Diablo 4’s open beta beckons, but mark your calendar-its gates swing open and shut on precise dates.
When does the Diablo 4 open beta start?
The Diablo 4 open beta begins on March 17, 2023, for players who pre-ordered the game, with early access lasting through March 19. The open beta for all players follows shortly after, running from March 24 to March 26. Both test periods give players a preview of the early game content, including character creation, classes, and the first major region of Sanctuary.
Diablo 4‘s beta is now onto its second weekend, where it will be free to access for all players on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
The Diablo 4 open beta start times on Friday, March 24 are as follows:
- 9 a.m. PDT for the west coast of North America
- 12 p.m. EDT for the east coast of North America
- 5 p.m. CET for western Europe/Paris
- 4 p.m. GMT for the U.K.
- 1 a.m. JST on Saturday, March 25 Japan/Tokyo
Something to note is developer Blizzard said players can expect “lengthy queue times,” particularly on the first day of the open beta launching.
As frustrating as this might sound, this is the cut and thrust of beta tests. For the developers, having a huge influx of players allows them to stress test servers, in all aid of seeing the full launch go a little more smoothly. As part of that, Blizzard said it may “take the game offline temporarily to deploy infrastructure adjustments or fixes” as the weekend goes on.
Our advice is to try and give yourself a few opportunities to play this weekend in the event there are long queues, and not to expect to get speedy access on the Friday in particular. With that in mind – how long do you have with this beta?
When does the Diablo 4 open beta end?
The Diablo 4 open beta ends on March 26, 2023, at 8 PM GMT. Players will need to complete their progress before the servers close, as all characters and data from the beta will be wiped ahead of the full game release. This closing time marks the last chance for players to test different classes, explore early zones, and provide feedback to Blizzard before launch.
If you’re planning ahead with how much time you’ll have with the open beta, it has the following end times on Monday, March 27:
- 12 a.m. PDT for the west coast of North America
- 3 p.m. EDT for the east coast of North America
- 9 p.m. CEST for western Europe/Paris
- 8 p.m. BST for the U.K.
- 4 a.m. JST on Saturday, March 25 Japan/Tokyo
Note the clocks changing in Europe from Sunday will mean the end time will be forward by one hour compared to the first weekend’s beta test end times.
How to access Diablo 4’s open beta
Players can access Diablo 4’s open beta by downloading it through the Battle.net launcher on PC or from the PlayStation and Xbox digital stores. A Battle.net account is required, and players should check that their console or PC meets the system requirements before installing. Once the beta period begins, simply select the game from your library and launch it to start playing. Early access may be available to those who have pre-purchased the game or received a beta code from promotional events.
For the second beta weekend running March 24-27, players across all platforms have free and open access.
The only caveat is you need to sign in with your Battle.net account – as per the first beta weekend – so you’ll need one of those. If you don’t have one already, the Diablo 4 beta itself opens with a QR code that’ll direct you to set one up.
How did access to the first beta weekend work? If you pre-ordered the game digitally, access to the open beta was granted automatically on whatever platform you bought the game for. If you pre-ordered the game elsewhere, you received an early access code.
Alternatively, Diablo fans who were hesitant to pre-order the full game could Twitter. Yes, the chicken people. Through March 18, customers in the U.S. who order the fast-food chain’s Double Down sandwich (or any “eligible sandwich”) through KFC’s website or the KFC app received a code for early beta access to Diablo 4.
What’s in the Diablo 4 open beta?
The Diablo 4 open beta offers three classes-Barbarian, Sorcerer, and Rogue-with level 20 cap and access to the prologue through Kyovashad, Fractured Peaks, and early campaign acts. Players tackle dungeons, world events, PvP zones, and Helltides while testing skills, gear, Paragon Boards, and Legendary aspects. Cross-play and cross-progression carry over to the full release, with separate PTR weekends for higher-level content like the Cathedral of Light capstone dungeon.
The early access and open beta will give players access to the prologue and the entirety of the first act in a region called Fractured Peaks. There will also be a World Boss available to take on at “select times” during both weekends. These are very tough bosses that will require multiple players working together to take down.
There will be two options for co-op during the open beta. You can do a two-player couch co-op or a four-player online co-op. For couch co-op during the early access weekend, only one player needs to have pre-ordered (but both need Battle.net accounts linked to accounts on whatever platform you’re playing on). For online co-op during the early access weekend, all four people will need the have pre-ordered.
During the early access weekend, your character will be limited to three of the full game’s five classes – Barbarian, Rogue, and Sorcerer. The final two classes – Druid and Necromancer – will open up during the open beta weekend. Your characters are capped at Level 25, but you’ll be able to create up to 10 characters per Battle.net account.
Does Diablo 4 progress carry over to the full game?
Diablo 4 beta progress does not transfer to the full game. Blizzard confirms characters, items, and levels from open beta weekends vanish upon release. Players begin fresh in the complete version. This setup lets everyone experience the story and systems from the ground up without prior advantages.
Progress will carry over from the early access weekend to the open beta weekend, but overall beta progress won’t carry over to the full game – in fact, the characters will be deleted once the open beta is over.
There are, however, three open beta rewards that will carry over when the full game launches on June 6. They are:
- Initial Casualty Title: earned by reaching Kyovashad with one character.
- Early Voyager Title: earned by reaching Level 20 on one character.
- Beta Wolf Pack Cosmetic Item: earned by reaching Level 20 on one character.
Update (Feb. 28): This article has been updated to include information about timing, co-op functionality, and carry-over rewards.
Update (March 17): This story has been updated with information about the KFC offer and to note that the Diablo 4 early access beta weekend is now live.
How do I download and install the Diablo 4 open beta
The Diablo 4 open beta, which ran from March 24 to March 27, 2023, is no longer available for download as it was a limited-time event ahead of the game’s full release on June 6, 2023.
PC Instructions (Battle.net)
Open the Battle.net app, select Diablo 4 from your games list (or add it via All Games), choose “Diablo 4 – Beta” from the Game Version dropdown, and click Install to preload. Early Access beta installs also worked for the open beta.
Console Instructions (PS/Xbox)
Launch the PlayStation Store or Xbox Store, search for “Diablo 4 Open Beta,” select it from results, and hit Download. No separate code was needed for the open beta phase.
Current Status
You can now download the full Diablo 4 game instead via Battle.net, PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, or Steam-search for “Diablo 4” and install the latest version, which includes Season 7 content as of early 2026.
What are the Diablo 4 open beta start and end dates
The Diablo 4 open beta occurred in March 2023.
Start and End Dates
It began on March 24, 2023, at 9:00 AM PDT (which is 6:00 PM CET or 7:00 PM EET). The event concluded on March 27, 2023, at 12:00 PM PDT (9:00 PM CET or 10:00 PM EET).
Additional Context
This followed an Early Access beta for pre-orders from March 17-20, 2023. No further open betas have been held since the full game launched on June 6, 2023.
