Diablo 4 on PlayStation Plus Could be the Spark That Ignites a Wildfire

The latest PlayStation Plus titles for July are now available. This month’s selection for all tiers includes Jusant, The King of Fighters 15, and perhaps most surprisingly of the three, Diablo 4. While it was previously available for regular purchase on Sony’s console, Diablo 4 coming to PS Plus is a pretty big deal, considering the various factors at play and the parties involved.

After expressing interest in acquiring Activision-Blizzard in 2022, Microsoft finalized the nearly $70 billion deal in October 2023, only a few months after Diablo 4‘s full release in June. And given the approach that Microsoft and Xbox Game Studios have been taking towards the developers and IPs now under its banner, Diablo 4 coming to PlayStation Plus now may very well mark the start of a pattern that could see similar situations become increasingly common.

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Diablo 4 Hitting PlayStation Plus Might Start a Chain Reaction

Microsoft Has Been Bringing More of its Titles to Sony’s Consoles and Service

Once Blizzard was officially a Microsoft property, Diablo 4 was added to the Game Pass catalog in 2024. This, of course, wasn’t really unexpected, as it only makes sense that MS would want to feature such a high-profile property on its flagship service. But Xbox Game Studios figureheads have previously stated that they’ve been working to have more major releases on competing platforms, specifically PlayStation, a business strategy that was previously avoided, or was at least a rare occurrence.

A few examples of notable recent and upcoming games developed by Microsoft-owned studios that had or will have PlayStation versions at launch alongside Xbox are:

Doom: The Dark Ages (id Software)
Gears of War: Reloaded (The Coalition)
The Outer Worlds 2 (Obsidian Entertainment)

And though it was delayed to 2026, the forthcoming Fable reboot is also rumored to be potentially be launching on PS5. As this seems to increasingly be the case, Diablo 4 on PS Plus could thus indicate that Microsoft will be further accelerating its efforts in this regard in the future and that these titles may eventually find their way onto PS Plus too.

Why Diablo 4 Coming to PlayStation Plus May Be the Opening Salvo in a Grander Plan

Diablo 4 has admittedly had its share of ups and downs since launch, but it currently enjoys a Mostly Positive rating on Steam and an 80 player rating on OpenCritic. The timing of its inclusion on PS+ also neatly coincided with the start of Season 9: Sins of the Horadrim, with both being on July 1. And while it remains to be seen how Diablo 4 hitting PlayStation Plus might contribute to player count and general response, it could yet be a signal that Microsoft is moving more firmly into its strategy to bring more of its games to PS Plus down the line.

Both its first-party studios and Game Pass continue to do well for Microsoft, but as mentioned, the company has made it clear on multiple occasions that it is committed to broadening its reach. Diablo 4 on PS Plus might be the first move in this shift. While the next potential title like it coming to PS+ may not be immediate, as it took around 2 years for D4 to make it onto the library, its addition could still serve as a litmus test.

If Diablo 4 finds success on the service, this could then herald the start of a new pattern, at least partially, of an increased push by MS to bring more of its games to PS Plus. It opens up the possibility that releases like the ones mentioned, or others in a similar vein such as Avowed could find their way onto PS+ in a few years’ time. And this would be a big and bold change from prior tactics, while also hopefully being a boon for players in the process.