Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • View Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
Trending
  • Saros review
  • Arc Raiders
  • The Boys S5
  • Best turn-based RPGs
  • Submit your clips. Win prizes
  • Delta Force giveaway
Don't miss these
Diablo 4 character screams in front of gray sky
Diablo Diablo 4's auto-spawning portals were costing players valuable loot, so Blizzard's patched them out
Slay the Spire 2
Roguelike Games Slay the Spire 2 plummets to 66% positive lifetime Steam reviews after first major update
Diablo 4 character with scarred face stares intensely at camera
Diablo Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred is so big that Blizzard decided the new season doesn't need its own theme
Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred demon in lava
Diablo Diablo 4 streamer pulverizes new Lord of Hatred expansion's difficulty tier in 17 hours, complains
A screenshot from the Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred cinematic trailer, showing the massive demon Mephisto reaching a huge claw out towards a Paladin, whose spear crackles with lightning energy
Diablo How to start the campaign in Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred
Diablo 4 character screams in front of gray sky
Diablo Diablo 4 needs "aspirational content," says director, but don't discredit casual gameplay
Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred opening cinematic screenshot shows an elderly man with long hair.
Diablo Diablo 4's secret cow level finally uncovered, but fans say it's "boring" compared to Diablo 2 and 3's
A dragon from World of Warcraft looks at another player riding a dragon
World of Warcraft World of Warcraft "will continue to decline" unless the MMO gets a "reset," says former Blizzard boss
Diablo 4 fishing
Diablo How to fish in Diablo 4
The Last of Us Part 1
Games PlayStation triggers game preservation worries, new PS5 and PS4 digital purchases have lockout timer
Final Fantasy 14: Evercold
Final Fantasy Final Fantasy 14 Evercold aims to respect your "limited free time" with the death of daily roulettes
Demonic enemies approach a player in Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred, who shoots several energy crystals of varying sizes at them
Diablo What's the difference between the Diablo 4 Seasonal and Eternal Realms?
Lilith in Diablo 4
RPGs The best Diablo games of all time, ranked
Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred launch trailer screenshot shows a character wearing armor, stood in front of Lilith.
Diablo Diablo 4 hotfixes squash Lord of Hatred quest progression bugs and nerf broken Necromancer skills
Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred launch trailer screenshot shows a character with a horned helmet.
Diablo Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred has poor start with login issues, queues, and bugs, Blizzard promises fixes
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
  1. Games
  2. Action Rpg
  3. Diablo
  4. Diablo III

New Diablo 3 buyers get restricted access for 72 hours, community roars

News
By Andrew Groen published 21 June 2012

Poor Skeleton King

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Subscribe to our newsletter

According to anofficial poston the Blizzard forums, the company has said that the latest patch will introduce anew policythat will require new buyers of the digital version of Diablo 3 to be restricted to the Starter Edition for the first three days (though sometimes less.)

Citing fraud concerns, Blizzard has instituted a number of restrictions on new Diablo 3 purchasers who buy the digital version (boxed copies don't seem to be affected.) According to Blizzard, the Starter Edition has the following restrictions:

-Act I up to the Skeleton King is available
-Level 13 cap
-Matchmaking available only with other Starter Edition players
-No Auction House access (Real Money or Gold)
-Global Play is not available.

The game's fans are not happy about this either. Many of them are complaining that their characters have been locked retroactively after the patch went up, some saying characters as high as level 30 couldn't gain anymore experience. Still others are saying that they were not told in advance that they would be denied access, suggesting this program went into effect before Blizzard announced it.

Article continues below
You may like
  • Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred launch trailer screenshot shows a character with a horned helmet. Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred has poor start with login issues, queues, and bugs, Blizzard promises fixes
  • Screenshot from Diablo 2: Resurrected Reign of Warlock trailer, showing an older man holding a magical grimoire while standing in front of a menacing demon-like monster. Diablo 2 players can't decide if the new Warlock class needs nerfing: "A cheap trick to get us to spend our money"
  • DIablo 4's Inarius close to smiting down a foe Diablo 4 will always get updates because players keep finding new problems "over the course of 10,000 hours"

The crux of the anger is that Blizzard is charging full price for Diablo 3, while not allowing fans to access the game.

Here are a few representative samples of the outrage that followed this announcement:

"The big issue is that you are tying up people's $59.99 (which IS reflected on my online banking) and then not releasing the full version of the game. You are punishing us for not purchasing the game in a retail store," said Battle.net user Killyourface.

"Three days? That's ridiculous, where was I informed of this? Charged right away but can't play for days? Fraud," writes Capermatt.

