Diablo is a series of games created by Blizzard that focuses on the titular antagonist: Diablo, the Lord of Terror. With the exception of Diablo 4, the Lord of Terror’s involvement in every game’s main storyline is inevitable, with each game showcasing more of Diablo’s reigns of terror. After several resurrections in different games, in hindsight, not all of them are as good as the other.
As such, we have listed all of the Diablo games created by Blizzard, ranking them in order from least favored to the best game in the long-running series. Some of the entries will contain spoilers to the story of those games, so be forewarned if you prefer not to be spoiled on the games you plan to play.
5) Diablo Immortal
Bringing up the rear, to almost nobody’s surprise, is Diablo Immortal. Initially announced during Blizzcon 2018, the game finally made its release in June 2022 to a raucously negative reception. Since most players were expecting the announcement of a new PC game, the reveal of Diablo Immortal being a mobile game spinoff was a huge turn-off to most hardcore Diablo players.
The events of the game take place in the 20 years between the end of Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction and the beginning of Diablo 3. Players begin in the town of Wortham with the iconic Deckard Cain as their guide. The premise of the game involves stopping groups of cultists and demons while destroying shards of the Worldstone that was shattered by Tyrael at the end of Diablo 2.
Completing these objectives will let the player come face to face with the antagonist of the game: Skarn, the Lord of Damnation. While the story is interesting enough, the core gameplay loop and loot system are quite similar to other entries in the Diablo series.
The major criticism of the game stems from the heavy focus on microtransactions that also sealed the game’s fate at the bottom of our list. Even though the micro pay aspect has improved over the years, Diablo Immortal is still a shell of what it could have been.
4) Diablo
The game that started it all in the accursed town of Tristram. Initially released in 1997, Diablo put players in the shoes of either a Warrior, a Rogue, or a Sorcerer as they traversed the town of Tristram to find a way to put an end to the evil of Diablo. The premise of the game was interesting and unlike any other game of its era, which created quite a loyal fanbase for the game back then.
The player character must descend under the town of Tristram through a series of dungeons as part of a giant labyrinth. These dungeons have 16 levels that go increasingly deeper underground till the player reaches the depths of hell. After defeating several hellspawn demons, like the iconic Butcher, the player comes face to face with one of the Prime Evils, Diablo, at the bottom level of hell.
The Lord of Terror is no pushover and the battle is quite fierce. Eventually, the player character succeeds, but in turn, is possessed by Diablo himself, carrying the plot forward to its sequel. The game was considered to be one of the best of its time and inspired an expansion going forward.
Diablo: Hellfire
The expansion of Diablo titled Diablo: Hellfire was essentially a spin-off game that takes place parallel to the original story. A sorcerer unknowingly releases the demon Na-Krul unto Tristram and the player character is tasked to defeat it. The game introduced the Monk as a new playable character while the Barbarian and Bard were hidden characters that had to be unlocked via tweaks to the game files.
Diablo and its Hellfire expansion were widely considered to be cult classics and the games that inspired all future demon-themed games apart from the Diablo series. As good as they were for their time, subsequent games only improved on the formula that made these games great.
3) Diablo 3
Coming in right in the middle of our list is Diablo 3. Following an over 10-year-long run of the highly popular Diablo 2, fans were hungry for a sequel. After its initial announcement by Blizzard in 2008, Diablo 3 was finally released in 2012, nearly 12 years after its predecessor. The game was an instant hit upon release, however, some of its features fell short of fan expectations.
Similar to its predecessor, the game features five classes: Barbarian, Wizard, Witch Doctor, Demon Hunter, and Monk. Each class has its own skill progression and resource system with which they progress through the lands of Sanctuary. Since this game takes place 20 years after the events of the destruction of the Worldstone, most of the classes have perished except for the Barbarian.
