While none of these additions are major enough to warrant their own showcase, they're all pulling Xbox in the same direction: making the platform feel more personal.
This latest update suggests Xbox sees that shift coming and wants to be the platform that adapts to the player rather than asking the player to adapt to it, and I like where that is going.
Looking through the feature list, it becomes clear that Microsoft's biggest focus is reducing friction, not just adding new features for the sake of it.
Xbox Streaming preferences menu highlighting the option "Allow downloads while cloud gaming" with a checked box. (Image credit: Microsoft | XBOX)
That philosophy appears in the new cloud gaming improvements. Xbox Insiders can nowcontinue downloading games in the background while streaming, reducing one of the small but persistent friction points that come with digital gaming.
These updates may not be groundbreaking, but they represent the kind of quality-of-life improvements that users want, which contribute to making a platform feel more refined and complete.
The new personalization features tell a similar story.
Being able to select startup animations from different eras of Xbox history may sound like a cosmetic addition, but it reflects a growing recognition that players often have a deeper connection to gaming platforms than companies traditionally acknowledge.
Users can now pick from Xbox One, Xbox One X, Xbox Series X|S, or We Are Xbox, which is kinda cool.
Xbox System Startup menu displaying startup animation choices like Xbox One and Series X|S alongside a TV preview screen. (Image credit: Microsoft | XBOX)
Remote Play is also getting some new improvements.
The company is now testing support for up to 1440p streaming and higher video bitrates through Xbox Remote Play for Xbox Series X|S users in select Insider rings. The technical upgrade matters, but the broader implication matters more.
A few years ago, Remote Play felt like an extra feature. Today, it feels increasingly central to Microsoft's vision (though we're not thrilled with those new Cloud gaming caps).
Microsoft has spent years talking about making Xbox available wherever players want to play. At first, that messaging was often interpreted as a cloud gaming pitch. What we're seeing now is something more nuanced.
Xbox Badge Showcase menu displaying user profile badges with options to remove or hide them. (Image credit: Microsoft | XBOX)
Microsoft now seems more interested in letting players decide which parts of Xbox's history they want to keep with them.
That trend extends to profile customization, where users can choose which achievements and badges are visible and which remain private. If Nintendo's strength is iconic franchises and PlayStation's strength is prestige gaming, Xbox's emerging niche may be flexibility.
Play your games where you want.
Show off your profile how you want.
Start your console how you want.
Access your library how you want.
That seems to be a definable pattern, at least for this update.
Finally, Microsoft is also testing a new Voice Clarity feature for Xbox Series X|S, designed to reduce background noise and improve voice communication in party chat and supported games. Clear communication remains one of the foundations of online gaming, particularly in co-op and competitive titles, so this is a nice nod.
The update also arrives alongside broader backend improvements aimed at making Xbox parties more reliable and secure.
Again, there's no single standout feature here (although you may disagree), but the bigger picture is that Microsoft is apparently focusing on letting users make Xbox reflect more of their personality and preferences. That's something PC fans are used to, but it's a bit new for console users, where you're more boxed in (pardon the pun).
Of course, you could always say this is what Xbox should have been like for years now, but I'm happy to see these changes and like this direction of giving users more choice.
At a time when hardware is becoming unaffordable, the Xbox user experience is becoming the real battleground to keep fans interested, and Microsoft seems to have gotten the message.
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
It still feels like a dream that Spyro the Dragon, one of my childhood favorite platformer games, is finally getting a true successor to the classic PlayStation One trilogy with Spyro: A Realm Beyond.
Fortunately, Toys for Bob is here to remind me that it's indeed real by showing off a sneak preview of Arcadian Vale, one of the first locales you'll explore in the game, as part of a special event celebrating Spyro's 27th anniversary called Spyro Community Day.
Something from the Realmis hiding below.But what could it be?There’s only one way to know.Start in the center.Let the fire spread.Burn away the questionand see what’s ahead.#HappyBirthdaySpyro pic.twitter.com/NfWBZjb9mYSeptember 9, 2026
As you can see from the concept art, the Acadian Vale is a lush and colorful locale that perfectly captures the childlike wonder you'd normally associate with Spyro games, complete with cascading waterfalls, ancient buildings, and cutesy critters running around (which I totally won't roast alive to spawn butterflies that will replenish my health like in previous games).
