Seasons

1:17 Diablo 4 has had 15 seasons since launch, each lasting roughly three months: the first, Season of the Malignant, began on Jul 20, 2023, and the current one, Season of Hell's Legacy, began on Sep 15, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. PT. A season is free for everyone who owns the game. It brings a theme, a questline, a temporary power system and a fresh ladder of rewards, and it is played on the Seasonal Realm with a new character or, since Season 15, an Eternal character converted by Rebirth. At BlizzCon 2026, Senior Game Director Brent Gibson spoke of how much content is coming "over the next foreseeable future", with everything leading to Diablo 5, before the panel turned to Season of Hell's Legacy and Diablo's 30 years. Blizzard has confirmed a Season 16 but has not announced its name or date as of Oct 20, 2026 (Season 16).

Quick facts

Season list

Every season's start is the previous one's end: Blizzard rarely prints an end date on its own. Times are Pacific, as Blizzard gave them.

Blizzard's own posts give no hour for Seasons 9 and 10; guide sites report 10 a.m. PDT for both (Icy Veins, Jun 2025; Icy Veins, Sep 22, 2025).

The seasons one by one

Season 1: Season of the Malignant

Blizzard's first season opened on Jul 20, 2023 at 10 a.m. PDT with the questline "Burning from Within", led by Cormond, a former priest of the Cathedral of Light. Its mechanic was 32 Malignant Hearts in four categories, captured with the Cage of Binding and socketed in jewelry, and its boss was Varshan the Consumed. The season is remembered more for patch 1.1.0, released on Jul 18, 2023, two days before it began: the patch weakened every class and drew an immediate backlash. In a Campfire Chat on Jul 21, 2023, Blizzard said "it feels bad to take away power", promised "a more surgical approach" to balance, and added that "Diablo IV was always meant to be a capped power experience and not an endless grind" (Blizzard, Jul 21, 2023). Patch 1.1.1 followed on Aug 8, 2023.

Season 2: Season of Blood

Season of Blood began on Oct 17, 2023, the same day Diablo 4 arrived on Steam, with patch 1.2.0. The vampire hunter Erys, voiced by Gemma Chan, led a questline against Lord Zir, and players earned Vampiric Powers. Blizzard added five endgame bosses that drop specific Unique items, the start of today's boss ladder, and made permanent changes to resistances and Uniques.

Season 3: Season of the Construct

Season of the Construct began on Jan 23, 2024 at 10 a.m. PST. Ayuzhan's questline gave every player the Seneschal, a construct companion tuned with Governing and Tuning Stones, and a new dungeon type, Vaults, ending with the boss Malphas. A weekly leaderboard dungeon, the Gauntlet, came later in the season and was retired in Season 6. Blizzard extended the season to May 14, 2024 after feedback on Diablo 4's first public test realm, which made it one of the longest seasons.

Season 4: Loot Reborn

Blizzard named it "Season 4: Loot Reborn" and launched it on May 14, 2024 at 10 a.m. PT. It rebuilt items for everyone: fewer affixes (three on Legendaries, two on Rares), Greater Affixes on Ancestral items, and two new crafting systems, Tempering and Masterworking (Crafting). It also added The Pit of the Artificers with 200 tiers, the reworked Helltide with its Blood Maiden, and the Iron Wolves faction. All of this stayed in the game after the season.

Season 5: Season of the Infernal Hordes

Season of the Infernal Hordes began on Aug 6, 2024 at 10 a.m. PT and introduced Infernal Hordes, a wave mode of 60-second waves with Infernal Offers that trade a boon for a bane, ending in a fight with the Fell Council. Blizzard renamed "Uber Uniques" to Mythic Uniques and added more than 50 new Uniques and Legendaries. Infernal Hordes stayed on both realms.

Season 6: Season of Hatred Rising

The first expansion season began with Vessel of Hatred on "October 7 at 4 p.m. PDT", 2024 (Oct 8 outside the Americas). Its questline "Creeping Hatred" sent players after Realmwalkers, colossal creatures that open Seething Realms. The bigger change came with the expansion for everyone: the level cap rose to 60, World Tiers gave way to Difficulties and Torment, and the Party Finder arrived.

Season 7: Season of Witchcraft

Season of Witchcraft began on Jan 21, 2025 at 10 a.m. PST. Witch Gelena in Gea Kul taught Witchcraft Powers in three schools while players hunted the missing heads of the Tree of Whispers and the boss Headrotten. It left behind the Armory, which saves five loadouts per character.

Season 8: Belial's Return

"Season 8: Belial's Return" began on Apr 29, 2025 at 10 a.m. PDT. Players took Boss Powers from 24 bosses and faced Belial, Lord of Lies, the first Exalted Lair Boss. The season reorganized the endgame bosses into Lair Bosses and replaced the old Battle Pass with Reliquaries, catalogs of rewards claimed in any order.

Season 9: Sins of the Horadrim

"Season 9: Sins of the Horadrim" began on Jul 1, 2025 with Horadric Spellcraft, a build system of Catalysts, Infusions and Arcana, and a questline with the Druid Bryona against Astaroth. It made Horadric Strongrooms and Escalating Nightmares permanent (Nightmare Dungeons) and brought mouse and keyboard to consoles.

Season 10: Season of Infernal Chaos

Season of Infernal Chaos began on Sep 23, 2025. Chaos Rifts, Chaos Perks and Chaos Armor let Unique powers work from other gear slots for the season only, and Bartuc, Lord of Chaos, joined Infernal Hordes permanently with its Chaos Waves.

Season 11: Season of Divine Intervention

0:33 Season of Divine Intervention began on Dec 11, 2025 at 8:30 p.m. PST, right after The Game Awards, where Lord of Hatred was announced. Its gameplay trailer calls on players to rage against the Burning Hells "as the Lesser Evils invade", shows a hulking demon in the snow, then promises "Divine Gifts": the angel Hadriel's powers, Corrupted or Purified. The Lesser Evils Duriel, Belial and Andariel invaded Helltides, the Pit and the Undercity, and Azmodan became a permanent world boss. This season also replaced the Season Journey with Season Rank and reworked Tempering and Masterworking, with a new Toughness stat.

Season 12: Season of Slaughter

Season of Slaughter began on Mar 11, 2026 at 10 a.m. PT and let players transform into the Butcher, with Killstreaks in five tiers, Bloodied Items and Slaughterhouses. The Butcher stayed as a Lair Boss, and the season brought a DOOM: The Dark Ages collaboration and a Paladin free trial. At about seven weeks it was the shortest season, ending when Lord of Hatred arrived.

Season 13: Season of Reckoning

30:01 Season of Reckoning (the 13th season) launched with Lord of Hatred on Apr 27, 2026 at 4:30 p.m. PDT, half an hour after the expansion. Blizzard gave it no story, theme or seasonal mechanic of its own; it carried the expansion's changes instead, which reached every player: a level cap of 70, Torment levels expanded from 4 to 12, rebuilt skill trees and a loot filter. For expansion owners it added War Plans, which Blizzard's Feb 11, 2026 Spotlight describes as a playlist of up to five activities drawn from the Pit, Infernal Hordes, Helltides, Nightmare Dungeons, Lair Bosses and the Undercity. Blizzard never printed "Season 13"; the number follows from calling the next one Season 14.

Season 14: Season of Death Awakening

0:39 Season of Death Awakening began on Jun 30, 2026 at 10 a.m. PDT, after Mephisto's defeat: its trailer opens on "The Age of Hatred has ended" and "The veil of death now looms", then shows new encounters labeled "Ruptures", players fighting cultists around violet rifts, and a new activity, the Deathtoll Chamber, reached through Pandemonium. The season added the seasonal Lair Boss the Corrupted Reaper and "Mythic Uniques 3.0", which made Mythic an item quality any Unique can reach (Mythic Uniques). It also took the Artificer's Tower and Leaderboards out of Beta and added Solo Self Found, a mode with no parties or trading, for the season.

Season 15: Season of Hell's Legacy

6:07 Season of Hell's Legacy, the current season, began on Sep 15, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. PT with patch 3.2.1, as the "centerpiece" of Diablo's 30th anniversary. At the BlizzCon panel, Live Service Design Director Dan Tanguay explains that the celebration needed a ringmaster: with the dead returning to life in Season 14's story, Deckard Cain comes back to host it, voiced again by Michael Gough. Players defeat echoes of Diablo, Baal and Mephisto, choose one Splinter of Evil to bear, and relive old Diablo games in Waking Nightmares. Nine legacy Uniques such as the Stone of Jordan stay in the game for good. The full guide is Season of Hell's Legacy.

