For the main story, play Diablo, then Diablo II (or Diablo II: Resurrected) and its Lord of Destruction expansion, followed by Diablo Immortal, Diablo III and Reaper of Souls, and finally Diablo IV with its story expansions in release order. The crucial placement is Diablo Immortal: Blizzard states that it occurs between Diablo II: Lord of Destruction and Diablo III.
- Diablo
- Diablo II or Diablo II: Resurrected
- Diablo II: Lord of Destruction
- Diablo Immortal
- Diablo III
- Diablo III: Reaper of Souls
- Diablo IV, then its story expansions in release order
The complete Diablo story order
The order above follows the timeline of the campaigns rather than the games’ release dates. Keep each expansion with the game that introduces its era: finish Lord of Destruction before moving to Diablo Immortal, and finish Reaper of Souls as part of the Diablo III chapter before starting Diablo IV.
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| Story position | What to play | What it contributes | Best version choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Diablo campaign | The first Tristram cathedral crisis and Diablo’s initial defeat | The original campaign |
| 2 | Diablo II campaign | The Dark Wanderer’s journey and the next major conflict | Diablo II: Resurrected if you want the current remastered presentation |
| 3 | Lord of Destruction | Baal’s assault and the Worldstone catastrophe | The expansion attached to Diablo II or Resurrected |
| 4 | Diablo Immortal main quest | The bridge era after the Worldstone’s destruction | The available Immortal campaign on your platform |
| 5 | Diablo III campaign | The next mainline era, set 20 years after Diablo II in Blizzard’s chronology | The current edition that includes the campaign |
| 6 | Reaper of Souls | The continuation and conclusion of the Diablo III story arc | Play immediately after the base campaign |
| 7 | Diablo IV and its story expansions | The latest established mainline era | Play expansions in their release order |
Blizzard’s official chronology is explicit about the middle of the sequence: “Diablo Immortal takes place between Diablo II: Lord of Destruction and Diablo III.” It also describes Diablo III as moving the story 20 years forward from Diablo II. Those statements resolve the most common ordering mistake.
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Diablo establishes the original crisis beneath Tristram Cathedral. Playing its campaign first lets you see the initial depiction of Diablo’s return and the hero’s victory without learning those events secondhand.
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![Diablo II: Resurrected – Base Game 1P - Xbox [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41fn34zaSmL._SL160_.jpg)
- Diablo II: Resurrected breathes new life into Blizzard Entertainment’s acclaimed ARPG and its expansion, Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, from beginning to end. Return to fight for Sanctuary and discover the fate of the mysterious Dark Wanderer rebuilt in all-new 3D graphics, brand-new cinematics, remastered audio… and the same classic Diablo II gameplay you remember.
The ending also matters for continuity. The victorious hero becomes the vessel known as the Dark Wanderer. That transformation is the direct narrative setup for Diablo II, so skipping the first campaign removes the context for the central figure who drives the next journey.
Do you have to play the original Diablo?
No. You can understand the later campaigns without completing it, and the series will still present its major conflict. Play it first if you want the clearest cause-and-effect chain and the earliest version of Tristram’s story. If older presentation or mechanics are a barrier, begin with Diablo II: Resurrected and return to the original whenever you want the opening chapter; that is a convenience choice, not a change to the chronology.
How to play Diablo II and Lord of Destruction
Start the Diablo II campaign, then continue directly into Lord of Destruction. Treat them as one uninterrupted chapter when planning a story playthrough.
Original or Diablo II: Resurrected?
Diablo II: Resurrected is Blizzard’s named remastered product for the second game’s story. It preserves the same chronological position as the original Diablo II; choosing it changes the presentation, not the events you need to follow. Use the remaster if you want the current, officially supported way to experience that campaign, or use an existing copy of the original if authenticity and access to its classic presentation matter more.
Whichever edition you select, complete the base campaign before launching Lord of Destruction. Do not treat the expansion as optional side material if your goal is the full story: its ending creates the conditions for the next game in the timeline.
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![Diablo II: Resurrected – Prime Evil Collection 1P - Xbox [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/4115uKA3a+L._SL160_.jpg)
- The Diablo Prime Evil Collection includes Diablo II: Resurrected, Diablo III, the Reaper of Souls expansion which includes Act V, Adventure Mode and the Crusader class, and the Rise of the Necromancer pack, with the Necromancer class, and additional cosmetic items. This collection also includes the Mephisto pet and the fearsome wings, Hatred’s Grasp, for Diablo III.
What happens at the end of Lord of Destruction?
Baal corrupts the Worldstone. The heroes defeat him, and Tyrael destroys the damaged Worldstone. The resulting shards scatter across Sanctuary. That disaster is not a detached epilogue; it is the starting condition for Diablo Immortal.
Where Diablo Immortal fits
Diablo Immortal belongs after Lord of Destruction and before Diablo III. Blizzard’s wording leaves no ambiguity about that placement. Its main quest follows the aftermath of the Worldstone’s destruction and centers on containing the broken Worldstone’s consequences.
This is why playing Immortal after Diablo III feels out of sequence: it is designed as a bridge between those two eras, not as a later side story. The campaign also brings back figures including Deckard Cain and Charsi, giving the transition a recognizable link to the earlier games.
What should you play in Immortal?
