Summary
Since the firstDiablogame launched in early 1997, many have been obsessed with venturing into hell and maiming its people before escaping with loot. EveryDiablogame follows the hero of Tristram in the dark world of Sanctuary - a realm existing between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells - and all the angels and demons that the hero encounters. Indeed,Diablois an excellent franchise created with an epic world to adventure and extensive lore to accompany it.
Diablogames,produced by Blizzard Entertainment, are popular because they have superb gameplay mechanics, rich environments, and a unique system to replay levels at increasingly higher difficulties. Moreover, hunting down and killing the devil and his hordes is thrilling. While someDiablogames released over the past three decades may have performed dismally, others have thrived tremendously.
Updated August 03, 2025, by Michael Llewellyn:The Diablo series will always remain the benchmark for hack-and-slash dungeon crawling. Even excellent titles like the Path of Exile and Torchlight series are lovingly dubbed Diablo clones. With standalone titles, expansions, and ports, there is a lot for a fan to dive into. This list updated to include the PS1 version of Diablo and updated tag info with cover art for each entry.
Although causing controversy again with the announcement ofDiablo:Immortalat Blizzcon in 2018, Blizzard created aDiablogame that adapts quite well to mobile devices. It features tight animations with weighty abilities, and each class has a unique identity, without mentioning excellent loot in appropriately crafted armor.
Apart from these positive points, however,Immortal’sgameplaylacks weight and features frequent lifeless voice acting. Furthermore,Diablo Immortalhas horrendous microtransactions, to the point where the game has been banned in the Netherlands and Belgium, shaming the game. Blizzard should have offered the game with a price tag instead of a pay-win system.
11Diablo 3
An Improved Title After Launch
Many gamers had anticipated much fromDiablo 3after waiting over 10 years for the game’s release. However, despite scoring well with critics, it failed to meet fan expectations. Most who bought it kept staring at Error 37 instead of playing the game.
Even after Error 37 was addressed, its in-game auction house was still unappealing, as players had to purchase items from the auction house to progress further in the game, which caused even more controversy. Otherissues that seemed to have watered downthis gameplay were the disappointing loot system, poor character development, and underwhelming visuals. Thankfully,Diablo 3regained its fanbase with significant updates, character classes, patches, and new expansions that changed the experience.
TheDiablo 3: Rise of the Necromancerexpansion was released in 2017 as the second expansion forDiablo 3. UnlikeReaper Souls- the first expansion - and otherDiablogames,Rise of the Necromancerdid not make drastic changes to the preceding expansion but instead opted to err on the side of caution.
Blizzard added new classes, such asthe Necromancer class, zones, and Shrouded Moors. Although some agreed that the Necromancer class was slightly overpowered, these additions provide different challenges and rewards to discover. The slight changes were minimal toDiablo 3, which was more successful by this time, thanks to theReaper of Soulsexpansion.
Reaper of Soulssignificantly improved the initialDiablo 3mess; it seems Blizzard realized what made its earlier games great. They discarded the infamous in-game auction house and brought a new class with the new boss. Apart from optimizing the loot drops, it introduced a new class, the Crusader, which specialized in defense and heavy weapons. Generally,Reaper of Soulscompensated for what had earlier glued its fanbase.
It’s the norm of Blizzard to revamp and expand the game. The graphics were noticeably upgraded, and the art design improved, as with Westmarch. The introduction of new classes provided unique gameplay. At last,Diablo’smassive fanbase had every reason to return to this franchise. Despite scoring slightly lower on Metacritic,Diablo 3: Reaper of Soulsis significantly better than the vanilla version.
Diablo 4,was received poorly during the game’s Beta, but once released, it proved to be a success for Blizzard. Blizzard appeared to take feedback on board and learned from its previous mistakes. They succeeded by fine-tuning the combat, offering various build options to each class, and providing the game with a strong live-service foundation.
Moreover, the graphics inDiablo 4are impressive, and it has receivedgood reviewsall around. Nevertheless, some feel that the story is rather dull, and that the game only starts once one has completed the campaign. Some parts of the game are also very repetitive, requiring a lot of mindless killing.Diablo 4is not the worst in the franchise, but certainly not the best.