How seasons work

Seasonal and Eternal Realms. Every character lives on one of two realms. Blizzard describes the Seasonal Realm as "a fresh start" with Season Rank, Season Blessings and the Artificer's Tower and Leaderboards, and the Eternal Realm as "long-term progression with existing characters" with no need to reroll (Blizzard, Apr 23, 2026). Season content is limited to the Seasonal Realm and to the season's run.

What happens at season end. Seasonal characters, their items and their stash move to the Eternal Realm. Season-only powers stop working there, as Season 1's Malignant Hearts did, and seasonal gear keeps its slot but loses its seasonal power, as Season 10's Chaos Armor did (Blizzard, Sep 2025). Mounts, cosmetics and transmogs carry over. Seasons start at level 1 with Paragon and gold reset (Blizzard, read Oct 20, 2026).

Do you need a new character? Not since Season 15. A new Seasonal character still works, and finishing the campaign once on any character unlocks "Skip Campaign" for the rest, on either realm (Blizzard, Apr 23, 2026).

22:45 Rebirth. Since Sep 15, 2026, Rebirth converts an Eternal character into a Seasonal one at level 1, keeping its class, name, appearance and Normal or Hardcore state; its gear must go into the Eternal stash first (Blizzard, Sep 12, 2026). A developer on the BlizzCon panel calls it a long-requested feature: his first Barbarian, "Barb the Barb", played since launch, can now go into each new season instead of being deleted for a fresh slot.

1:45 Season Journey and Season Rank. Seasons 1 to 10 had a Season Journey: chapters of tasks that paid Legendary Aspects, Favor and, from Season 8, Smoldering Ashes for Season Blessings. Season 11 replaced it, and Renown on the Seasonal Realm, with Season Rank: the Season of Divine Intervention trailer's cards read "Conquer Capstone Dungeons to ascend Seasonal Ranks", then show a Season Rank reward and "the new Reliquary". Each of the nine ranks needs a Capstone Dungeon. In Season 15 the ranks hold 125 objectives, about 15% of them needing Lord of Hatred, and pay up to 14 Skill Points and 42 Paragon points account-wide.

Battle Pass. Each season has a free Reliquary and premium ones bought with Platinum; the rewards are cosmetic. Prices and history are on Battle Pass and Shop.

Solo Self Found and Hardcore. Since Season 14, a Seasonal character can be Solo Self Found, with no party or trading for the whole season; it reverts to Eternal at the end (Blizzard, Jun 23, 2026). Hardcore characters can be Seasonal too. Since Season 15, War Plans progress is shared among characters in the same partition of Seasonal or Eternal, Hardcore or not, and Solo Self Found or not.

Public test realms. Before most seasons Blizzard runs a PTR on PC through Battle.net, Game Pass for PC included, for about a week; the Season 15 PTR ran from Aug 4 to Aug 11, 2026, five weeks before launch. Steam and console players cannot join. Every patch since launch is listed on Patch Notes.

What comes next

29:55 Blizzard has confirmed that seasons continue. At BlizzCon 2026, the developers on the "What's Next" panel described a "season arc" built on Lord of Hatred: the death cult of Season 14 opened ruptures to Pandemonium, in Season of Hell's Legacy the dead return to life, and in seasons over the next year, leading up to the release of the Amazon, players will confront the cult and "ultimately confront the aspect of death". Blizzard's recap adds that future seasons will bring War Plans "playlist customization and Seasonal variety" and more itemization (Blizzard, Sep 13, 2026). Brent Gibson told PC Gamer that no more expansions are currently planned and the team is "focused on [Diablo 4] seasons and getting to Diablo 5" (PC Gamer, Sep 12, 2026). Diablo 5 is due in Spring 2029.

Frequently asked questions

How many seasons does Diablo 4 have? Diablo 4 has had 15 seasons as of Oct 20, 2026, from Season of the Malignant (Jul 20, 2023) to Season of Hell's Legacy (since Sep 15, 2026). Blizzard has confirmed a Season 16 but not its name or date.