The art also implies that the Arcadian Vale will feature a fair degree of verticality, most likely to help players practice the new free-roaming flight mechanic that will allow us to fly anytime, anywhere instead of specific levels and boss fights like in previous games.
It's going to be a long, painful wait until we get to play Spyro, but in the meantime, you can celebrate Spyro's legacy by showing off fan art, appreciation messages, and other content for Spyro Community Day on social media platforms like X with the hashtag #HappyBirthdaySpyro.
There is something slightly ridiculous about having a PC and an Xbox sitting on the same desk, then needing to re-pair a gaming controller every time you move from one to the other. SteelSeries thinks the controller should simply know where it needs to go. That is the idea behind the Aeon Pro.
The new wireless gamepad is built around a QuickSwitch Dock that can stay connected to both a PC and an Xbox. Instead of disconnecting one system, pairing with the other, and repeating the process later, the controller can switch between them from the dock. SteelSeries says the system is patent-pending and describes it as the first of its kind for Xbox and PC.
The dock is also where the Aeon Pro gets its other unusual trick. It holds a second battery while the first one is being used in the controller. When that battery runs low, it can be swapped for the charged one rather than plugging the controller into a cable and waiting. The batteries are the same type used in SteelSeries’ Arctis Nova Pro headsets, which makes the system particularly interesting for anyone already invested in that ecosystem. SteelSeries calls this its Infinite Power System. The numbers are up to 25 hours over 2.4GHz wireless or 28 hours over Bluetooth, although those figures account for the combined use of the two batteries rather than one battery lasting that long on its own. The Aeon Pro can also connect through USB-C and Bluetooth, and supports mobile devices alongside Xbox and PC.
The controller itself follows the now-familiar premium gamepad formula, but pushes it fairly far. Its thumbsticks use Hall-effect sensors, while the triggers can switch between full travel and a shorter hair-trigger setting. There are 18 mechanical switches across the controller and four programmable rear paddles, giving players plenty of ways to alter how they interact with a game. SteelSeries has also avoided burying every adjustment inside an app. A small OLED display built into the controller can show the active device, battery status, and profiles, while letting users remap controls and change settings directly.
PC players can go deeper through SteelSeries GG, including trigger and button configuration, rumble adjustments, and software profiles. Then there are the smaller touches. The thumbsticks are interchangeable, with different shapes and heights supplied in the box, and the spare pieces can be stored in the dock. A textured grip runs around the controller, while its 310-gram weight makes it considerably heavier than a standard Xbox controller, though still lighter than Microsoft’s Elite model.
The catch is the $259.99 price tag. The Aeon Pro costs more than most premium gamepads, including Microsoft’s own Elite-class controller in many markets. That makes the QuickSwitch dock and battery system more than clever conveniences. They are the features that need to justify why this particular controller deserves a permanent spot on a gaming desk.
This web-based recreation of the iconic Xbox 360 avatar creator features tens of thousands of clothing and prop items from the original marketplace, and it's even more impressive when you learn that '360sona' was the project of a single person, Ezra Kruger. Shared across Reddit and YouTube, it also carefully denies any direct affiliation with Microsoft.
21,425 items across every collection Microsoft released – 2,644 props and every one of them plays its animation.
Ezra Kruger
Built primarily with JavaScript and WebGL, 360sona.com is a "pixel-for-pixel" representation that lets you accurately rebuild your old-school Xbox avatar and even embed it into your personal website via an iframe. The whole project includes "every animation, every camera the console had, drawn the way the console drew them", and each part looks exactly how you remember.
"Well, bam, there it is"
I was enamored with the idea before I even opened it, as the first images took me on an instant nostalgia trip, and I love nostalgia trips. 360sona has everything I remembered, and I rebuilt my original avatar in minutes, including the Max Payne outfit I never removed back in the day. Armor from Halo, Gears of War, and Mass Effect is also here, all authentically rendered.
If I wanted to, I could even export my finished avatar as a .glb model, rigged and ready for inspection in free 3D software like Blender, with baked textures included. It's all built around a basic account system and, importantly, 360sona never asks for your email address. You only need a simple username and password (and you're given a one-time-use recovery code).
