Short answer: choose Warcraft for fantasy real-time strategy, StarCraft for science-fiction real-time strategy, and Diablo for action-RPG combat built around one hero. For the clearest classic starting points, play Warcraft I: Remastered, StarCraft: Remastered, or the original Diablo respectively. If you want a later Warcraft campaign with more factions and a broader presentation, start with Warcraft III: Reforged instead.
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There is no objectively correct first Blizzard game. The three series ask you to play in fundamentally different ways, so genre and setting matter more than release order. Blizzard classifies Warcraft and StarCraft as real-time strategy (RTS) games, while Diablo is an action RPG. In an RTS, you gather resources, build a base, produce units and command an army in real time. In Diablo, you control a single hero, explore dangerous areas, defeat monsters and improve equipment.
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| If you want… | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy strategy and a long-running human-versus-orc setting | Warcraft I: Remastered | The earliest Warcraft conflict, updated visuals and modern control options. |
| A later Warcraft campaign with several factions and a larger strategic scope | Warcraft III: Reforged | Campaigns, armies, multiple factions and matchmaking provide a broader entry point. |
| Science-fiction strategy | StarCraft: Remastered | It includes the original game and Brood War, with three distinct races and online play. |
| A hero, monsters, loot and action-RPG combat | The original Diablo | It is the historical beginning of the series and the game that introduced Sanctuary. |
Choose by the kind of game you want
Pick Warcraft for fantasy real-time strategy
Warcraft is the best first choice if you want armies, bases and a fantasy world shaped by the conflict between humans and orcs. The franchise began with Warcraft: Orcs and Humans in 1994. Blizzard describes it as the first Warcraft game, with two faction campaigns, 21 bonus maps for custom games and two-player versus play.
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The earliest games are comparatively direct RTS experiences: you manage workers and troops, establish an economy and attack before the opponent can do the same. They are a good fit if you enjoy learning a setting through campaign missions and do not mind older design conventions.
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Pick StarCraft for science-fiction strategy
StarCraft is the strategy recommendation for a reader who prefers science fiction to fantasy. Its central conflict is among the Terran, Protoss and Zerg, three races with different units, economies and tactical priorities. That asymmetry gives the series a different feel from a straightforward human-versus-orc setup.
StarCraft: Remastered combines the original StarCraft and its Brood War expansion. It includes campaign play and online multiplayer, so one purchase-sized entry point covers both the story foundation and the expansion that follows it. The remaster improves graphics and audio while preserving the classic gameplay rather than turning it into a new strategy system.
Pick Diablo for action-RPG play
Choose Diablo when you want to control a hero directly instead of running a base and issuing orders to an army. The action-RPG loop is exploration, real-time combat, equipment upgrades and character growth. It is the most immediate of the three choices: you can concentrate on movement, attacks and discoveries without first learning an RTS economy.
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The original Diablo introduced Sanctuary on December 31, 1996, according to Blizzard. It remains the right first stop for someone who wants to see where the series began. Blizzard also described a GOG rerelease preserved in its original form with compatibility fixes. Storefront availability and operating-system support can change, so check the current listing before buying.
Which Warcraft game should be your first?
| Entry | Best for | What it covers | Important presentation notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warcraft: Orcs and Humans (1994) | Players who want the first release and the earliest story context | Human and orc campaigns, 21 bonus custom-game maps and two-player versus play | The original design and interface are part of the experience. |
| Warcraft I: Remastered | Players who want that initial human-orc war in a more approachable edition | The first conflict, with the same foundational campaign structure | Updated hand-painted art, widescreen battles, rebalanced music, interface changes and modern control options; original and remastered graphics can be switched. |
| Warcraft II: Remastered | Players who want the next chapter and more naval warfare | The conflict expands beyond land battles and takes the story to the seas | Original and remastered graphics are switchable. A classic Warcraft II version has also been associated with Battle.net-compatible play, while enhanced classic editions have offered compatibility and LAN or peer-to-peer options; language and storefront details can vary. |
| Warcraft III: Reforged | Players who want a later campaign entry, broader factions and a more modern structure | Story campaigns, armies, several factions and multiplayer matchmaking | Patch 2.0 brought updates to environments, lighting, interface elements, HD assets and quality-of-life features. |
If chronology is your priority, begin with Warcraft I: Remastered, continue to Warcraft II: Remastered and then move to Warcraft III: Reforged. If you mainly want a substantial campaign with more faction variety, begin with Warcraft III: Reforged; you can return to the earlier remasters later to see how the conflict developed.
Which StarCraft game should be your first?
Start with StarCraft: Remastered
StarCraft: Remastered is the cleanest first purchase for the classic series because it contains both the original game and Brood War. You can play the campaigns in sequence, then use the same edition for online matches. Its upgraded presentation makes the old game easier to view on contemporary displays without replacing the original rules and pacing.
