Diablo 4 Season 5: Infernal Hordes – Release date, theme & everything we know so far

Here’s everything we know about Diablo 4 Season 5: Season of the Infernal Hordes, including release date, new endgame modes, and more.

Diablo 4 Season 5: Infernal Hordes looks set to be the last season before the Vessel of Hatred expansion changes the game forever. While Season 4 served as a soft reset of sorts for Diablo 4, and told a side story about the Iron Wolves faction, Season 5 is sending players straight to Hell.

Season 5: Season of the Infernal Hordes is what the season will be called and is set to make some substantial changes to the game, building on Season 4’s success. Here’s everything we know about Season 5 of Diablo 4 so far.

Season 5 release date

Diablo 4 Season 5 will begin on August 6 and end on October 8, 2024 – the same day the Vessel of Hatred DLC arrives and Season 6 begins.

What is the theme for Season 5 of Diablo 4?

The theme for Season 5 of Diablo 4: Season of the Infernal Hordes with the previous tagline being “Return to Hell.”

While we can expect Season 6 to connect to the Vessel of Hatred DLC, Season 5’s story currently remains a mystery, but could involve Diablo himself.

The theme may be a nod to The Lord of Terror, or will at least provide a new side story that involves the player needing to go back into the fiery depths.

Chances are, Diablo himself won’t show up until the next DLC expansion in 2025, or possibly even in 2026, but it seems pretty clear that we’ll be exploring his domain again in Season 5. Of course, Diablo isn’t the only demon who hails from Hell, so Season 5 will likely introduce a new threat to battle.

Previous seasons in Diablo 4 have involved taking part in many, many, Helltide events. But the Season of the Infernal Hordes could flip this, seeing the player needing to stop them at their source.

Season 5 features

Season 5 of Diablo 4 is set to make various changes to the way the game is played, starting with an even more menacing version of The Butcher, a selection of new Uniques and Legendary Aspects, and finally, a new endgame mode known as Infernal Hordes.

This will invite players to participate in a wave-based mode buttressed by “survival-like choices” between each wave. Notably, it’ll all culminate in new boss encounters versus the Fell Council – likely the season’s newest villains.

Here’s everything that’s coming to Season 5:

• The Infernal Hordes are a wave-based feature that can be taken on solo or with friends. Select Infernal Offerings (a boon or bane to augment a run) between waves to increase the enemy’s potency and the final rewards.
• Access the new Infernal Hordes feature on both Realms, where it will be interwoven through a Seasonal Questline on the Seasonal Realm, and accessible after a brief new Questline on the Eternal Realm at World Tier III.
• At the end of every Infernal Hordes run, players will face off against the Fell Council. There are 5 Fell Council members total and 3 different members will be selected at random to fight you. Be wary of their unique abilities in the various combinations you’ll encounter them.
• New Hellbreach Dungeons will be available in the Seasonal Realm to give players a first taste of what to expect in Infernal Hordes. These dungeons will reward players with Burning Aether that can be spent on chests at the end.
• Over 50 new Uniques and Legendaries are coming this Season and will persist beyond the Season’s end. Earn these items by slaying enemies across Sanctuary and in the Infernal Hordes.
• Earn Seasonal Progression by collecting caches that drop from slaying powerful servants of Hell. Once you’ve unlocked Seasonal Progression, the Infernal Hordes feature will be one of the best ways to increase your reputation and earn caches throughout the Season.
• Earn even more rewards by progressing through the Season Journey and completing the new Battle Pass which features 28 Free Tiers and 62 Premium Tiers.

On August 1 at 7pm BST, Blizzard will have a Developer Update Livestream that dives further into Season of the Infernal Hordes. Check out this live stream on their Twitch and YouTube Channels.

As Season 5 is to be the last before the DLC, it will be the final Diablo season before the Vessel of Hatred DLC overhauls the game, adding more story content, a new class, and introducing new features such as mercenaries for hire.