Update 29/03: As promised, Diablo IV is now available to Xbox Game Pass subscribers on console and PC, bringing Blizzard’s mammoth RPG to more players than ever.
If you’re on Xbox, you’ll be able to navigate to the Game Pass section on your console or the game’s store page and get downloading, while if you’re on PC there’s a bit of an extra process that Microsoft has outlined in the below instructions:
How To Install Diablo IV With PC Game Pass
- Open the Xbox App on PC and make sure you are signed in with your Microsoft account tied to your Game Pass membership. Then click on Diablo IV and then the Install button.
- Click “Install Battle.net” when prompted and complete the installation. (If you already have Battle.net installed, you’ll skip to the next step automatically)
- You’ll be prompted to connect your Battle.net account to your Microsoft account. If you already have a Battle.net account you can log in to complete the connection, or from here you can create a Battle.net account to make the connection.
- Once you have downloaded Battle.net and connected your accounts, you can complete the installation of Diablo IV!
Update 16/2: Microsoft has since confirmed that, despite some confusing messaging in its Official Xbox Podcast episode this morning, Diablo IV won’t be coming to all of the 34 million current Game Pass subscribers, with those on the Game Pass Core tier missing out.
“Diablo IV is coming to Xbox Game Pass on March 28th, with the exception of the Xbox Game Pass Core catalog,” says Kari Perez, head of communications for Xbox, in a statement to The Verge.
Today saw the arrival of Xbox’s big “business update,” which Microsoft revealed via a special episode of the Official Xbox Podcast featuring Phil Spencer, Sarah Bond and Matt Booty. The podcast came as something of a reaction to a sudden explosion of rumours of a new multiplatform strategy for Microsoft’s gaming business and has finally provided something in the way of answers.
Aside from talking about the obvious – a selection of Xbox first-party games coming to other platforms – Xbox also covered over a lot of its strategy around things like hardware, community and of course Game Pass.
Expanding on an earlier comment that, “All of our games are always in Game Pass,” Sarah Bond revealed that Activision and Blizzard games are officially coming to the service, starting with Blizzard’s mammoth RPG Diablo IV on March 28th. The messaging in the podcast says that the game will reach the now-34-million-strong Game Pass audience, a number which we now know includes Xbox Game Pass Core subscribers, suggesting that those on the cheaper and more limited tier will also be getting the game as part of their library see above update.
It comes after Spencer told fans alongside the Activision Blizzard acquisition last year that they may not see ABK games come to game Pass on day one, saying ““I know there will be some disappointment about that. This acquisition is definitely long term, so the fact that we’re not hitting day one with a bunch of games dropping in to Game Pass is a little bit of a downer, but I’m very excited about the future. And I just want to be straight with people that that’s where we are.”
You can watch the full podcast below:
We gave Diablo IV a 9/10 in our review last year, saying, “Diablo IV doesn’t just feel like a return to form for the franchise, but also for Blizzard as a developer. There’s a keen awareness for what makes Diablo special present in Diablo IV. It’s as contemporary as it is traditional, understanding that ARPGs have evolved past the days of button mashing, but also paying homage to its forebears and legacy. It’s not without issues, but Diablo IV delivers where it counts.”
