How to Watch BlizzCon 2026 and What to Expect

BlizzCon 2026 runs Saturday, September 12 and Sunday, September 13 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California. The convention floor is open from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM PDT on both days, and the Opening Ceremony begins at 10:30 AM PDT on Saturday.

The whole thing streams free. No Battle.net account, no ticket, no subscription required.

Where to Watch

Blizzard is broadcasting the Opening Ceremony, select major panels and esports through its official YouTube, Twitch and Battle.net channels.

For franchise-specific panels across the weekend, the individual channels carry more than the main stream does. World of Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, StarCraft and Hearthstone each have their own YouTube channels running dedicated programming.

The Opening Ceremony runs roughly 75 minutes from Hall D, with Blizzard President Johanna Faries appearing alongside leaders from each franchise. Blizzard has explicitly promised major game announcements during the presentation.

For viewers in Pakistan, 10:30 AM PDT on September 12 lands at 10:30 PM PKT the same evening.

The Day One Schedule

After the ceremony, developer update streams follow in quick succession on Saturday: World of Warcraft and Overwatch both at 12:00 PM PDT, Diablo at 1:45 PM PDT.

Sunday includes a live play session of Questwatch, a tabletop RPG spin-off of Overwatch, hosted by Matthew Mercer — the voice of Cassidy — at 12:00 PM PDT. Developer interviews and tournaments for StarCraft, Warcraft 3, Overwatch and Hearthstone fill out the rest of the weekend.

One important caveat: Blizzard has confirmed the published schedule is not final. The company plans to update it after the Opening Ceremony, leaving room for panels tied to games that have not yet been announced. That is an unusually direct hint that something is being held back.

The StarCraft Wildcard

The biggest unknown going in is StarCraft.

Blizzard began a cryptic teaser campaign on the official StarCraft site days before the show, and the franchise has suddenly returned to prominence after years on the shelf. No new game has been announced, but the combination of official teasing and separate reports about a shooter project has fans paying closer attention than usual.

The two dominant theories are a StarCraft shooter reveal or Nexon developing the next entry in the franchise. Neither is confirmed.

What Else Is Likely

World of Warcraft: a new expansion reveal is the safest bet on the board. BlizzCon has launched multiple expansion announcements historically, and a cinematic trailer for The Last Titan is widely anticipated. A new version of WoW Classic may also appear.

Overwatch: expect a heavier competitive focus than in recent years, with the World Cup returning. A reveal trailer for the next playable hero looks likely, along with details on how the current Reign of Talon storyline concludes.

Diablo: multiple future-focused panels are on the schedule, which usually means roadmap content rather than a surprise announcement — though Diablo has produced BlizzCon surprises before.

Twitch and YouTube Drops

Blizzard is running viewership rewards across World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo IV, Hearthstone, StarCraft II and Heroes of the Storm.

The process: link your Twitch or YouTube account to Battle.net, watch an eligible BlizzCon stream or game category, and keep watching until the required time threshold is met. Rewards are added automatically once the watch-time condition clears.

As an example of the scale, StarCraft II viewers can earn a 10-day XP boost for one hour of eligible StarCraft content on Twitch.

Blizzard is also running limited-time in-game bundle collections across its titles until September 28, 2026, covering cosmetics, mounts and pets.

What You Will Miss at Home

The musical performances are attendee-exclusive and will not be streamed. This year's headline act is K-pop group Le Sserafim, with Japanese duo Yoasobi performing during BlizzCon's first esports halftime show in the Overwatch World Cup Arena.

Other in-person-only elements include cosplay competitions, the Darkmoon Faire, Community Night, the March of the Murlocs, and the physical merch store.

The Short Version

Tune in at 10:30 AM PDT Saturday for the Opening Ceremony, which is where the announcements land. Then follow whichever franchise channel matters to you for the deeper panels. Link your accounts beforehand if you want the drops, since the watch-time clock only counts after the link is active.