How long is a Diablo 4 season? A Diablo 4 season usually lasts about three months. The shortest, Season of Slaughter, ran about seven weeks (Mar 11 to Apr 27, 2026), and Season of the Construct was extended to nearly four months.

When does the current Diablo 4 season end? Blizzard has not announced an end date for Season of Hell's Legacy as of Oct 20, 2026. Dates on tracker sites are estimates from past season lengths, not Blizzard's.

What happens at the end of a Diablo 4 season? Seasonal characters and their items move to the Eternal Realm, where season-only powers stop working. Cosmetics, mounts and transmogs you earned stay with your account.

Do I need a new character for each Diablo 4 season? No. Since Season 15 you can use Rebirth to bring an Eternal character into the season at level 1, or make a new Seasonal character and skip the campaign if you have finished it once.

Is there a Diablo 4 Season 13? Yes: Season of Reckoning, which launched with Lord of Hatred on Apr 27, 2026, is the 13th season. Blizzard gave it no seasonal theme and never printed the number, but called the following season Season 14.

Are Diablo 4 seasons free? Yes. Every Diablo 4 season is free to play for owners of the game, though some Season Rank objectives need the Lord of Hatred expansion and the premium Battle Pass costs Platinum.

Sources

• Seasons, Blizzard (read Oct 20, 2026)
• Malignance Runs Rampant in the First Season of Diablo IV, Blizzard, Jul 2023
• Catch Up on the Season of the Malignant Campfire Chat, Blizzard, Jul 21, 2023
• Diablo IV Patch Notes (1.0 to 1.2), Blizzard (read Oct 20, 2026)
• Season of Blood Is Dripping into Sanctuary, Blizzard, Oct 2023
• Unearth a Looming Threat in Season of the Construct, Blizzard, Jan 2024
• Diablo 4 Season 3 extended to May, Blizzard Watch, Mar 20, 2024
• Galvanize Your Legend in Season 4: Loot Reborn, Blizzard, Apr 30, 2024
• Slay Endless Demons in Season of the Infernal Hordes, Blizzard, Jul 30, 2024
• Conquer Colossal Foes in Season of Hatred Rising, Blizzard, Oct 2, 2024
• What You Need to Know for Vessel of Hatred's Launch, Blizzard, Sep 2024
• Master the Occult in Season of Witchcraft, Blizzard, Jan 14, 2025
• Combat Deception in Season 8: Belial's Return, Blizzard, Apr 21, 2025
• Purge the Sins of the Horadrim, Blizzard, Jun 2025
• Rally Against Hell in Season of Infernal Chaos, Blizzard, Sep 2025
• Vanquish the Lesser Evils in Season of Divine Intervention, Blizzard, Dec 3, 2025
• Become the Butcher in Season of Slaughter, Blizzard, Mar 5, 2026
• Prepare for the Reckoning: Lord of Hatred Draws Near, Blizzard, Apr 23, 2026
• Hunt the Death Cult in Season of Death Awakening, Blizzard, Jun 23, 2026
• The 3.2.0 PTR: What You Need to Know, Blizzard, Aug 2026
• Celebrate 30 Years of Diablo in Season of Hell's Legacy, Blizzard, Sep 12, 2026
• Diablo's Next Era Revealed at BlizzCon 2026 Opening Ceremonies Recap, Blizzard, Sep 12, 2026
• Diablo IV: What's Next Panel Recap, Blizzard, Sep 13, 2026
• Diablo 4 will have Season 16, Blizzard Watch, Sep 14, 2026
• No more Diablo 4 expansions are planned, PC Gamer, Sep 12, 2026
• Diablo 4 Season 9 release time, Icy Veins, Jun 2025
• Diablo 4 Season 10 release times, Icy Veins, Sep 22, 2025
• Diablo IV | What's Next Panel | BlizzCon 2026, Diablo, Sep 13, 2026 (video)
• Diablo 30th Anniversary Spotlight, Diablo, Feb 11, 2026 (video)
• Diablo IV | Season of Divine Intervention | Gameplay Trailer, Diablo, Dec 3, 2025 (video)
• Diablo IV | Season of Death Awakening | Gameplay Trailer, Diablo, Jun 23, 2026 (video)