Every item, texture, animation and piece of artwork in the catalogue was created by Microsoft Corporation and its partners and licensors. They are the rights holders.
360sona Terms
The branded elephant in the room is the absolutely gigantic collection of licensed content, including logos of major sports franchises, movies, and real-world clothing icons. Again, Kruger explains in 360sona's terms that you shouldn't expect to reuse absolutely anything exported from the project, stressing the intention of personal, non-commercial use.
Still, I can't shake the feeling that a potential DMCA takedown request could be looming, even though 360sona doesn't feature any on-page ads or other money-making schemes. At face value, this is a purely fan-driven hobby project that exists only to let long-serving Xbox fans spend some time reminiscing about the Xbox 360's heyday. That hasn't stopped mega-corpos in the past, though.
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
Capcom has released its 8th weapon showcase trailer for Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance, and it covers all the changes coming to one of my all-time favorite weapon types of the entire Monster Hunter franchise: Gunlance.
The base game of Monster Hunter Wilds already did an amazing job giving this normally underpowered weapon type the explosive and defensive capabilities it deserved.
But in this DLC expansion, Gunlance has been made even better with some insane new techniques while incorporating a mechanic change fans have been requesting ever since the Gunlance was introduced in 2006's Monster Hunter 2 (a.k.a. Monster Hunter Dos) on the PlayStation 2.
First off, Gunlance can now let you perform Boost Driver attacks that make you dash forward while blocking incoming attacks with the shield thanks to this DLC expansion's new Boost Bracer mechanic.
At the end of this Boost Driver dash, you can either impale the enemy with a drill launched from the Gunlance or perform a rising uppercut Offset attack that can counter an enemy's attack. The uppercut can also be followed up by a forward aerial divebomb attack to close the gap with enemies.
Once you activate the Boost Bracer's Boost Gauge, the Gunlance gains the following enhancements while it is active:
Regular and Shelling attacks become faster.
New combo attack paths,
Reduced knockback while blocking attacks with a shield, so you can recover faster to counterattack.
The ability to side-step while reloading your gunlance's ammo and block attacks simultaneously.
Being able to mount a monster, pierce its body, and fire a Wyrmstake Cannon inside it for massive damage.
We finally have Elemental Shelling for Gunlance, dreams come do true
A hunter firing an ice-elemental Wyvern's Fire attack with the Kushala Daora Gunlance. (Image credit: Capcom)
All these gameplay improvements are pretty awesome by themselves, but the biggest change I'm most excited for in Gunlance is that we're finally getting Elemental Shelling attacks! This is confirmed near the end of the trailer, where the player fires a cloud of icy wind at a monster, which is a special effect normally associated with weapons that deal Ice elemental damage.
This is HUGE because Monster Hunter fans (myself included) have been wanting the Gunlance's Shelling attacks to include elemental properties for years.
This is because in previous games, a Gunlance's Shelling attacks normally deal fixed amounts of damage with some additional but pitiful Fire-elemental damage. This forced players to stick to non-elemental Gunlances to get the most damage possible out of their physical attacks to compensate for the lacking Shelling damage (especially for Master Rank quests where Shelling damage falls off hard).
With this change, combined with the balance adjustment the base game made that allowed Shelling damage to scale with a Gunlance's raw attack power, Elemental Gunlances can finally be useful.
We can use the elemental Shelling attacks to deal extra damage to monsters that normally resist physical attacks but are weak to elements like Fire, Water, Thunder, Ice, and Dragon. Not to mention, it will open up so much build-crafting variety so we're not stuck using the same one or two Gunlances by the time we reach the endgame content.
I'm so happy Elemental Shelling is finally in Monster Hunter that it makes me wonder if Gunlances that deal Status effects like Poison, Paralysis, Sleep, and Blast will be able to apply them with Shelling attacks too now.
Either way, I can't wait to blow things up with Gunlance again once Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance launches in 2027for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.
Venture into Forbidden Lands to discover uncharted lands and hunt giant monsters alongside your friends in online co-op to protect nature and mankind in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Empower your weapons with the new Boost Bracer, explore a mysterious land floating in the sky, and hunt down ancient Elder Dragons in Monster Hunter Wilds' epic DLC expansion, Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance.
