BlizzardThere’s something so satisfying about finding that single piece of loot you need to perfect your character, that weapon or breastplate that suddenly turns you into an unstoppable juggernaut. No franchise manages to hit that sweet spot quite like Diablo, and after two years of extensive reworking and updates, it’s clear that Diablo 4 is the most complete vision of the franchise to date. It’s the definitive looter action-RPG, and it’s finally available for free to all PlayStation Plus users. Diablo 4 takes place over 50 years after Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls, and while it’s helpful to have knowledge of the previous games, Diablo 4 does a good enough job getting you up to speed that you can go in blind to its surprisingly engaging story. The world of Sanctuary has been invaded by demon hordes led by the literally hellish Lilith and her cultists, and it’s up to you, the “Wanderer,” to stop her. You’ll build a group of allies to turn back the tides — including Diablo 3’s stoic favorite, Lorath — while also enjoying a realm rich with world-building. One of the key differences between Diablo 4 and its predecessors is its open world structure. This gives Sanctuary a sense of scale that wasn’t present in the previous games, and most of the side quests focus on the “little” people of the world — the peasants, priests, knights, and everyone else struggling against the latest demon invasion. This gives the story a more personal feel and makes you invested in seeing it through. It also fundamentally changes the way you play Diablo 4. Diablo 4 is easily the series’ most visually stunning entry. | BlizzardYou can explore the world at your own pace: enemies are largely scaled to your level, and the narrative is often non-linear. This also means the story takes you through a more varied selection of environments, from frigid mountains to witch-infested swamps, which helps break up the monotony that loot-based games often suffer from. Of course, the real meat and potatoes of Diablo 4 is its hack-and-slash combat, and that shines here.The minute-to-minute combat of Diablo 4 feels fantastic. It’s easy and instantly intuitive to control your character, and each blow feels weighty and visceral. Combat looks brutal and gory, and simply feels fun. There are six different classes to choose from, each with a drastically different focus and style. If you want to crash into battle and rip enemies apart into clouds of blood, then the Barbarian is for you. But if you want a more subtle approach based on controlling the battlefield with traps, the Rogue is a good choice. Diablo 4 has nearly unparalleled variation in character building. | BlizzardBut what’s really remarkable about Diablo 4 is the complexity within each character class. The game’s extensive skill system lets you create completely different builds within each class; a Barbarian might focus on crushing damage output to single targets, or go for a more area-of-effect emphasis. Of course, this is all complemented by Diablo 4’s almost overwhelmingly robust loot system, which perpetually serves up shiny new equipment. Different tiers and qualities allow you to experiment nearly endlessly, and the tantalizing potential of improving your character with a game-changing piece of new loot is perpetually around the corner. The other major factor that makes Diablo 4 worth playing today is how much content has been added since the game’s 2023 launch. An expansion has been added, the loot system has been improved, and the post-game loop has been significantly reworked. It’s simply a much better game than it was at launch.Diablo 4 is a blast on your own, but can be even better with friends. | BlizzardAll of this means that it’s easy to sink dozens of hours into Diablo 4 without even realizing that you did. It’s the kind of game where looking at your playtime can shock you. But if that’s not a bad thing in your eyes, then Diablo 4 is an engrossing game with serious hooks. Taking a journey through Sanctuary requires real commitment, but you won’t regret it.Diablo 4 is available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.