How long is Diablo 4?
When just focusing on the main campaign, Diablo 4 is approximately 25-30 hours long, spread across a Prologue, six Acts, and an Epilogue.
Most players will likely spend 45-50 hours in Diablo 4, if exploring some of the game's side content and quests, and can spend considerably more time in the game if they seek to see everything. Diablo 4 also has an extensive endgame, will gain new content after launch, and is very replayable.
A multi-act campaign with hours of content
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Diablo 4 introduces the infamous action-RPG franchise to an all-new group of potential players, and is the largest and most ambitious entry in the series so far. Blizzard Entertainment has invested a lot into ensuring Diablo 4's story and campaign rests comfortably among the best Xbox games released in years, and it delivers that alongside dozens of hours of content.
The campaign of Diablo 4, playable solo or with friends in local couch co-op or online multiplayer, is spread across a short introductory Prologue (think of it as the tutorial), six Acts that tell the devastatingly emotional and ominous story of the demon Lilith, the angel Inarius, and the fate of the miserable world torn apart in their conflict, and a final Epilogue to conclude the epic journey.
Those just focusing on completing this core campaign can expect to spend at least 25-30 hours in Diablo 4, but it's very easy to spend considerably more time within Blizzard's latest masterpiece. Diablo 4's expansive world, spread across multiple diverse regions, is filled with optional side content like challenging Dungeons to earn new loot, terrifying Strongholds to open up new areas, countless optional side quests and missions, and random events to spice up the gameplay loop.
Players who explore this side content can easily add dozens of additional hours to their playthrough. By our reasoning, most players will likely put at least 45-50 hours into Diablo 4 for one character, which is completing the campaign while enjoying a decent chunk of the side content (but not attempting to complete absolutely everything). Players who seek to do as much as they can should expect to give a lot more of their life to Lilith and Diablo 4, as there's a lot here.
By the time I reached the end of Act 1 with my Necromancer (after exploring as much of the side content as I could), I had already spent nearly 20 hours in Diablo 4. It's not unreasonable to believe there's over 100 hours of content in the Diablo 4 base game, if you insist on playing it all.
Fortunately, you don't need to play older Diablo games before jumping into Diablo 4. The story of Diablo 4 is set in the same universe, decades after the events of the previous game, but it's a standalone campaign that can be enjoyed without knowledge of previous titles. If you want to have a better understanding of the lore, though, you can read our full in-depth breakdown of all the lore and history in the Diablo universe.
An endgame with limitless potential
Diablo 4's campaign is more than good enough to justify the game's full "AAA" price tag and will likely make many thousands of players very happy with its incredible narrative writing and character development, industry-leading cinematics and visuals, and powerful, complicated themes of greed, heartbreak, and tragedy. Once the credits roll, though, the fun doesn't have to end. Like past Diablo games, Diablo 4 is built to last for years, with a beefy endgame and plans for continuous post-launch support.
Diablo 4 will support higher difficulty World Tiers for players who want additional challenge, especially when replaying the game with a different class or trying to create one of the best Diablo 4 builds. There will be plenty of other ways for Diablo 4 to engage your time beyond the humungous campaign and its dozens (if not hundreds) of side quests and dungeons, like the PvP-focused Fields of Hatred, remixed "Nightmare" dungeons, World Events like the Ashava world boss, new ways to progress your character and unlock new abilities, and so much more.
Diablo 4 will also feature optional Seasons with themed content and ways to earn new rewards and cosmetics, including premium Battle Passes that hardcore Diablo 4 players can purchase. After launch, Blizzard will add leaderboards to Diablo 4 so players can compete with each other while engaging with the practically endless content available in the game. Blizzard is also working on two expansions for Diablo 4 to add more story content. Even after you invest dozens of hours into the Diablo 4 campaign, there's practically endless content to explore afterward (and the game will just keep growing as time goes on).
Diablo 4 will release for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, and PlayStation consoles on June 6, 2023, and is available to buy now. If you want to learn more about the game, be sure to read our detailed Diablo 4 review, which concludes that the game may be Blizzard's magnum opus.