Every gadget on a desk is built to hide what makes it work. Phones, consoles, controllers, they’re all sealed slabs designed to keep the copper and silicon out of sight. Arduview refuses that logic entirely. Its shell is clear, its circuit board is clear, and its OLED display lets you watch pixels light up while seeing straight through to the components producing them.
Retro handhelds have flirted with transparency before. Clear-shell Game Boys and modded Miyoo units let you glimpse a shadow of the board through tinted plastic, but the display itself stayed opaque, a black rectangle sitting in an otherwise see-through frame. Arduview closes that gap by making the screen itself transparent, so nothing on the device breaks the illusion of looking clean through it.
Peer through the front and the internals aren’t just visible; they’re the entire visual identity. The board, the chip, an orange copper flex cable, the button domes, and the USB-C port all sit in plain view, arranged the way a watchmaker might arrange gears behind sapphire crystal. Nothing here was designed to be hidden later. It was designed to be looked at from day one.
That philosophy extends to how the thing works, not just how it looks. Built on Arduboy, an open-source handheld platform, Arduview skips the layers that usually complicate small electronics. There’s no app store hunting, no Wi-Fi pairing, no account setup standing between you and 400 preloaded games. Power it on and it plays, the same instant gratification that made simple handhelds addictive in the first place.
At 50 grams and roughly the footprint of a credit card, the size does real work here. A device this small and this light stops being a dedicated gaming session and starts being something you carry the way you’d carry a keychain or a pocketknife, small enough to disappear until the moment you want it. Pull it out on a train platform or set it on a desk between meetings, and it reads less like a toy and more like a curiosity someone can’t resist picking up.
That reaction seems to be the entire point. A transparent gadget invites touching in a way an opaque one never does, because there’s an implicit dare in showing your internals: come look closer. Arduview leans into that dare completely, treating the space usually reserved for a case as prime real estate for the very thing most companies spend their design budgets concealing.
Retro gaming has always had a strong current of nostalgia running through it: chunky buttons, pixel art, low-resolution charm. Arduview borrows all of that while adding something genuinely new to the mix: a device that looks like it belongs in a display case at a design museum as much as it belongs in a pocket.
Most controllers ask you to adapt to them. The 8BitDo Ultimate 3E flips that arrangement entirely, building a controller around the idea that your hands, your genre, and your platform should decide its shape instead of the factory floor. The face buttons, the d-pad, and even the joystick tops snap in and out as swappable modules, turning what’s usually a sealed, one-size-fits-all object into something closer to a toolkit.
Pop off the magnetic faceplate and the accessory pack reveals its real purpose. A silicone membrane d-pad sits next to a tactile micro-switch version, and the joysticks come in tall, dome, and thick-neck shapes, each suited to a different grip or genre. Racing games favor a different thumb position than platformers, and for once, the hardware bends to match instead of forcing a single compromise across everything you play.
Underneath those swappable caps, the joysticks themselves run on Tunneling Magnetoresistance sensors, a technology built specifically to resist the drift that eventually creeps into analog sticks after enough hours of use. Interactive RGB fire rings pulse around the base of each stick, translating movement into visual feedback in real time, a small touch that turns an otherwise invisible input into something you can actually watch respond.
The triggers carry their own bit of adaptability. Hall-effect sensors power two selectable trigger-stop positions, letting a shooter’s hair-trigger tap coexist with a racing game’s need for a longer, more gradual pull. Switching between them takes a flick of a physical switch, not a trip through a menu, which matters when a genre change happens mid-session rather than between them.
Connectivity spreads just as wide as the physical customization. The Ultimate 3E runs 2.4G wireless and wired modes for Xbox and PC, and switches to Bluetooth for mobile devices, now backed by a USB-C signal adapter for steadier range across more rooms and setups. Apple has officially signed off on compatibility too, covering iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and even Apple Vision Pro, stretching the controller’s use well past the console it was designed around.
An integrated wireless charging dock handles power without cables cluttering a desk, while two pro-level back buttons and a pair of extra-fast bumpers add inputs for players who map more complex combinations. Three custom profiles let different games, or different people, keep their own configuration ready to load instantly, and a 3.5mm jack keeps wired headphones in the mix for anyone who still prefers a physical connection over Bluetooth audio.