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After creating your character, you follow the trail of the Soulstones and defeat the last of the seven Evils of Hell only to resurrect Diablo once again during the demonic invasion of Heaven. Now boasting the power of all seven Evils, Diablo is the strongest he has ever been. Defeating the Lord of Terror marks the end of the main questline, which continues in the game’s expansion.
Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls
After the Lord of Terror is put to rest for the final time, the Black Soulstone containing the souls of all seven Evils is sealed away. Malthael, the Angel of Death steals the Soulstone for himself, absorbing all of the demonic powers within to defeat the player character in their final encounter. Upon Malthael’s defeat, the Black Soulstone shatters, releasing the Evils into the world once more.
Apart from a plot expansion, Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls also introduced a new character to the series, the Paladin. Following the Rise of the Necromancer expansion, the macabre priests of Rathma were added to the game as well. The addition of the fan-favorite Necromancers brought more players to the game, which was expanded even further with the addition of new Torment difficulty levels and Rifts.
2) Diablo 4
The latest entry in the Diablo series, Diablo 4 picks up 50 years after the events of Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls. Most of the old guard have been long dead and five classes make their return to the game: Barbarian, Sorcerer, Necromancer, Rogue, and Druid. Each class has been represented in earlier games and they are even more powerful in Diablo 4.
The plot of the game deviates from the Prime Evils and Diablo towards a new antagonist. Since the seven Evils have been dormant and gathering power for their resurrection, Lilith, the daughter of Hatred begins her takeover of Sanctuary. Originally the mother of humanity, she and Inarius were responsible for the birth of the Nephalem as a powerful hybrid of demons and angels.
The player character bonds with Lilith since her followers force them to ingest Lilith’s petals. Lorath returns from Diablo 3 and serves as the guide to the player character on their journey to defeat the mother of Sanctuary and bring peace to the world once more.
The game has received praise from long-time fans and critics alike for its fresh take on the classic Diablo formula, with many claiming a marked improvement over its predecessor. With the addition of seasons and other planned features to be released over time, Diablo 4 looks to be the most promising entry in the franchise, with the exception of one game.
1) Diablo 2
Diablo 2 is by far the most popular game in the series as a whole. Despite releasing more than two decades ago in 2000, the game still has private servers up and running with a dedicated player base. This comes down to several unique mechanics in the game, such as Runewords and monster immunities, and a satisfying loot system that encourages farming and character experimentation.
In terms of story, Diablo 2 picks up right where Diablo left off, with the Lord of Terror completely consuming the body of the Warrior who defeated him. Now on a quest to release his brothers Mephisto and Baal, the player must stop the three Prime Evils from taking over Sanctuary once again.
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The player gets to choose one of five main classes: Barbarian, Amazon, Paladin, Sorceress, and Necromancer to traverse the lands of Sanctuary with. Each class has its own set of preferred weapons and skill trees that they progress through over time.
Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction
Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction expanded the story of Diablo 2 by finally introducing players to the final brother, Baal, the Lord of Destruction. After the defeat of Mephisto and Diablo, Baal threatens to take over by corrupting the Worldstone at the peak of Mount Arreat. Players can stop him with two new classes: Assassin and Druid and a new recruitable Barbarian mercenary from Harrogath.
Diablo 2: Resurrected
After the commercial success of Diablo 2 and its expansion, Blizzard worked on a modern remake of the most popular Diablo title. This led to the creation of Diablo 2: Resurrected which was released in 2021, combining the content of the original Diablo 2 and Lord of Destruction in one remastered game. The game features enhanced graphics, smoother gameplay, and a revamped gold pickup system.
Released after Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction‘s 20-year anniversary, Resurrected keeps the game fresh with new seasons. Several new additions to the game such as Sunder Charms and Terror Zones make the end-game grind to level 99 much smoother and less punishing than it once was. The game is also quite mod-friendly, prompting several users to create their own mods.
With the upcoming seasons in Diablo 4 and consistent content expansions of Diablo 2: Resurrected and Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls, the future of the series is set to look bright in the years to come.
