How to fix Diablo 4 Digital Deluxe and Ultimate Edition ‘cannot be played yet’ early access error

For those of us who have patiently waited over a decade for Diablo 4, an error for those with early access telling you the game cannot be played yet is not what you want to see, especially if you bought the Digital Deluxe or Ultimate Edition. If you did, you’re obviously entitled to early access of the full game before its official release on June 6, but not everything may go to plan.

Given the wait since Diablo 3 has exceeded a decade, many fans have opted to go down this route to get their hands on the game slightly earlier, but an error blocking their access on PC has caused frustration. While this error is particularly annoying for fans who have forked out to receive their early access bonus, we got you covered on a fix.

Diablo 4 ‘cannot be played yet’ early access error, explained

The error blocking fans from playing Diablo 4 is a fairly simple mechanic to prevent players who purchased the game’s standard issue from accessing the game before its release date on June 6.

The error, of course, is being shown to fans that purchased the Digital Deluxe or Ultimate Edition of the game, which is obviously not right. The developers confirmed the error is due to the Battle.net application not updating correctly with early access status.

Related: How to fix error code 395002 in Diablo 4

How to fix Diablo 4 ‘cannot be played yet’ error

Thankfully, I have an easy solution for fixing the error. And if you have not bought an edition of the game with early access, there is still time to do so.

1. Ensure you have purchased the Digital Deluxe or Ultimate Edition of Diablo 4 by checking your orders and games page.
2. Restart your PC.
3. Change the battle.net application region by clicking your BattleTag in the top right, choose “Log Out”, then use the settings cogwheel above your username to change to a different region.
4. Log back in. This refreshes the application’s cache and should fix the problem.
5. If the error persists, reinstall the battle.net application to clear outdated application data. 
6. Should the issue remain, reset your battle.net password to forcibly update your account’s cache.

Related: How to skip the campaign in Diablo 4

The solutions above should fix the problem and allow you to play Diablo 4, but if you encounter the issue repeatedly despite attempting the fixes, you should submit a support ticket.