Players hoping to join the Diablo 4 open beta this weekend must prepare themselves for “unprecedented" queue times as the developers test online infrastructure.
The official Diablo Twitter account reiterated Blizzard's comments last week that a beta is about testing functionality instead of just letting people play early. "As we prepare to open the gates to Sanctuary, we'd like to remind our players that the Diablo 4 open beta is a test to ensure a smooth launch," it said (below).
"We expect unprecedented traffic and queue times as a result. We appreciate your patience and understanding."
As we prepare to open the gates to Sanctuary, we'd like to remind our players that the #DiabloIV Open Beta is a test to ensure a smooth launch.
— Diablo (@Diablo) March 23, 2023
We expect unprecedented traffic and queue times as a result. We appreciate your patience & understanding.
📜: https://t.co/Q4Q3Manehg
Other Blizzard employees also took to the internet to warn players of the lengthy times. "Best to set some expectations early but any issues this weekend are better found now than at launch," tweeted Diablo general manager Rod Fergusson. "Please be patient with us as we expect a lot of players joining to help test our game and infrastructure."
In an accompanying forum post, community manager PezRadar explained that, "while we know it can be frustrating, we need queues to properly stress test our services, and we are designing to ensure we have them [the queues] some of the time."
He also forewarned players that there will be short periods wherein the game is taken offline entirely while the team deploys infrastructure fixes and performs maintenance. Queue times are likely to be at their worst soon after the open beta begins on Friday, and "during peak regional windows".
The remarks follow last weekend’s beta where participants already experienced long wait times to access the game and were met with a number of error messages. A positive for some players, though, is that this weekend's one doesn't require a KFC to enter, and will be available to all from March 24 to March 27.
Diablo 4 is set to release on June 6 on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series, and PC. For more on the game be sure to check out IGN’s review in progress, and for tips on how to get the most out of this weekend’s open beta head on over to our Diablo 4 Wiki page.
Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer
