The Diablo 4 Season 11 start time is later than expected as Blizzard takes a gamble against its strongest challenger

Blizzard has confirmed when Diablo 4 Season 11 will begin, and it's coming a couple of days later than we initially expected, and one of the most anticipated features in the update isn't arriving until early 2026. Don't worry, there's still a lot packed in to the next season, with core system updates for everything from monster behavior to crafting, and the return of the Lesser Evils. However, the unusual kick-off time has caused plenty of speculation about whether there are any secrets still to learn, along with some fresh frustrations about its proximity to the new update for rival ARPG Path of Exile 2.

With the ongoing Diablo 4 season coming to an end and the patch 2.5.0 PTR running from October 21 - October 28, the Diablo 4 Season 11 release date was widely expected to land next week. However, almost every previous update has kicked off on a Tuesday, yet this one is now scheduled for Thursday December 11, at the rather late hour of 8:30pm PT / 11:30pm ET. That puts it right after The Game Awards, which has got fans of the RPG frantically speculating if there's going to be some big reveal for the season that Blizzard's kept up its sleeve.

With the game's next expansion having already been slated for 2026, it seems unlikely that something quite that big could drop out of nowhere. Journalist Jason Schreier claims that Geoff Keighley's mysterious desert statue "is not teasing the Diablo 4 expansion" (although that doesn't mean it couldn't show up). But perhaps there's something else - a small narrative teaser for what's to come? Some manner of pre-order bonus for signing up early? Or maybe, as fans on Reddit are currently speculating, even an early arrival for its next class? On that, we'll likely just have to wait and see. Perhaps it's nothing, and this is just a chance for Blizzard to generate more hype for a new season by showcasing it at The Game Awards and swiftly dropping it afterwards.

What definitely won't be present at the Season 11 launch is the Tower and its associated leaderboards feature, the latest attempt to recapture the magic of Diablo 3's Greater Rifts. Previously meant for the new season, these features will now be landing in a beta form in Diablo 4 patch 2.5.2, which Blizzard is loosely scheduling for "early 2026."

Even if nothing dramatic materializes, there are still lots of reasons to check in with Diablo 4 Season 11. Itemization and crafting have been overhauled fairly significantly in what was quickly dubbed 'Loot 3.0.' Significant changes to monster behavior should make the early game more challenging and the late game more dynamic. A complete defense rework plans to set the table for a broader difficulty spectrum moving forward. The Lesser Evils will also invade all of the main activities, with Azmodan stepping up to the table as a permanent world boss.

Progression has been redesigned, too. With Renown moved across to just exist in the Eternal Realm, your seasonal characters will now have a rank that awards some early skill points as you level up. This means you won't start with a dozen-plus unlocks right from the start, giving the early game a bit more reason to exist. Capstone dungeons are also making their return, with five in total that will unlock each difficulty tier in sequence. Hopefully these combine to make leveling feel more considered and less of a formality.

The other notable wrinkle of the new release date is that it kicks off Season 11 just one day before Path of Exile 2's next major update. Not only is that a frustration for us multi-APRG enjoyers that want to blast through both of them, but it also opens up an interesting window. If Season 11 doesn't impress people from the start, one of the strongest challengers to Blizzard's game will be waiting in the wings with a whole new class to show (the Druid) and a free weekend running immediately afterwards.

Diablo 4 Season 11 starts on Thursday December 11 at 8:30pm PT / 11:30pm ET (Friday December 12 at 4:30am GMT / 5:30am CET). I'll be there; I'm just hoping Blizzard gives me enough reasons to keep coming back.