For a story-order run, prioritize the main quest. The game contains activities beyond that central route, but optional pursuits are not required to understand its position between the Worldstone’s destruction and the events of Diablo III. Finish the principal campaign before moving on so that the bridge-era material has done its narrative job.
How Diablo III and Reaper of Souls connect
After Diablo Immortal, play the Diablo III campaign, then continue immediately into Reaper of Souls. Blizzard’s chronology describes Diablo III as taking place 20 years after Diablo II. That stated time jump is measured from Diablo II, while the intervening Immortal story occupies the bridge era.
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Why not stop after the base Diablo III campaign?
Reaper of Souls is the story continuation of the Diablo III era. Ending your run at the base campaign leaves that chapter unfinished and makes the move to Diablo IV less coherent. Play the expansion as the next campaign segment, using the same character progression where the edition you own supports that structure.
When to start Diablo IV
Begin Diablo IV after completing both the base Diablo III campaign and Reaper of Souls. It is the latest mainline era established by the material used for this guide.
The cited official chronology does not provide an exact in-universe year for Diablo IV. Do not force it into a precise date or assume that a real-world release year is a calendar year inside Sanctuary. For ordering purposes, the reliable instruction is simpler: complete the earlier campaign arc, then play the Diablo IV campaign and add its story expansions in the order they were released.
How to handle future expansions
Keep each expansion attached to the Diablo IV era and play story expansions sequentially by release order. That approach avoids jumping over character introductions or world changes. Seasonal, challenge, and repeatable content can be treated separately unless it is explicitly presented as a required campaign chapter.
Two practical playthrough paths
The essential mainline route
If you want the shortest route that still preserves the major narrative links, use this checklist:
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- Complete the Diablo campaign.
- Complete the Diablo II campaign in the original game or Resurrected.
- Complete Lord of Destruction.
- Play the main quest in Diablo Immortal.
- Complete Diablo III.
- Complete Reaper of Souls.
- Complete Diablo IV, then its story expansions in release order.
This route favors continuity over optional exploration. It includes every campaign and expansion that changes the central sequence described by Blizzard.
The continuity-first route
If you care most about seeing how the world and recurring characters carry forward, add time around each transition:
- After Diablo, note the hero’s transformation into the Dark Wanderer before starting Diablo II.
- After Lord of Destruction, pause on the Worldstone’s destruction and the scattering of its shards.
- Play Immortal‘s main quest before touching Diablo III, rather than treating it as a flashback after the fact.
- Finish Reaper of Souls before opening Diablo IV, so the full third-game era remains together.
These are pacing choices, not additional required games. They help you notice the handoffs without adding unsupported dates or optional completion requirements.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Common ordering mistakes
Putting Immortal after Diablo III
This reverses the bridge era. The official placement is between Lord of Destruction and Diablo III, because the broken Worldstone aftermath is its starting point.
Skipping Lord of Destruction
Moving from the base Diablo II campaign straight to Immortal omits Baal’s corruption of the Worldstone, Tyrael’s destruction of it, and the scattered shards that motivate the next chapter.
Starting Reaper of Souls before the base campaign
The expansion is a continuation of Diablo III. Play the base campaign first, then use the expansion as the next segment.
Assuming Resurrected is a separate timeline
It is a remastered presentation of the Diablo II story, not a new chronological entry. It occupies the same slot as the original game.
Assigning Diablo IV an exact year
The available official chronology establishes its later position but does not state a precise in-universe year. Keep the ordering definite and the date qualification honest.
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What counts as “finished” for a story-order run?
Use campaign completion as the stopping rule at each stage. You do not need to clear every optional activity, repeatable mode, or side pursuit merely to preserve chronology. The one exception in this sequence is an expansion that is itself a direct story continuation: include Lord of Destruction with Diablo II and Reaper of Souls with Diablo III.
For Immortal, the main quest is the relevant target because it supplies the bridge between the Worldstone disaster and the next mainline game. For Diablo IV, complete the base campaign and then add each story expansion in release order; non-story seasonal activities do not need to be inserted into the historical sequence.
Quick decision guide
| If your priority is… | Choose this approach |
|---|---|
| Seeing the original foundation | Start with Diablo, then follow the complete sequence. |
| Modern presentation for the second game | Use Diablo II: Resurrected, followed by its Lord of Destruction content. |
| Only the essential story | Play each listed campaign and the two named story expansions; skip optional activities. |
| Understanding the timeline gap | Play Diablo Immortal before Diablo III, not afterward. |
| Keeping later content orderly | Finish Diablo III and Reaper of Souls, then play Diablo IV expansions by release order. |
Evidence for the chronology
Blizzard Entertainment’s official Diablo Immortal: The Story So Far identifies Immortal‘s position between Lord of Destruction and Diablo III, explains that Diablo III moves the story 20 years forward from Diablo II, and describes Baal’s Worldstone corruption and Tyrael’s destruction of the damaged stone. Blizzard’s Diablo II: The story so far supplies the preceding context: the Eternal Conflict, Sanctuary’s creation by Inarius and Lilith, the rise and suppression of the nephalem, the Horadrim’s capture of the Prime Evils, the corruption beneath Tristram Cathedral, and the first game’s hero becoming the Dark Wanderer.
Together, those official accounts support a continuous campaign path rather than a release-date shuffle. They also explain why the expansion boundaries matter: the end of Lord of Destruction creates Immortal‘s premise, while Reaper of Souls completes the Diablo III era before the series moves on to Diablo IV.
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