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

"Not really happy with this answer at all. Can I keep my $60 until you decide to give me the game that I paid for? I didn't pay $60 to kill the skeleton king for 3 days...I paid for the full game. Give it to me the moment I pay for it or give me my money back." -- Roon.

We'd balance those out with some statements of support from the community...but we honestly haven't seen any yet.

Diablo 3's incredibly rocky (some would say "absolutely horrible") launch continues. At this point we're starting to wonder if the Diablo brand has actually sustained damage from all the non-stop issues.

CATEGORIES
PC Gaming Platforms
Andrew Groen
Andrew Groen
Social Links Navigation

Andrew is a freelance video game journalist, writing for sites like Wired and GamesRadar. Andrew has also written a book called EMPIRES OF EVE: A History of the Great Wars of EVE Online.

Read more
Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred launch trailer screenshot shows a character with a horned helmet.
Diablo Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred has poor start with login issues, queues, and bugs, Blizzard promises fixes
 
 
Screenshot from Diablo 2: Resurrected Reign of Warlock trailer, showing an older man holding a magical grimoire while standing in front of a menacing demon-like monster.
Diablo Diablo 2 players can't decide if the new Warlock class needs nerfing: "A cheap trick to get us to spend our money"
 
 
DIablo 4's Inarius close to smiting down a foe
Diablo Diablo 4 will always get updates because players keep finding new problems "over the course of 10,000 hours"
 
 
Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred demon in lava
Diablo Diablo 4 streamer pulverizes new Lord of Hatred expansion's difficulty tier in 17 hours, complains
 
 
Diablo 2
Diablo Path of Exile co-creator says Blizzard locking Diablo 2's QoL updates to paid DLC is "the ultimate sign of respect"
 
 
Screenshot from Diablo 2: Resurrected Reign of Warlock trailer, showing an older man holding a magical grimoire while standing in front of a menacing demon-like monster.
Diablo Diablo 2 could get more new content, but Blizzard has to "nail that otherwise we kill the game in trying to progress it"
 
 
Latest in Diablo
Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred opening cinematic screenshot shows an elderly man with long hair.
Diablo Diablo 4's secret cow level finally uncovered, but fans say it's "boring" compared to Diablo 2 and 3's
 
 
Diablo
Diablo The original Diablo studio was saved from bankruptcy by Blizzard's timely acquisition offer
 
 
Catching a Neme-Senga fish during the Diablo 4 The One That Got Away quest
Diablo How to complete The One That Got Away in Diablo 4
 
 
Diablo 4 Favor for a Favor
Diablo How to complete Favor for a Favor in Diablo 4
 
 
Diablo 4 character screams in front of gray sky
Diablo Diablo 4's auto-spawning portals were costing players valuable loot, so Blizzard's patched them out
 
 
Diablo 4 fishing
Diablo How to fish in Diablo 4
 
 
Latest in News
Fox McCloud in the new Star Fox game for Nintendo Switch 2
Action Games Star Fox 64 remake revealed for Switch 2 in surprise Nintendo Direct
 
 
Old School RuneScape men in pink skirts dancing
MMO Games Old School RuneScape is so old devs have to do "a bunch of work to stop the game exploding soon"
 
 
Elizabeth cries in BioShock Infinite
Bioshock BioShock 4 delay "disappointed" Take-Two CEO, who thinks the studio "wasted a lot of time"
 
 
Photo by Rosalie Newcombe of the Nintendo Switch 2 sitting on a coffee table surrounded by accessories.
Hardware Nintendo reportedly pressured to raise Switch 2 price as $450 console is sold at a loss
 
 
Lewis Tan as Cole Young in Mortal Kombat 2
Action Movies Mortal Kombat 2 is one of the highest-rated video game movies of all time on Rotten Tomatoes
 
 
Slay the Spire 2 hero Silent in green robe
Roguelike Games Steam stats for Slay the Spire 2's engine Godot show "strong signs of exponential growth"
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Fox McCloud in the new Star Fox game for Nintendo Switch 2
    1
    Star Fox 64 remake revealed for Switch 2 in surprise Nintendo Direct
  2. 2
    I recruited Gothic 1 Remake's most notorious NPC and a pair of molerats for 4 hours of RPG chaos
  3. 3
    BioShock 4 delay "disappointed" Take-Two CEO, who thinks the studio "wasted a lot of time"
  4. 4
    Old School RuneScape is so old devs have to do "a bunch of work to stop the game exploding soon"
  5. 5
    Mortal Kombat 2 is one of the highest-rated video game movies of all time on Rotten Tomatoes

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...