None of this treats customization as an afterthought bolted onto a finished product. Every swappable piece, every sensor choice, feels like it was scoped out before the shell was ever molded, built around the idea that serious players tend to have very specific, very personal preferences about how a controller should feel in their hands.
Microsoft's long-rumored disc-to-digital program for Xbox went live in testing last week, and it has grown to supporting hundreds upon hundreds of games since.
The disc doesn't become inert after licensing the digital version either. If you sell the disc or give it away, the next user can grab the digital license from your account. You won't lose your cloud save either, so if you re-acquire the disc or buy it outright digitally later on, you'll be able to continue on as normal.
Some users have been disappointed with the initial roll out, however, as some major publishers have so far not opted in.
Some outlets went with headlines today decrying Ubisoft and others for their apparent decision to boycott the system. Ubisoft has long been the target of game preservationists, given that Ubisoft's shuttering of The Crew and other games led to stronger calls for digital rights. Ubisoft denying access to digital versions from disc-based games already sold would seem a bit like their M.O. in that universe. It seems the anger was premature, though.
Microsoft has always stated that this initial testing phase doesn't represent the full scope of content coming to the disc-to-digital program. Indeed, many publishers are still likely going over the contracts and ensuring that the legalese all matches up before going ahead with it. SEGA, Square Enix, Bandai Namco, and Ubisoft were among those apparently not honoring the program.
Today, it seemed that Ubisoft games have now gone live in the system for Xbox Insider testers in the Alpha and Alpha Skip-Ahead, however.
Yeah, I just converted my Ubisoft games. Trials Fusion with the season pass, AC Ezio Collection, AC Syndicate and Far Cry Primal.September 8, 2026
As you can see in the X (Twitter) thread above, Ubisoft games are now fully available on the disc-to-digital program, with titles like Far Cry Primal, Far Cry 4, Trials Fusion, Assassin's Creed titles, and many more going live.
I received a DM about an hour ago informing me of the change, and it seems other titles are now following suit.
It remains to be seen when (or if) other publishers come on board. Given how aggressively Square Enix has supported forward-facing Xbox initiatives like Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud Gaming, it's fairly obvious to me that Square Enix will jump on board pretty soon. I'm told other publishers are just going over the detailing before committing, which is standard practice for any big corporation.
Xbox's disc-to-digital program is one of the most impressive innovations we've seen from Microsoft's gaming efforts in recent years, although it was originally pitched in 2013 as part of the Xbox One. It was pretty poorly presented back then, though, and users in 2026 are far more knowledgeable about the potential benefits of digital gaming. Still, there's more Xbox could potentially do here to sweeten the deal. With PlayStation committing to the phase out of discs entirely by 2028, many are wondering (and hoping) on whether Xbox will continue the disc-based torch with the next-gen Xbox Helix.
What publishers are you hoping to see jump on board? Hit the comments, let us know.
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
There still exists enormous untapped potential within Blizzard franchises, in my view. World of Warcraft has yet to reclaim the heights of the Wrath of the Lich King days, although I would argue the potential still exists therein. Dormant franchises like StarCraft are waiting in the wings for a big-budget revival, and even classic games like Heroes of the Storm would likely have a new audience with the right business model and investment.
We haven't seen BlizzCon since 2023, as the firm now typically waits for a wider variety of announcements to coalesce before spinning up the event. As such, I'm expecting this year's BlizzCon to be perhaps its biggest and most important yet — in an age where competition for Blizzard's staples is also more aggressive than ever.
Here are some spoiler-free hopes, dreams, speculations, and information about what to expect from Blizzard Entertainment's big show.
The big one: StarCraft at Blizzcon 2026
Long dormant, StarCraft remains one of Blizzard's most beloved and nostalgic franchises. (Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)
StarCraft is coming back this year, after a long period in cryostasis.
StarCraft is Blizzard's flagship sci-fi franchise, although it has been dormant since the conclusion of StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void back in 2015. If we're talking about major tentpole releases, the wait has been even longer.
StarCraft is set in a bleak future where humanity is besieged by futuristic Protoss and Alien-like infesting Zerg. StarCraft and Battle.net were both instrumental in legitimizing esports in general, particularly in Korea, where the game's demanding real-time strategic gameplay won over millions.
