BlizzCon 2026 starts tomorrow, and if you follow any of Blizzard's franchises, this is the weekend that actually matters. World of Warcraft updates, Overwatch hero reveals, Diablo news, and the announcement everyone is genuinely holding their breath for: something new from StarCraft.
The event runs September 12-13 at the Anaheim Convention Center. For anyone not making the trip to Southern California, Blizzard is streaming the whole thing live on both their official YouTube channel and their Twitch channel. No subscription required, no paywalls.
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The opening ceremony is where it all starts
The Opening Ceremony kicks off Day 1 at 10:30 a.m. PDT / 1:30 p.m. EDT and runs for an hour and 15 minutes. That's the slot where Blizzard drops its biggest announcements. Everything after that on the main stage tends to be the follow-up detail sessions, the deep dives, and the developer panels that fill in the gaps.
Here's the full main stage schedule across both days (all times PDT):
Day 1 - September 12
Day 2 - September 13
What Blizzard is actually likely to announce
The schedule makes clear that World of Warcraft is getting the most real estate this weekend, with four separate main stage sessions across two days. World of Warcraft: Midnight released earlier this year, so the focus will likely be on where the story goes next through upcoming patches. Whether Blizzard is ready to formally announce the next expansion, The Last Titan, is less certain. Blizzard typically spaces expansion reveals by about two years, and Midnight only just launched. Temper those expectations accordingly.
Overwatch is getting a Hero Deep Dive session on Day 1, which practically telegraphs a new hero reveal. Blizzard committed to releasing 10 new heroes this year, and two slots are still unfilled heading into this weekend.
For Diablo 4, a developer update is on the schedule, but with an expansion already out this year, the session is more likely to cover seasonal content and quality-of-life updates than anything major. If you want a refresher on recent Diablo 4 content, check out the Diablo 4 Warlock free trial guide for context on where the game stands right now.
The StarCraft question nobody can stop talking about
Here's the thing: everything else at BlizzCon 2026 is expected. StarCraft is not.
In the weeks leading up to the event, Blizzard started hiding messages on the official StarCraft website, the kind of deliberate breadcrumb trail that studios don't do by accident. Layered on top of that are reports of a partnership between Blizzard and Korean publisher Nexon to develop a new entry in the franchise. What form that takes is still unclear. It could be a new mainline RTS, a continuation of the StarCraft universe in a different genre, or the shooter that has been floating around in rumors for a while.
StarCraft 2 launched back in 2010. The series has been dormant in any meaningful sense for years. A proper announcement this weekend would be the biggest Blizzard news in a long time, and the pre-show signals are pointing directly at it.
BlizzCon has historically been the place where Blizzard resets the narrative around its franchises. This year feels like a particularly loaded edition. For reference on how other publishers have handled their own major event streams recently, the COD Next 2026 showcase watch guide covers how Activision ran a similar format in August.
The Opening Ceremony stream goes live at 10:30 a.m. PDT on September 12 on Blizzard's YouTube and Twitch channels. If StarCraft is back, that's where you'll find out. Keep an eye on our gaming guides for any follow-up coverage after the announcements drop.
