Diablo 4 beta dates and preloading times for the 'server slam' weekend

By Tyler Colp
last updated

Here's when you can preload and play in the Diablo 4 betas to take a crack at all five classes in the first zone.

Diablo 4 beta - Lilith
(Image credit: Blizzard)
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After many, many years of waiting, the public had its first chance to play Diablo 4 during the open beta in March, and there was much rejoicing. If you weren't lucky enough to have playtime to spare that weekend, don't worry: Blizzard's running another playtest to stress-test their server setup. The Diablo 4 "Server Slam" playtest begins on Friday, May 12.

Diablo 4 beta start times

The Diablo 4 server slam playtest will be available to everyone. The playtest will start on Friday, May 12 at 12 pm PT and end on Sunday, May 14 at 12 pm PT.

When does the Diablo 4 server slam beta start? 

  • PDT: 12 pm, May 12 - 12 pm May 14
  • EDT: 3 pm, May 12 - 3 pm, May 14
  • BST: 8 pm, May 12 - 8pm, May 14
  • CET: 9 pm, May 12 - 9 pm, May 14

Like the open beta, the Server Slam will be limited to the Fractured Peaks, one of five regions that make up Diablo 4's open world. All five classes will be playable. The prologue and first act of the game takes place in the snowy, mountainous zone and eventually leads you to Kyovashad, the capital city. The level cap will be set at 20 this time instead of the 25 from past beta weekends, with some earnable cosmetic Diablo 4 beta rewards on offer for reaching level 20 and for killing the Ashava world boss.

After playing the first beta period, we've got a lot of feelings. Some of us feel Blizzard is back in their old form, others are convinced that skill trees are great, actually, and one was prepared not to like this new Diablo but was brought around by an ass-kicking from The Butcher.

Diablo 4 beta preloading times

Server slam preloading begins on the Wednesday, May 10 at 12 pm PT.

Diablo 4 beta preloading times

  • PDT: 12 pm, May 10
  • EDT: 3 pm, May 10
  • BST: 8 pm, May 10
  • CET: 9 pm, May 10

What are the Diablo 4 system requirements? 

Minimum (1080p, 720p render resolution, low graphics settings, 30 fps)

  • CPU: Intel Core i5 2500K or AMD FX 8100
  • RAM: 8 GB RAM
  • GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 or AMD RAdeon R9 280
  • Storage: 45 GB available space

Recommended (1080p, medium graphics settings, 60 fps)

  • CPU: Intel Core i5 4670K or AMD R3 1300X 
  • RAM: 16 GB
  • GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 or AMD Radeon RX 370
  • Storage: 45 GB available space

Previous Diablo 4 open beta periods

Previous Diablo 4 open beta periods

Diablo 4's first beta playtests ran in March 2023.  Players who had pre-purchased Diablo 4 had early access to the beta playtest from March 17-19. The open beta was playable for everyone during the following weekend, from March 24-26.

Tyler Colp
Associate Editor

Tyler has covered games, games culture, and hardware for over a decade before joining PC Gamer as Associate Editor. He's done in-depth reporting on communities and games as well as criticism for sites like Polygon, Wired, and Waypoint. He's interested in the weird and the fascinating when it comes to games, spending time probing for stories and talking to the people involved. Tyler loves sinking into games like Final Fantasy 14, Overwatch, and Dark Souls to see what makes them tick and pluck out the parts worth talking about. His goal is to talk about games the way they are: broken, beautiful, and bizarre.

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