BlizzCon 2026 Opening Ceremony: 94 minutes in 5

What's coming and when

No prices were announced during the ceremony. Dates marked as coming from the newsroom were not stated on stage — they come from Blizzard's own recap articles, listed at the bottom of this page. Dates are 2026 unless stated.

What was announced

STARCRAFT

An original open-world shooter in the Koprulu Sector

▶ 14:28

• 14:43Dan Hay opens with his own story: rejected by Blizzard 28 years ago, now leading the team building this game.
• 17:11He announces a new open-world StarCraft shooter, built to honour the tone and truth of the universe rather than restart it.
• 20:44The reveal cinematic puts you on the ground with Dominion recruits being told they will become the heroes who fight for mankind's survival.

Overwatch 2

Ten heroes in a year, and a vampire Support

▶ 21:21

• 21:55Aaron Keller frames the year: Overwatch is a game about heroes, and Blizzard is shipping ten new ones in 2026.
• 28:13Doctrine is revealed as the ninth hero of the year — a Support with a scepter and bat-like drones who drains life from enemies, arriving in Season 5.
• 29:52Miranda Moyer recaps the year-long story: Vendetta's rise, Doomfist's survival, and the fight for control of Talon.
• 31:46Two of the most requested reworks ever: Roadhog can actually help his team and his hook-to-kill combo is less punishing, and Sombra is turned into a Support.
• 32:18Attendees can play both reworks and the new map, Watchpoint: Grimsvötn, all weekend.
• 32:24Season 5 concludes The Reign of Talon, the first year-long story arc in Overwatch's history; the tenth hero of the year follows in Season 6.
• 33:23LE SSERAFIM is announced as the closing act, alongside QuestWatch — a live Overwatch tabletop RPG one-shot — and a Make-A-Wish charity auction.
• 35:31Keller plugs the next Overwatch Spotlight in February, promising a new story, a fresh set of heroes and new systems.

Diablo IV

30 years of Diablo, and three releases in one segment

▶ 36:30

• 36:30The segment opens with a mock public-service-announcement trailer for Diablo's 30th anniversary, warning viewers about the signs of evil.
• 42:17Season of Hell's Legacy launches Tuesday, September 15, for Diablo's biggest anniversary moment yet.
• 42:35The dead return from Pandemonium and Deckard Cain finds his way back to Sanctuary, leading you into waking nightmares built from Diablo's most memorable moments.
• 45:05Joe Shel announces the Diablo IV: Age of Hatred collection for Nintendo Switch 2 on September 15, the same day as the season; a demo is playable on the show floor.
• 47:16The javelin-wielding Amazon is revealed as Diablo IV's first class pack.
• 48:06The Amazon Class Pack arrives in the first half of 2027.

Diablo V

The next mainline Diablo, in a Sanctuary that already lost

▶ 50:03

• 50:03Diablo V is officially announced with a cinematic showing a fallen Sanctuary — a world where Diablo has triumphed and its heroes have been defeated.
• 50:22Diablo V is dated for Spring 2029.

Hearthstone

New expansion, new keyword, and the first new class in six years

▶ 52:34

• 53:10Nathan Lyons-Smith runs a card-opening bit on stage before getting to the next expansion.
• 56:22Reign of the Black Empire takes players back to ancient Azeroth at the height of the Old Gods, and adds the Assemble keyword, which merges two cards into a stronger one.
• 57:40The expansion launches in a bit over a month, on October 20.
• 58:35The Journal gets a narrative overhaul that ties expansions together, and 2v2 Hearthstone is announced for Tavern Brawls.
• 1:00:53Monk is revealed as the next playable class — Hearthstone's first new class in six years.

World of Warcraft: Midnight

Patch 12.2, and a first look at the end of the Worldsoul Saga

▶ 1:02:49

• 1:03:05Holly Longdale welcomes the WoW crowd, Horde and Alliance alike.
• 1:04:30Ian Hazzikostas walks through the Worldsoul Saga so far and congratulates Team Liquid on the world-first clear.
• 1:06:56Eclipse, patch 12.2, is announced as Midnight's next major content update, with a cinematic of Xal'atath closing in on Azeroth's Worldsoul.
• 1:09:50In the cinematic, Xal'atath vows to devour anything that challenges her dominion.
• 1:11:14The Last Titan gets a sneak peek as the culmination of more than two decades of Warcraft.

Warcraft III Reforged

Forsaken Kingdom, the first new Warcraft III campaign in 23 years

▶ 1:14:40

• 1:14:59The Warcraft III team comes out with a call to go to war.
• 1:16:33Forsaken Kingdom is announced as the first new Warcraft III campaign in 23 years.
• 1:17:08The campaign covers the fall of Lordaeron and the rise of the Undercity, with Sylvanas at the centre of it.
• 1:19:25Forsaken Kingdom launches today and is playable on the show floor.

