Diablo (Diaburo): Every Version & Where to Play

Diablo is an action role-playing game developed by Blizzard North and published by Blizzard Entertainment for Windows. After missing Christmas, Blizzard shipped the first boxes on 31 December 1996; pre-orders had already passed 450,000 units by 17 December. Blizzard built Battle.net while Blizzard North was finishing the game, and multiplayer was added late in development.

In November 1997 Sierra released the Hellfire expansion, made by Synergistic Software rather than Blizzard North and considered non-canonical. In 1998 the game came to the Mac and to the PlayStation; the console port was developed by Climax Studios and published by Electronic Arts, which had bought the console rights in 1996. The PlayStation version was the only one translated into Japanese, and its European release was dubbed in several languages.

For years Diablo was available only on disc. In March 2019 it went on sale digitally for the first time as a DRM-free GOG release bundled with Hellfire, in January 2024 it was re-released on Battle.net together with Warcraft I and II, and on 14 January 2025 the original Diablo joined PC Game Pass.¹²³

Names and releases

Region	Title on the box	Platform	Date	Publisher	Src
NA	DiabloBoxes shipped on the last day of 1996; English Wikipedia lists 3 January 1997 as the North American date.	Windows	Dec 31, 1996	Blizzard Entertainment	⁴
NA	Diablo: HellfireExpansion developed by Synergistic Software, not by Blizzard North.	Windows	November 1997	Sierra Entertainment	²
NA	DiabloPort by Climax Studios.	PlayStation	Mar 30, 1998	Electronic Arts	²
NA	Diablo	Mac	May 8, 1998	Blizzard Entertainment	²
EU	Diablo	Windows	1997	Blizzard Entertainment	¹
JP	DiabloEnglish-language version; Win/Mac versions were never localized into Japanese.	Mac	Apr 28, 1998	—	¹
EU	DiabloPAL version dubbed in French, German and Swedish as well as English.	PlayStation	April 1998	Electronic Arts	²
JP	ディアブロDiaburoPublisher per Japanese Wikipedia (EA Square, now Electronic Arts). Fully Japanese, without Hellfire.	PlayStation	Jul 9, 1998	Electronic Arts Square	¹
WW	Diablo + HellfireFirst digital release; includes the classic version and a GOG-made updated version.	Windows	March 2019	GOG	²
WW	DiabloRe-released on Battle.net together with Warcraft I and II (reported 29 January 2024).	Windows	January 2024	Blizzard Entertainment	⁵

Also known as: ディアブロ JP⁶Diaburo JP⁶Diablo + Hellfire WW⁷

Box art by region

NA Diablo
EU Diablo
JP ディアブロ

Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.

Version differences

GameplayPlayStation

The PlayStation port swaps point-and-click for direct gamepad control and adds two-player co-op on one screen and auto-aim for ranged attacks, but it has no online play.²
GameplayPlayStation

The PlayStation version adds a narrator option, so the story can be followed without finding the in-game books, as well as new lighting effects and a faster game-speed setting.²
TextPlayStation (JP)Windows/Mac (JP)

Only the Japanese PlayStation version was translated into Japanese. The Windows and Mac versions were never localized because the text was not separated from the code, so Japan got them in English.⁶

All differences (7)

Translations

German Official

Electronic Arts1998PlayStation · PAL PlayStationReleased

The European PlayStation release from Electronic Arts includes German dubbing.²
Spanish Fan

DevilutionX contributors2021Windows · DevilutionX (needs original data)Released

DevilutionX includes a community Spanish translation, with contributors working on it since 2021.⁸

Project page: github.com
French Official

Electronic Arts1998PlayStation · PAL PlayStationReleased

The European PlayStation release from Electronic Arts includes French dubbing.²
Japanese Official

Electronic Arts Square1998PlayStationReleased · complete

The 1998 PlayStation version was fully localized into Japanese by Electronic Arts Square.⁶
Russian Fan

DevilutionX contributors2021Windows · DevilutionX (needs original data)Released

DevilutionX 1.3.0, released in November 2021, added a Russian interface and text translation maintained by community translators.⁹

Project page: github.com
Russian Pirate

—PlayStation · PlayStation versionReleased · complete

A notorious Russian pirate PlayStation disc, attributed to the Kudos label, re-voiced and rewrote Diablo in gangster slang and renamed stats and characters; the gameplay is unchanged.¹⁰
sv Official

Electronic Arts1998PlayStation · PAL PlayStationReleased

The European PlayStation release from Electronic Arts includes Swedish dubbing.²

Where to play legally today

Xbox Game Pass Subscription

Diablo

PC; includes Hellfire

Checked: 2026-10-13¹¹xbox.com
Battle.net Purchase

Diablo

Windows

Checked: 2026-10-13¹²
GOG Purchase

Diablo + Hellfire

Windows; classic 1996 build + GOG updated build; Hellfire included; English only

Checked: 2026-10-13⁷gog.com

How to run it today

Buy Diablo + Hellfire on GOG, or Diablo on Battle.net or through PC Game Pass. On Windows 10/11, the 'updated' GOG build is the one made for modern Windows, while the classic build is the one to keep for classic Battle.net matchmaking. Another option is the open-source DevilutionX port: install it and copy DIABDAT.MPQ (and the Hellfire .mpq files) from a purchased copy. It runs on Windows, Linux, macOS, Android and other systems and adds Russian and Spanish translations.

DevilutionX on GitHub github.com
Diablo + Hellfire on GOG gog.com

⁷

Best version

Buying the game on GOG or Battle.net provides the official game data. For the smoothest experience on modern systems, many players run it through DevilutionX, an open-source port that needs only the DIABDAT.MPQ file from a purchased copy and also supports Hellfire.¹³

Reception

Diablo was the best-selling computer game in the US in the first half of 1997. It sold 1 million copies worldwide by late 1997 and more than 2.5 million by mid-2001.²

Sources

Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13

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