BlizzCon 2026 kicked off Saturday morning at the Anaheim Convention Center with the first live ceremony since 2023. Here is every announcement that matters, day one.
World of Warcraft
WoW: Forever (the Classic+ reveal). Blizzard confirmed the worst-kept secret: an alternate-timeline Vanilla branch — Skyborne race, four new regions (Mount Hyjal, Shen'dralas, Riverglades, Zephras Isle), 1000+ new quests, nine dungeons, two raids (Hyjal Summit, Barrow Deeps), Darkspear Islands 15v15 battleground, Legacy/Camping/Hardcore systems, cap 60 forever. Launch November 4, beta Thursday, first raids December 9. Full breakdown in our dedicated Forever post.
Midnight Eclipse (12.2). The final major update to Midnight sends players into the Worldcore against Xal'atath and her Devouring Host. New Mantle Vault zone allies (the crystalline dwarflike Thraegar), the Deepskar Empire world group (niffen-led kobolds/troggs/drogbar), the 8-boss Worldcore raid, the Noctinaxx lair boss in the Gearhold, the Thraegar's Stand dungeon (Season 3 Mythic+ pool), and Midnight's Edge — the first legendary of the Worldsoul Saga and explicitly not the Blade of the Black Empire. Season 3 rotation adds Underrot, Iron Docks, Sanguine Depths, Stonecore, and Uldaman: Legacy of Tyr plus Midnight's Magisters' Terrace and Maisara Cavern; top 1%/5% Mythic+ rewards become specialization-based with a new top-5% tier. Delves get Astalor Bloodsworn as a new Nemesis and an Agony Mode final Prey difficulty. New Paladin races: Forsaken, Night Elf, Troll. Housing gains Showcase, mannequins, and copy-paste décor. New Calibration Chamber target-dummy feature for raid testing.
Mid-cycle food (12.1.5). Already on the PTR: "The Promise of Tomorrow" story, the single-boss Unbinding of Kith'ix raid, the expanded Labyrinths delve-like, the Aqir Invasion outdoor event, and Ascendant Venomstones refresh.
Talebound game mode. A new PvE action-RPG mode arriving with the Echoes of the Worldcore update — 4 macabre stories, 3 classes (Slayer/Inquisitor/Witch), PTR preview in October. Dedicated post.
WotLK Remix. Blizzard confirmed a Wrath of the Lich King retail Remix is coming next year — the Scourge-powered revisit of Northrend.
The Last Titan. Final Worldsoul Saga chapter confirmed for 2027 with a tease cinematic; Blizzard says more is revealed early next year after Eclipse. Also announced: transmog across armor types from update 12.2.5 onward.
StarCraft
Open-world shooter, Spring 2030. The long-rumored StarCraft FPS got its first official showing, developed under Dan Hay (ex-Far Cry). Dedicated post.
Overwatch
Doctrine — Season 5. A new mystery hero (Hero 54), the Grimsvötn map, Sombra rework, the fan-requested Mythic Gift for BlizzCon attendees/drop opens, and Season 5 launching October 6. Trial run ends September 14. Dedicated post.
Diablo
Diablo V, Spring 2029. Sequel announced with a post-cataclysm Sanctuary (Sanctuary fell, the Nephalem gone — a lone roving priest), plus a Netflix animated series, the Amazon class arriving in D4 in the first half of 2027, and Season of Hell's Legacy starting September 15. Roundup, D5 standalone.
Warcraft 3
Reforged 3.0 + Forsaken Kingdom — live now. Twenty-plus years after launch, WC3 got a new campaign: Forsaken Kingdom follows the fall of Lordaeron into the Undercity, adds a neutral Forsaken Paladin hero, and ships with a major 3.0 graphics/World Editor update. Playable on the show floor today, purchasable on the shop.
HotS
Xal'atath enters the Nexus, September 28. New cross-over hero (PTR September 14), with the Reveal event and Heartseeker bundle — and "more to come." Dedicated post.
Hearthstone
Aberrations patch, Reign of the Black Empire, and Monk. Patch 36.6.1 (Aberrations, September 22) previewed; Reign of the Black Empire expansion October 20; the Monk class arrives March 2027 bringing the Journal tab overhaul; a 2v2 Tavern Brawl mode teased alongside. Aberrations post.
Transmedia
Diablo Netflix animated series announced alongside D5 — first original Diablo screen project.
What this means for private servers
The day's biggest legacy change is Forever: official Vanilla+ with a permanent, evergreen roadmap now exists, and it siphons the exact audience the Vanilla+ private scene (Legacy as no-wipe Vanilla+, Turtle-style projects, Ascension-adjacent experiments) depends on. Hardcore also comes to Forever eventually — one more official lane for a demographic that thrives on wiped servers today. The Last Titan closing the Worldsoul Saga in 2027 sets up a long Classic-era runway: by the time Forever's December 9 raid unlock lands, private projects in the Vanilla+/WotLK arc face a two-front race against official content cadence. Our Camelot-vs-private breakdown maps every server class against the new status quo.
Day one, recorded live during the ceremony at 10:30 AM PT and finalized after the What's Next panels. Day two panels (Hardcore What's Next, Forever Deep Dive, WC3 Deep Dive) and the MDI/AWC finals land in a follow-up.