Battle.net

Battle.net and always-online

Steam's legal notice and account notice require a Battle.net account and an internet connection for all modes. Buying the Steam SKU does not create an offline Diablo IV. You install through Steam, sign in to Battle.net, and stay online. Cross-play and cross-progression cover the live stores, so a Steam character can group with console friends on the same Battle.net account rules.

The Steam product page is the PC SKU of record: app 2344520, Windows true, macOS and Linux false. Console platforms are cited from Xbox Wire and the Nintendo eShop collection. China runs through NetEase at d4.blizzard.cn. Cross-play and cross-progression still need that Battle.net account on each store. A Steam install that never opens Battle.net will not reach Sanctuary. The same rule applies on Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch 2.

Which edition to buy

Standard is the base game and the five launch classes. Add Vessel of Hatred (Steam 3043530) for Spiritborn, Nahantu, Mercenaries, and the Dark Citadel. Add Lord of Hatred (Steam 3958690) for Paladin, Warlock, Skovos, War Plans, and the Horadric Cube; that DLC already contains Vessel of Hatred. The Age of Hatred Collection (Steam package 1390267, Switch 2 eShop) bundles the base game with both expansions.

Steam listed Standard at $12.49 at 75 percent off during the research window; treat that as a sale price, not a permanent SKU price. The free-play window through September 21, 2026 at 10 a.m. PT is not a Standard refund. After the window you buy one of these editions if you want to keep playing. Buy Standard to own the base game after the free window. Buy Vessel of Hatred only if you want Spiritborn and do not plan to buy Lord of Hatred. Buy Lord of Hatred when you want Paladin, Warlock, War Plans, and Vessel of Hatred in one receipt.

Switch 2 and China

Nintendo Switch 2 sells Diablo IV: Age of Hatred Collection, the base game plus both expansions, on the eShop. That is the Switch 2 SKU; it is not a base-game-only listing in the captured product page. Battle.net still applies. If you are moving from PC to Switch 2, confirm cross-progression on your Battle.net account before you repurchase.

The NetEase China hub at d4.blizzard.cn is the official simplified-Chinese surface and titles the game 《暗黑破坏神IV》. It is a separate regional PC path from Steam and Battle.net in other markets. Use the local official name when you search or switch the wiki language to 简体中文. Switch 2 is the collection SKU, not a base-only listing in the captured eShop page. China is the NetEase hub with the official name 《暗黑破坏神IV》. Neither path removes the always-online rule. Confirm cross-progression on the same Battle.net account before you repurchase on Switch 2.

Free window and the dated SKUs

Steam's free-play window through September 21, 2026 at 10 a.m. PT covers the base game, not Vessel of Hatred or Lord of Hatred. Use it to sample classes through level 30, then buy the edition that contains the class you want to keep. The riveted timeline on this page is Steam October 17, 2023, Vessel of Hatred October 7, 2024, Lord of Hatred April 28, 2026, and Season of Hell's Legacy September 15, 2026.

Cross-play does not bypass SKU gates. A Spiritborn still needs Vessel of Hatred. Paladin and Warlock still need Lord of Hatred. Battle.net still sits under every store. If you are matching a receipt to a date, Steam's Lord of Hatred DLC lists April 27, 2026 and Xbox Wire lists April 28, 2026; this ledger uses April 28, 2026 as the human-readable launch day. The free window is the base game through level 30, not a DLC giveaway. After September 21, 2026 at 10 a.m. PT you pick one of the four edition rows. Cross-play does not bypass those rows.

Read the edition table before you pay

Standard includes the base game. Vessel of Hatred includes Spiritborn, Nahantu, Mercenaries, and the Dark Citadel, and it requires the base game. Lord of Hatred includes Paladin, Warlock, Skovos, plus Vessel of Hatred, and it requires the base game. Age of Hatred Collection includes base plus both expansions. Steam package numbers are 1068249 for Standard and 1390267 for the collection. Steam DLC app ids are 3043530 for Vessel of Hatred and 3958690 for Lord of Hatred.

The captured Standard sale price was $12.49 at 75 percent off. Treat it as a sale, not a forever price. Lord of Hatred is the SKU that already contains Vessel of Hatred, so stacking both DLCs is the usual way people overpay. Switch 2 does not sell a base-only product in the captured eShop listing; it sells the collection.

Battle.net remains the account under every row. Steam remains Windows-only. PlayStation is cited via Xbox Wire because the PlayStation store URL used in research returned an error widget. Use Xbox Wire when you need a first-party console list, and use the Nintendo eShop page when you need the Switch 2 collection name.