The success of Diablo 2 Resurrected proves there is hunger for updated versions of Blizzard's original genre-defining ARPGs, and the next remake should be 1996's Diablo. It's one of my favorite games ever and probably the most formative to my career in games. It's aged incredibly well for a 30-year-old game, or at least I thought it did until I saw parts of it beautifully reimagined in Diablo 4's latest update, Season of Hell's Legacy.
In case you missed it, which is understandable in the wake of Diablo 5's surprise announcement at BlizzCon 2026, Diablo 4's 15th season is one giant trip down memory lane for longtime fans of the series. Diablo himself, the Lord of Darkness, is one of the main highlights, but he joins other returning baddies like Mephisto and Baal, not to mention friendlier faces like Deckard Cain, who acts as your guide through the seasonal questline.
Waking Nightmares are the big highlights of the new season. Aptly timed to coincide with Diablo's 30th anniversary this year, these seasonal dungeons take you through iconic moments and boss battles from the series' history, with my favorite being an almost complete recreation of Diablo 1's main mission, all the way from Tristram Cathedral, down to the catacombs, the caves, and then into Hell itself to face off against the Dark Lord himself.
New Tristram
I can't think of a game more consequential to my love of gaming than OG Diablo, so this dungeon was super special for me. But when I found out you can actually return to a fully recreated version of Old Tristram, complete with the same landmarks and NPCs featuring original voice lines from the first Diablo, I knew I had to explore my old stomping grounds. Tristram – that music, those characters, they're like my virtual home. Diablo is the first game I ever became obsessed with as a kid, and I would spend hours chatting with strangers in Tristram, unknowingly forming friendships that would endure decades. Going back was intense, but more than anything it made me want a full-blown Diablo remake.
There are still three long years to go until we get to play Diablo 5, and that's assuming there won't be any delays. Diablo 4 is great, especially this new season, but three years is a long time, and we need something to do in the meantime. A full-fat remake of Diablo, not a remaster like Diablo 2: Resurrected, would not only give ARPG fans more demons to click to death while they wait for Diablo 5, but it would also give newer fans of the series, who might've started with Diablo 4, or Diablo 3, or even Diablo 2, a reason to go back and experience the very beginning of the whole saga, which could provide key context or at the very least a narrative foundation for Diablo 5.
Diablo 1 is also just a sick game with a great story and ridiculously vibey world that I think everyone should experience at least once. But with 1996 visuals and designs being what they are, I understand why someone under, say, 30, might bristle at the idea of sitting down for a full playthrough of a game that old. I would certainly accept a touched-up remaster with gratitude, but a ground-up remake would be a much stronger draw for people who've never played the game.
Blizzard missed a big opportunity to announce something like this during the series' 30th anniversary celebrations at BlizzCon 2026 – I suppose it was a little preoccupied – but it's not too late! Getting it into players' hands before Diablo 5 would be ideal, but even outside the context of a new game that's shaping up to bring the whole series full-circle, a Diablo remake just makes sense. It's a super old, equally beloved game that hasn't been updated meaningfully in 30 years. Diablo 4's bite-sized recreations are nostalgic treats, but they're mere teases of what's possible in a proper remake.
Check out all the best Diablo games to play while we wait for D5!