In the Activision era, former CEO Bobby Kotick preferred franchises that could reach mass mainstream audiences, and eschewed "niche" genres even if their fans were incredibly engaged. Now under Xbox, which arguably specializes in "niche," there's every chance we could see StarCraft see a bombastic revival.
Even in 2026, the classic StarCraft games more than hold up. We all know about the long-rumored StarCraft shooter, but what about a revival for the RTS games too? (Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment Inc.)
Blizzard has been hiring for an "open world shooter" for many years, seeking disciplinary expertise for vehicular gameplay and first- and third-person combat. I've personally seen some early test footage of the project Schreier first reported on, featuring playable Terran marines battling Zerg threats in what appears to be an open-world setting, complete with high-end visuals and cinematic campaign treatment.
It's unclear exactly what the finished product will be like, but I'm expecting and hoping for a full-blown co-op campaign with multiplayer PvE content, akin to Gears of War's new Siege mode, for example, or perhaps something broader like Helldivers 2. Schreier recently said on his podcast not to expect it to be an MMO-lite akin to Destiny, but StarCraft would surely be a ripe option for multiplayer PvE content on the side, or maybe even PvP content, pitting Protoss, human, and Zerg players against each other somehow.
I'm also curious if Blizzard plans to revive some of the StarCraft RTS games as well. Nexon has reportedly pitched to Blizzard to build a game within the StarCraft IP. I've heard rumors that Blackbird Interactive, which was a co-dev on Warcraft Remastered, might also be once again involved in Blizzard's classic RTS efforts — although perhaps that is for Warcraft itself again. Speaking of ...
Warcraft at BlizzCon 2026
The conclusion of Xal'atath's story arc should be revealed at BlizzCon 2026. (Image credit: Blizzard)
Warcraft remains Blizzard's most visible franchise, more than likely, as the industry-leading subscription-based MMORPG enters its third decade.
I'm fully expecting that Blizzard will reveal not only the next major content patch for the current expansion, Midnight, but also give us the full rundown of The Last Titan.
World of Warcraft is in a bit of an odd place in my view, with something of an identity crisis. Warcraft's writing team seems intent on making it more "cozy" and appealing to broader audiences, at the cost of the franchise's historical bite and edge. Horde and Alliance faction war has been edited out of the story, and the game's writing in general has been a lot more "gentle" in recent times.
I've long thought World of Warcraft still has a ton of untapped potential to reach its old-school audience; whether that comes in the form of gameplay or story direction (or a combination of both) remains to be seen, but I'm expecting Blizzard to over-deliver for World of Warcraft in the near future. Why? Blizzard potentially has some serious competition looming on the horizon in the form of the League of Legends MMO, long in development at Riot Games. Final Fantasy 14 has also proven itself to be a viable alternative. Blizzard tends to do best when it has competitors biting at its heels.
With RTS games like Age of Empires and WH40K: Dawn of War getting a lot of love this year, could Blizzard circle back on classic Warcraft RTS games too? (Image credit: Blizzard)
Beyond World of Warcraft retail, there are strong rumors of a so-called "Classic+" reveal on the horizon.
Blizzard has been trying to deliver two separate experiences of WoW for some time, with the more RPG-leaning classic rendition of the game re-emerging as a separate experience. Fans of that gameplay style want something more, leading many to think that codename "Camelot" might represent a World of Warcraft Classic "prequel" of sorts, taking place in Azeroth's ancient history.
On top of that, there are also rumors that Blizzard might be exploring Warcraft's RTS roots again. A title, "Warcraft Chronicles," emerged alongside the Camelot codename, and given rumors I've heard about RTS aficionados Blackbird Interactive being on board with Blizzard again, perhaps we could see new expansions for Warcraft 3, or remakes of Warcraft 1 or 2 even.
It does seem like a general industry trend right now to bring new content to older games. Witcher 3 is getting a new expansion, for example, and Microsoft un-canceled expansions for Age of Empires II and III both, as the franchise finds a small but very passionate audience. I think new content for Blizzard's classic RTS games is something I personally highly expect, given what we've heard.
Overwatch, Diablo, and ... Heroes of the Storm?!
