Diablo 4 closed alpha reportedly underway, but don’t expect access anytime soon

Blizzard Entertainment’s Diablo 4 could be the most hotly anticipated entry in the franchise and a closed alpha is currently ongoing. Unfortunately, access to it will be almost impossible for most people.

One of the granddaddies of the RPG, looter franchise, Diablo developed a reputation for being utterly engrossing and hundreds of millions of hours have been logged across the franchise’s multiple games.

Diablo Immortal was the most recent entry as the free-to-play mobile spin-off has proven to be very popular, despite its emphasis on microtransactions.

Most eyes though are on 2023 as this is touted at the release period for Diablo 4 and the game is apparently undergoing a closed alpha test. But if you’re wondering if you can participate, we’d advise you to curb your enthusiasm.

Diablo 4 closed alpha test is for “friends and family”

As reported by renowned Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier, testing of Diablo 4 is happening behind the scenes with players sworn to NDAs.

The natural inclination is to wonder who’s actually eligible for this closed alpha and the requirements to take part are very strict.

Schreier said in a Tweet: “Another fun but minor Blizzard tidbit that I haven’t seen reported anywhere yet: a bunch of people are playing an early build of Diablo IV right now thanks to a friends-and-family alpha test. Players are under NDA, but I’m hearing mostly positive buzz.”

So unless you know someone connected to Blizzard Entertainment, then the closed alpha is a pure friends and family affair.

Another fun but minor Blizzard tidbit that I haven't seen reported anywhere yet: a bunch of people are playing an early build of Diablo IV right now thanks to a friends-and-family alpha test. Players are under NDA, but I'm hearing mostly positive buzz

— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) August 3, 2022

On the plus side, hearing that the reception to it is “mostly positive buzz” is a good sign and will give fans hope and expectation that Diablo 4 will be another solid iteration in the long-running RPG series.

A big worry about the game has been the nature of microtransactions, due to Diablo Immortal’s controversy, but Schreier hammered home the point that this will not be the case for Diablo 4: “People should reserve judgement of Diablo IV until it’s out, of course, but Blizzard has said pretty clearly that the MTX [Microtransactions] are cosmetic-only.”

It’s still a while until Diablo 4 comes out, but the early indicators are good, and we expect to hear more from Blizzard moving forward.