partnered with Burger King in Japan for a limited-time promotion, including a spicy garlic cheeseburger and a giveaway of t-shirts featuring a cartoon of in-game enemy "The Butcher."

On June 15, 2022, Blizzard’s Weibo account in China was banned for allegedly violating laws, with some suggesting the reason was a deleted post referencing Winnie the Pooh. Four days later, the game’s Asia-Pacific release was delayed to allow developers to improve performance and support more devices. NetEase, the game’s publisher, apologized with an exclusive thank-you package and updated the release date to July 8 for some regions, though no new date was set for China. NetEase’s stock price dropped after these events.

In July 2022, NetEase confirmed the game’s China release date as July 25, 2022. Due to the Weibo ban, no social media announcement was made, but pre-launch pages were set up. On release day, the game topped iOS downloads in China, though some servers had long queues.

A "Season 2" update in July 2022 added a new Battle Pass, Helliquary boss, and cosmetics. On July 20, players gained the ability to change their character’s class for free without losing progress.

In mid-August 2022, limited-time events added new game modes, including "Fractured Plane" (a roguelike dungeon) and "Echo of the Immortal" (a PVP mode).

In late September 2022, the "Forgotten Nightmares" update introduced a new dungeon, Castle Cyrangar, and a system for warband groups to explore it. In October 2022, players could earn "Telluric Pearls" to craft 5-star legendary gems without purchases. The ability to transfer characters between servers was added in October 2022, along with server merges to increase player counts.

In December 2022, the new location "Stormpoint," a salt-scrubbed prison island, was released as part of the "Terror’s Tide" update. It expanded the story, added farming opportunities, and allowed character appearance customization. New "Hell" difficulty levels were also introduced.

In early July 2023, the Blood Knight, a new class described as a "vanquisher of vampires" specializing in polearm weapons, was revealed. This was the first new class for the Diablo series since the Crusader in 2014.

Reception

Many people were not happy when Diablo Immortal was announced at BlizzCon 2018. Traditional gamers often doubt mobile versions of games, but the Diablo community was especially upset because they had hoped for a bigger announcement. Fans shared their disappointment online, comparing Immortal to a "reskin" of older games by NetEase, such as Crusaders of Light and Endless of God. Later that day, developers answered questions from attendees. Two questions asked to Wyatt Cheng, a Blizzard game designer, received a lot of attention. One person asked if the announcement was an "April Fools' joke," and another asked if a PC version might be released. The crowd booed when Cheng said no to the PC version. Cheng then asked the crowd, "Do you guys not have phones?" This comment became a joke among Diablo fans.

The next day, Blizzard explained that Immortal is one of many Diablo games being developed. They mentioned their experience with mobile games, like Hearthstone, and said they could create a good game for all players. They also addressed a rumor that they had delayed a main Diablo sequel because of the negative reaction to Immortal.

After the announcement, Activision Blizzard’s stock price dropped 7% the following trading day. In November 2018, J Allen Brack, newly named president of Blizzard, thanked fans for their feedback, saying it showed their love for the Diablo series.

Early reviews of Immortal in 2018 had mixed opinions. Some praised the game’s fun and visual style, while others worried about unclear details, like how the game would make money. Some writers liked the controls, but others said the aiming system was hard to use. Reviewers noted that Immortal captured the look and feel of Diablo but missed some key elements, like its "soul." Some criticized the game for not changing a player’s appearance when equipping new items, though this was fixed in later tests.

Later reviews from 2020 were more positive. IGN said Immortal felt like a real Diablo game and not a simplified mobile version. They praised the game’s combat and art style, though they noted it lacked controller support. Game Informer said the game played more like a classic Diablo title than earlier tests, but wished it were available on non-mobile platforms.

In 2021, Android Central said Immortal could become one of the best Android games. They praised new features like the necromancer class and improved player vs. player modes. IGN also praised improvements over earlier versions but warned that the game’s performance depended on the player’s phone and that microtransactions might make some items feel hard to get.

Overall, Diablo Immortal received mixed reviews. Some praised its combat, graphics, and touch controls, while others criticized its story, leveling system, and voice acting. IGN’s Cam Shea said the game felt good to play and did not require purchases to enjoy. However, other reviewers worried that microtransactions could make free players feel left behind.

In 2023, Diablo Immortal was nominated for Mobile Game of the Year at the D.I.C.E. Awards. In 2024, IGN’s Destin Legarie reviewed the game again, but the full details of his review were not included in the text.