Diablo 4 Season 9 may not seem all that unique on paper, but the Sins of the Horadrim season joins an exclusive club that seems to be filling up quickly. Despite Diablo 4 having just passed its second anniversary, the game is still seeing waves of new players joining the demon-slaying fun periodically. Season 9 is one of those instances, getting a bump of new players thanks to the game being available for free for PlayStation Plus subscribers a part of the service’s July lineup, but it’s unlikely the game will see this volume of new players at one time ever again.
On its own, Diablo 4 Season 9 is exciting enough for existing players interested in checking out the new Horadric Spells and Escalating Nightmare Dungeons added this season. With Diablo 4 in between major expansions at the moment, active player counts have started to wane. However, Season 9 has remedied that somewhat with PS Plus subscribers jumping in for the first time to experience the game fresh, creating a situation where the community can come together to support new players and potentially create a dedicated group of new fans.

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Diablo 4 Season 9 Makes One Thing Abundantly Clear Ahead of the Next Expansion
Diablo 4 Season 9 starts to paint a surprisingly clear picture of what players can expect from the next expansion, with one trend likely to continue.
Why Diablo 4 May Never See Another Season Like Sins of the Horadrim Again
Diablo 4 Joining the July PS Plus Lineup Boosted the Season 9 Player Count
Diablo 4 is more accessible than ever before, with it joining the lineup of games PS Plus subscribers can play at no additional cost. July 2025’s new PS Plus games include:
- Diablo 4
- The King of Fighters 15
- Jusant
With Diablo 4 now available on PS Plus, there’s very little standing in the way for PlayStation fans who are already subscribed to the service to check out the game. The game saw a similar phenomenon occur when Diablo 4 was added to Xbox Game Pass back in March 2024, giving the game a bump in player count from new Game Pass subscribers checking it out for the first time. The beauty of this availability lies in the ability to hook new fans from an untapped player source to help bolster dwindling player numbers, reigniting interest in the game for existing players looking to jump back in alongside the new ones.
While brand-new Diablo 4 players using its PS Plus availability to try the game may not get the full Season 9 experience, since they are likely focused on completing Diablo 4‘s main campaign, getting them involved with the game at this point in its lifecycle can help build a stronger community for future seasons to reap the benefits of. Some Diablo 4 players who’ve been active in the game since day one may be burnt out on seasonal content, but can still help support new players by offering build tips or helping them with endgame bosses to experience the game in a new way.
Diablo 4 Has One Huge Untapped Source of New Players, But It’s a Longshot
Unfortunately, now that Diablo 4 is on Xbox Game Pass and PS Plus, the major untapped sources of new players have mostly dried up. This could mean that Season 9 is the last time Diablo 4 sees such a significant post-launch increase in players, barring something like a free weekend on Steam or Battle.net. There is still one massive platform of players Diablo 4 could draw from, but the odds of Blizzard tapping into it seem low at this point.
The Nintendo Switch 2 could be the perfect home for Diablo 4 after Diablo 3 saw a release on the console’s predecessor. However, Blizzard’s Rod Fergusson has expressed concerns about bringing another live-service game like Diablo 4 to the Switch 2, stating that there are logistical challenges that could prevent the game from coming to the new Nintendo console. If Diablo 4 ever releases on the Switch 2, the game could see another wave of new players like it has seen with Season 9. Until that happens, Diablo 4 Season 9 might be the last time the game captures this lightning-in-a-bottle moment for the community.

Diablo 4
- Released
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June 6, 2023
- ESRB
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M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language
- Engine
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Proprietary Engine