All games and expansions, ranked
Diablo is one of video game’s biggest franchises and Blizzard’s most popular intellectual properties. Many RPGs these days still try to recapture the hack-and-slash nature of these classic games since the gameplay is second to none. Gamers have repeatedly played Diablo and its sequels, as evidenced by a plethora of expansions and re-releases.
But how do you stratify the series? Diablo spans decades and for the most part they are all good games with a couple you should find a mod to fix a few things. Be warned though, if you’re going to sink some time into Diablo games, you’re going to find yourself playing these entries, a lot.
8 Diablo Immortal
Diablo Immortal may be a sign of the times, as Blizzard Activision turned one of their most beloved series into a mobile cash cow. While the game received fairly good reviews in 2022, it has been criticized for using microtransactions.
This was famously “immortalized” when the game was announced at BlizzCon in 2018, and fans booed when they heard it would be released on Android and iOS instead of PC. The game has been described as fun, especially with a Backbone on your phone, but that mobile stigma still hangs around it despite being very popular. Gamers would much prefer to play Diablo 4.
7 Diablo
Time has not been kind to the original Diablo. While the 1997 title was groundbreaking in terms of gameplay and multiplayer at the time, it’s an archaic experience now. The lack of a race feature, the simplistic nature of the loot loop and the graphics make this feel like a huge step back in time (which to be fair, it is).
This game is a classic car that does not have power steering or seat belts. Fortunately, some mods have been created to make the Diablo experience more enjoyable, but we suggest you just check out the Diablo II remaster.
6 Hellfire
Hellfire was unique in that Blizzard didn’t actually make this expansion for Diablo, but rather Synergistic Software. Blizzard was initially resistant to anyone touching their intellectual property. Still, Synergistic Software did a great job adding a bunch of quality-of-life upgrades to the original game and more dungeons, characters, items, and easter eggs.
There is a lot of hidden content to unlock, including two unfinished characters. It also added a jog button needed in the first game. This was the natural “between” from the original Diablo to the second game in the series.
5 Diablo 3
The launch of Diablo 3 wasn’t Blizzard’s finest moment as the online-only PC version flopped as the Battle.net servers couldn’t keep up with the load of initial demand. Nevertheless, Diablo 3 recovered from a shaky start, and the series’ third installment has become one of the market’s most popular and replayable action role-playing games.
While some still yearn for Diablo 2, Diablo 3 was a pretty worthy modern sequel and had some great streamlined additions to the core game. It’s no wonder that Diablo 3 is still widely talked about today and continues to be a giant in the gaming industry thanks to its enjoyable co-op gameplay.
4 Diablo 3: Reaper Of Souls
Some felt that Diablo 3 could have been made with a darker tone, and Reaper of Souls definitely delivers. As an expansion, this entry did a good job of adding new things to the solid gameplay of the original game, while adding a very menacing villain in Malthael, the Angel of Death.
This game feels like the stakes are higher, and the angst for the world is heightened. It also freshened up the replayability of Diablo 3 until Diablo 4 finds its way into our playlist. This felt much more expansive as an expansion than DLC has become in modern games.
3 Diablo 2: Lord Of Destruction
Diablo 2’s expansion added a lot of new features to the PC classic and made it worth having, along with a fifth act to the story and two new character classes.
Suppose you’re trying to get back to the classic Diablo 2 experience. If so, we recommend adding this extension for many quality of life improvements and changes, providing a much fuller experience of hacking and slicing demons. The story also prepares you for Diablo 3, so this is a must-buy if you’re playing through the series. To improve on an all-time classic but leave your mark is a rare feat, but one that Lord of Destruction has achieved.
2 Diablo 2
Diablo 2 expanded on everything the original game did, tenfold. It hit a kill, loot and reward feedback loop many players loved. This game is considered one of the best games of all time and we won’t argue with that.
Diablo 2 can be considered a gold standard not only for Blizzard or action RPG games, but for PC gaming. It set the bar so high that some people still don’t think Diablo 3 reached that level even with its very well done expansion. This is the best game in the Diablo series, except for a small drawback that it was released for computers in the late 1990s.
1 Diablo 2: Resurrected
Here’s the thing about the original Diablo 2: It ran at a resolution of 640×480. While the expansion bumped it up to 800×600, it’s the 2020s and there’s no way to play video games. Blizzard’s “remaster” of Diablo 2 was well done, with updated graphics, modern gameplay additions, and all the bells and whistles the classic game and its expansion had.
While remasters can sometimes go wrong, as evidenced by Blizzard’s Warcraft 3 effort, Diablo redux was good. It’s on all modern consoles and PCs, so instead of fiddling with the original game’s compatibility issues, get this version and hack and slash to your heart’s content.