World of Warcraft: Forever

Classic Plus, said out loud, with a launch date

▶ 1:20:01

• 1:20:18A cinematic teases a return to Azeroth and the adventures left untold from the time it all began.
• 1:24:23"Yes, this is Classic Plus" — the words the crowd had been waiting for, said on stage.
• 1:24:48World of Warcraft: Forever launches in seven weeks, on November 4.
• 1:25:03Beta starts that Thursday, September 17, and Forever is playable on the BlizzCon show floor.
• 1:25:48Forever lives alongside the modern and Classic games as a third way to play, focused on what made Vanilla memorable: the world as the main character.
• 1:26:21There is no rush in Forever — it is built around community and the journey rather than the destination.
• 1:30:35It starts after the events of Warcraft III's Forsaken Kingdom, when Lordaeron falls, but before The Burning Crusade — essentially year one of Vanilla WoW, with stories that could have happened and some that never did.
• 1:31:04Everyone starts on the original continents, makes the journey to 60, and stays at 60 indefinitely, with new stories and updates layered on over time.

Also announced

• 10:05Heroes of the Storm gets a new hero: Xal'atath, arriving later this month with PTR access from Monday. Blizzard's newsroom pins the dates at September 28 and PTR September 14.
• 10:37Johanna Ferris thanks Heroes of the Storm players for believing in the game and hints that another new hero may be on the way.
• 12:18An animated Diablo series is in development with Netflix.
• 12:49Diablo is described as only the beginning — discussions are underway to bring Overwatch, Warcraft and other universes to screen too.
• 33:47Beyond the game demos, BlizzCon 2026 runs musical acts and community programming all weekend, including a Make-A-Wish charity auction.

Keynote chapters

1. 0:00Hype Reel and Countdown
2. 2:39Johanna Ferris Opening Speech
3. 8:12Heroes of the Storm Announcement
4. 11:11Diablo Animated Series and Blizzard Entertainment Vision
5. 14:28StarCraft Open-World Shooter Reveal
6. 21:21Overwatch: 10 Heroes, Doctrine, and Season 5
7. 36:30Diablo: 30 Years, Amazon, and Diablo V
8. 52:34Hearthstone: Reign of the Black Empire and Monk Class
9. 1:02:49World of Warcraft: Midnight, Eclipse, and The Last Titan
10. 1:14:40Warcraft III: Forsaken Kingdom Campaign
11. 1:20:01World of Warcraft Forever Announcement
12. 1:30:24Closing Recap and Farewell

Chapters were generated from the keynote transcript. Click any chapter to open the full summary at that moment.

Frequently asked questions

What was announced at BlizzCon 2026?

A new open-world StarCraft shooter, Diablo V for Spring 2029, World of Warcraft: Forever launching November 4, Overwatch's Doctrine in Season 5, Hearthstone's Reign of the Black Empire on October 20, Warcraft III Reforged: Forsaken Kingdom available the same day, Diablo IV's Season of Hell's Legacy and Nintendo Switch 2 release on September 15, Xal'atath for Heroes of the Storm, and an animated Diablo series in development with Netflix.

Is the new StarCraft game an RTS?

No. It is an original open-world shooter set in the Koprulu Sector, built by a new team led by Dan Hay. Blizzard's newsroom gives a Spring 2030 window; no window was stated on stage.

When does Diablo V come out?

Spring 2029, stated on stage. It is set in a Sanctuary where Diablo has already won and its heroes have been defeated. Before that, Diablo IV gets Season of Hell's Legacy on September 15, a Nintendo Switch 2 release the same day, and the Amazon class pack in the first half of 2027.

Is World of Warcraft: Forever the same thing as Classic Plus?

Yes — Blizzard used those exact words on stage. Forever launches November 4, 2026, with beta starting September 17. It runs alongside the modern and Classic games, begins in year one of Vanilla WoW after the events of Warcraft III's Forsaken Kingdom, and keeps players at level 60 indefinitely. Blizzard's newsroom adds three new zones, over 1,000 new quests, nine dungeons, two raids and the new Skyborne race.

Who is Overwatch's new hero Doctrine?

Doctrine is the ninth Overwatch hero of 2026: a Support with a scepter and bat-like drones who drains life from enemies, arriving in Season 5. The same season brings Sombra and Roadhog reworks, the map Watchpoint: Grimsvötn, and the conclusion of The Reign of Talon. The next Overwatch Spotlight is in February 2027.

How much does any of this cost?

Blizzard did not announce a price for anything during the Opening Ceremony, which is why this page has no pricing column. Anything you see quoted elsewhere came from storefronts after the show, not from the ceremony.

Is this the same video as the BlizzCon 2026 main stage broadcast?

No. The announcements are all in the Opening Ceremony, a separate 94-minute upload. The longer main-stage broadcasts that follow are panels, esports and community programming — worth watching, but the reveals are here.

How was this summary made?

We ran the official Opening Ceremony through SummarizeVideoToText to get chapters and timestamped key points, then checked every date against Blizzard's own recap articles from the same day. Each bullet links to the second in the broadcast it came from; anything that only appears in the press releases is labelled as such.