Could we see an Age of Empires-style Heroes of the Storm revival? (Image credit: Windows Central)
Finally, we have Overwatch and Diablo. Overwatch is arguably Blizzard's biggest franchise now, enjoyed by millions across the world. Blizzard's strategy of over-delivering a huge tranche of heroes all at once really helped Overwatch regain popularity, and remains one of the few big service games capable of tapping both Gen-Z and Millennial audiences in equal measure.
I'm expecting Overwatch to continue its upward trajectory with new hero announcements, and perhaps, finally, we'll see some form of transmedia announcement for the franchise. Overwatch's lore and characterization have received a ton of investment in recent months. What better way to top that off than a big-budget Netflix Anime or perhaps even an animated movie?
Speaking of, I'm also expecting Diablo to get the same transmedia treatment. I've been hearing for months that Diablo has a TV show in development. It's unclear whether it's at Netflix or Amazon or whoever else. Perhaps we'll see that revealed in full here at BlizzCon 2026, if it's indeed true.
Lillith's story arc might be over, but Diablol (Image credit: Blizzard)
I expect we'll also hear what's next for Diablo. One thing I've heard is that Blizzard wants the waiting time between tentpole Diablo launches to be shorter, although it's probably still too early for a reveal of Diablo 5 if I had to guess. It's more likely we'll see a big season reveal for Diablo 4, and if we're lucky, maybe more classic content for Diablo 2 like the recent Warlock DLC. This is one area where Blizzard could surprise me, though.
I'm not expecting a new Diablo 4 expansion right now, instead with resources flowing towards Diablo 5. But I could be wrong; I'm excited to find out what they're cooking here.
Beyond that, we'll likely get new content for Hearthstone (perhaps the long-awaited Monk class inclusion?), and I wouldn't be surprised if Blizzard also announces other new mobile game spin-offs from third parties, such as Overwatch Rush.
But what about ... Heroes of the Storm? Blizzard's long-dormant MOBA has been getting an uptick in love recently, with updates filtering through, and it even has some esports tournaments at BlizzCon this year as well. A little birdie has been teasing me that this upcoming weekend could be exciting for Heroes of the Storm fans ... what would it look like if Heroes of the Storm got a similar Overwatch-style multi-hero announcement?! Let me have my hopium ...
What do YOU want to see from BlizzCon 2026?
Heroes of the Storm is ready for a revival in my view. Bring on the classics! (Image credit: Blizzard)
Blizzard is one of the game industry's most legendary outlets, on par with the likes of Nintendo. Few studios have managed to deliver so consistently for so long, creating so many millions of fans across such a wide variety of genres.
I have my issues with Blizzard's direction at times, particularly with World of Warcraft's writing, and the lack of love for games like StarCraft and Heroes of the Storm. BlizzCon is always an opportunity to see Blizzard addressing feedback, however. And we know that they can do it: Overwatch is proof that awesome games can be revived with the right amount of love and investment. Diablo 4 is proof that Blizzard can still deliver top-shelf story writing, too.
BlizzCon 2026 feels like the first time in years every major Blizzard franchise has real momentum again.
I'd love to see Heroes of the Storm get a console port to Xbox, PlayStation, and even Nintendo Switch. MOBAs absolutely can work on console, and with an eclectic cast of known characters, I think Heroes of the Storm could find a huge new audience, especially if they opened it up to third-party characters. Microsoft-owned characters like The Doom Slayer, Master Chief, and even weirder stuff like Banjo would be a perfect fit for the game in my view, even if some Heroes fans might consider it sacrilegious ... it hardly makes a ton of sense for Tracer to be fighting Deathwing in the first place, no?
Adding new content to Warcraft 3 or remaking classic RTS titles like StarCraft 1 or Warcraft 1 and 2 would also help the genre's resurgence. I'd love to see something surprising and new for Overwatch too, beyond new heroes, and I'm intrigued to see where Blizzard takes Diablo from here.
Writing a spoiler-free BlizzCon predictions/preview/hopes and dreams article today. What do YOU want to see?September 8, 2026
Either way, there's still so so much potential within Blizzard in my view, despite how big it already is. BlizzCon is becoming an industry event in its own right, now featuring content from third parties like CD Projekt RED for the first time. Could we eventually see it evolve to include even more games and franchises? It's exciting to think about.
Let me know what you want to see from BlizzCon 2026 in the comments. I'll be out there, so say hi if you see me!
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
Connexion