7Diablo: Hellfire
The First Expansion That Streamlined The Diablo Experience
Surprisingly,Hellfire,Diablo’sfirst expansion, wasn’t created by Blizzard but by Synergistic Software. This is why manyDiablofans were bothered about the franchise’s future. However, the worries seized as changes weren’t too radical to the game. The expansion of the originalDiablooffers improvements and quality-of-life mechanics, making it a smoother experience. In particular,Hellfire’snew levels and monsters were introduced, keeping the loot and the feeling of grind more alive.
Diablofans loved watching their characters getting more powerful as they navigated through the hostile dungeons. On the downside, Hellfire never featureda multiplayer systemas it was to its predecessor. This is why many have yet to experience improvements in the online arena.
Diablostarted it all in 1997. Many could never anticipate the effect of the game. While several action RPGs had been released before, few games matched the originalDiablo. What made this original production more interesting was the ability to choose theplayer’s favorite characterbefore delving into Tristram town.
The fantastic soundtrack cranked up the atmosphere. More importantly, its loot system kept gamers pouring in many hours in the game. While playing online was somewhat new back then,Diablowas at the forefront of the multiplayer revolution. Up to date, the game still holds up, although it certainly feels archaic compared to the latest games in the series.
Diablo PlayStation One Version
Diablowas launched two years later for the PlayStation and fetches a high price for collectors on auction sites. Although not flawless, the PlayStation port was a commendable effort for home consoles, offering certain drawbacks compared to the PC original, but also some advantages.
While there was no online gameplay for PS1 players, the game offered local two-player co-op, making it feel like a classic old-schoolGauntlet-style hack-and-slash dungeon crawler that provided hours of fun with a friend. There are longer load times and those playing on a PS1 with a memory card will find their card filling up fast. Fortunately, such caveats are rectified whenplaying with an emulator. Moreover, there are some differences in the visuals, the fixed camera is closer than the PC version and captures the character animations better, and water reflections and wildlife are flying around in the skies.
As mentioned in the above entries,Diablo 3was a controversial title at launch but was vastly improved with every update and expansion.Diablo 3: The Eternal CollectionincludesThe Reaper of Souls,andRise of the Necromancer,In addition to the various enhancements provided by patches and updates. The Nintendo Switchversion is the latest port and includes an exclusiveThe Legend of Zelda-themed armor based on the series antagonist, Ganondorf. It works very well on the handheld device and feels great to play. Naturally, it lacks the intricacies of using a mouse, but players will easily become accustomed to the setup.
The hack-and-slash action is fast and smooth with an arcade-like feel that’s perfect for small and larger TV screens. Despite the simplicity of its action and dungeon-crawling, tons of game modes and options allow players to customize their experience to their liking. Most, if not all, of the balancing issues with overpowered classes have been resolved, making it one of the best modernDiabloexperiences available. Of course, theDiablogames are considered PC games at heart, but console gamers have offline four-player couch co-op, which is a lot of fun making it comparable to side-scrolling beat-em-ups or better still, theLegogames. Local co-op with friends and family is a far better experience than playing alone or online, and it adds longevity to an already massive game packed with features and enough content to last a very long time.
Diablo 2is an incredible milestone for the larger franchise. In fact, to date, some of its fans have kept this role-playing action game alive, so they keep moving all along together forever. Blizzard made several improvements in this game. While the first game laid the foundation with few details,Diablo 2advanced, creating more unforgettable experiences.
The sequel provided valid reasons for the main villain’s return. The game unveiled a vast world of adventure, enriched with new, fantastic lore. The hack-and-slash combat system was both redefined and enhanced.
Despite the lower Metascore,Diablo 2,is viewed by fans as the best sequel, and its expansion,Lord of Destructionis considered the best version ofDiablo 2. Some fans believe that if Blizzard didn’t release this game, no one would be playingDiablo 2.Lord of Destructionbrought a more substantial connection between theHellfireexpansion and the first game. Moreover, its expansion introduced two new classes, the Druid and the Assassin.
Both classes featured different skills and items distributed everywhere, giving a fresh opportunity to the experts and a warm reception to new players. But that was not enough, Baal, the new demon, was introduced. The merger of old and new classes was a perfect innovation for adventure. The fanbase of this game could spend more hours playing because of itsmore complex settings.