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How to choose a race
Do not try to select a permanent main before playing. Terran, Protoss and Zerg are intentionally distinct, and a race that seems attractive in the story may not match the way you like to manage a battlefield. Blizzard’s own guidance is to play games with all three before deciding. A practical first session is:
- Play a few introductory Terran missions or matches to learn a conventional base-and-army structure.
- Try Protoss to experience expensive, powerful units and a different production rhythm.
- Try Zerg to learn a more mobile, expansion-focused approach with unusual unit and economy mechanics.
- Choose the race whose decisions feel interesting, not simply the one that wins your first match.
The campaigns are also useful as tutorials because they introduce units and mechanics gradually. You do not need to understand competitive multiplayer before starting the story.
Which Diablo game should be your first?
Choose the original for history and atmosphere
The original Diablo is the chronological starting point and the best fit if you want the series’ earliest version of Sanctuary. Its older presentation is part of the appeal, but it also means slower interfaces and compatibility considerations that modern players may notice. Blizzard’s GOG release was described as keeping the original form while adding compatibility fixes; verify that the current storefront build works with your operating system and region.
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Choose a later Diablo only if your priority is modern convenience
Blizzard’s catalog also lists Diablo II: Resurrected. That is a later, modernized way into the action-RPG lineage, but it is not the first historical entry. Select it when you care more about a refreshed presentation and contemporary usability than about starting at the beginning. The essential genre choice remains the same: you are building one hero and fighting through hostile areas, not commanding an RTS army.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Original graphics or remastered presentation?
Remastering changes how these classics look and feel to use, but it does not change the basic genre decision. The key differences are:
- Warcraft I and II: the remasters allow switching between original and updated graphics, so you can compare the historical look with the revised presentation. Warcraft I also adds modern control options.
- Warcraft III: Reforged: Patch 2.0 updates environments, lighting, interface elements, HD assets and quality-of-life features. It remains a campaign-and-army RTS with multiple factions and matchmaking.
- StarCraft: Remastered: graphics and audio are upgraded while the classic gameplay is retained. It includes both the original game and Brood War.
- Original Diablo: the GOG version Blizzard described preserves the original game with compatibility fixes rather than presenting it as a new remake.
If you are sensitive to older interfaces, choose a remastered edition where one exists. If you want to understand what players experienced at release, the switchable Warcraft presentations are especially useful.
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Solo campaign, multiplayer or both?
For a story-first player
Start with Warcraft I: Remastered for the earliest fantasy conflict, Warcraft III: Reforged for a later and broader Warcraft campaign, or StarCraft: Remastered for a two-part science-fiction campaign. The original Diablo is the solo-oriented choice if you would rather explore and fight at your own pace.
For online competition
StarCraft: Remastered explicitly supports online play after the campaign. Warcraft III: Reforged offers multiplayer matchmaking. The first Warcraft also included two-player versus play, while Blizzard’s descriptions of enhanced classic Warcraft editions have mentioned LAN or peer-to-peer multiplayer and a classic Warcraft II version with Battle.net-compatible access. Multiplayer features can depend on the edition and current service status, so confirm the listing for your territory before purchase.
For experimenting with factions
Choose StarCraft if you want three radically different races. Choose Warcraft III if you want several factions within a later fantasy campaign and multiplayer framework. Choose the original Diablo if character-focused progression matters more than faction selection.
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- Decide between command and direct control. If building bases and directing units sounds appealing, choose Warcraft or StarCraft. If you want to swing, cast and loot with one character, choose Diablo.
- Choose the setting. Fantasy points to Warcraft; science fiction points to StarCraft; Sanctuary’s dark fantasy points to Diablo.
- Pick your era. Select the earliest remastered entry for chronology, a later remastered release for convenience, or the original Diablo for historical context.
- Begin with the campaign. Campaign missions teach the basic systems before you commit to multiplayer.
- Reassess after one session. In StarCraft, sample all three races. In Warcraft, try both a campaign mission and a skirmish. In Diablo, see whether exploration and equipment upgrades hold your attention.
Availability and purchase caveats
Blizzard’s catalog lists Warcraft I: Remastered, Warcraft II: Remastered, Warcraft III: Reforged, StarCraft: Remastered, Diablo and Diablo II: Resurrected. That confirms the editions represented in the catalog, not a guarantee that every title has identical availability, pricing or language support in every country.
Current regional prices, exact system requirements and subscription terms are not fixed facts here. Check the live Blizzard or authorized storefront listing for your territory, operating system, language options and multiplayer requirements. Older GOG-enhanced Warcraft releases were described as English-only at the time of Blizzard’s announcement, so do not assume that language support has changed without checking the current product page.
Our recommendation
For most readers, the decision is simple: start with Warcraft I: Remastered if you want fantasy RTS and the beginning of the setting; start with StarCraft: Remastered if you want the most self-contained classic science-fiction strategy package; start with the original Diablo if you want an action RPG rather than an army-management game. Pick Warcraft III: Reforged instead of the first Warcraft remaster only when a later campaign, several factions and matchmaking matter more to you than strict chronology.
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