Here are the best Diablo-like games to while the time away pre-Diablo 4. With rivals like these, Diablo 4 will have a tough time reclaiming the ARPG throne.
If you’re reading this then you probably know that Diablo 4 is coming, Diablo 2 is being resurrected, and it’s not long until Mephisto, Baal, Diablo and the old team will try to recapture our hearts, minds and souls like previous games in the series. But there is a problem for Blizzard and Diablo — a bunch of them, in fact. Because in the intervening decade since Diablo 3, a lot of games have built on its DNA of looting, power-levelling and ploughing through endless enemy swarms. And some of those games have done it really well. There are a lot of Diablo alternatives that not only scratch that Diablo itch, but may make it tricky for the de facto king of the genre to rule again. Here are ten of them. There’s no point postponing mention of the game that’s the most direct Diablo rival out there. Path of Exile is slower and more complex than Diablo 3, focusing instead on a seemingly infinite pool of character customisation and glorious endgame that can keep its hooks in you for years. You could also make the case that Path of Exile’s grimdark aesthetic is more true to Diablo 2 than Diablo 3 was. Path of Exile takes full advantage of being an online-only game thanks to a great player economy where any rare item you pick up may be of great value to another player. The community is huge, and you can have some great fun joining some random players for some questing. It’s completely free too, except for cosmetic gubbins. If you prefer steampunk over high fantasy, and believe a blunderbuss would make a fine off-hand accompaniment to a sword, then take a gander at Grim Dawn. The gothic Victorian theming gives it a flavour quite unlike anything else on this list, while retaining that moreish hack-and-slash-and-loot gameplay loop. Grim Dawn is for those who have grown tired of Diablo 3’s infinite scaling and relative ease. This is a tougher game, with a tougher grind that’s ultimately more rewarding for those seeking a challenge. The class system is interesting too — Inquisitors? Occultists? Combine the two to get a Deceiver? Color us intrigued. Made by a studio of Diablo alumni, Runic Games’ Torchlight series was always going to have an almost preternatural understanding of what made Diablo great. Torchlight 2 abandons the dark Diablo aesthetic for a bold high-fantasy style, but the compelling simplicity of combat combined with intricacy of character building is all there.
