In brief: If Diablo IV is one of those titles you really want to try but aren't willing to spend the full $70 (or more) on it, then here's some good news: the latest installment in Blizzard's ARPG series is currently free to play for seven days via Steam. And for those who decide to buy it, there's 40% off the retail price on all editions of the game.
As part of the Steam Autumn sale, Blizzard is letting Steam users download and play Diablo IV for free up until November 28 at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm GMT.
You will still need a Battle.net account to take participate in the free trial, and while it does include access to crossplay and co-op, character progression is capped at level 20.
As part of the Steam sale, which ends at the same time as the free trial, all editions of Diablo IV have a 40% discount applied to their prices. That means the standard version is $42 instead of $70, the Digital Deluxe Edition is $54 instead of $90, and the Ultimate Edition is priced at $60 rather than $100.
Diablo iV is a game that can often split opinion. We named it one of the Best PC Games You Should Be Playing in our last feature update, but it has a Mixed rating on Steam. Many of those criticisms come from the always-online requirement, which is annoying, admittedly. The monetization elements such as the optional Battle Pass and cosmetic items are guaranteed to raise gamers' ire, too, which is why a free trial is a good idea.
It's certainly not like Blizzard is desperate to sell more copies of Diablo IV. It's the company's fastest-selling game of all time, boasting over 10 million players, and it received mostly critical acclaim upon release.
Diablo IV's first expansion, Vessel of Hatred, was announced last month, promising to introduce a never-before-seen class when it arrives in late 2024. We'll find out more next summer.