BlizzCon is back this weekend, and the sessions most likely to impact Blizzard’s future are already sold out in Saturday’s opening hours.
BlizzCon 2026 will take place on September 12 and 13 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California. Home viewers are going to want to tune in for the Opening Ceremony and the key stretch includes World of Warcraft presentations, a Diablo developer update and a closer look at Overwatch’s next hero.
Blizzard also noted that post-Opening Ceremony, the schedule will be tweaked to add sessions relating to announcements that have yet to be revealed. BlizzCon 2026 Opening Ceremony Time
The Opening Ceremony will start at 10:30 a.m. PDT on Saturday, Sept. 12.
| Time | Time Zone | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 10:30 a.m. | PDT | Los Angeles |
| 11:30 a.m. | MDT | Denver |
| 12:30 p.m. | CDT | Chicago |
| 1:30 p.m. | EDT | New York |
| 5:30 p.m. | UTC | International |
Blizzard has chosen the Opening Ceremony as the place to make its biggest announcements, with company president Johanna Faries and the heads of the company’s most important franchises expected to be in attendance.
If you’re only going to watch one thing live from BlizzCon, this is the one to prioritise.
The ceremony is expected to last about 75 minutes.The Opening Ceremony is immediately followed by World of Warcraft.
After the opening presentation, World of Warcraft is the first choice.
World of Warcraft: What’s Next at 12:00 p.m. PDT / 3:00 p.m. EDT
The second presentation, World of Warcraft: What’s Next II, starts at 2:45 p.m. PDT / 5:45 p.m. EDT.
The move to divide the franchise update into two Main Stage sessions suggests that Blizzard has enough content to fill more than one presentation, instead of cramming it all into a single panel.
Both are worth it for World of Warcraft players.# Diablo Developer Update.
Diablo is presented first as World of Warcraft presentation.
Diablo: Developer Update at 1:45 p.m. PDT / 4:45 p.m. EDT.
Blizzard has already announced that Diablo will have a big presence at BlizzCon, with the franchise expected to be featured during the Opening Ceremony and with further development discussions later in the day.
This makes the developer update more useful as a follow up to the main announcement block, rather than a stand alone presentation.
There will also be The Art of Darkness: Behind Diablo IV’s Cinematics, another Diablo-themed session.
That panel will be of particular interest to viewers interested in visual effects, animation, cinematic design and game production.# Overwatch highlights its next hero
Overwatch is set after the second session of World of Warcraft.
Overwatch: Hero Deep Dive starts at 3:45 p.m. PDT / 6:45 p.m. EDT.
The title establishes clear focus. Blizzard will hold a full Main Stage session dedicated to a hero deep dive, where players will be able to see the gameplay details, design decisions, and abilities after the more general announcements earlier in the day.
Overwatch programming continues through the weekend with more developer and esports programming.## BlizzCon 2026 Saturday schedule
| Event | Pacific | Eastern |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Ceremony | 10:30 a.m. | 1:30 p.m. |
| World of Warcraft: What’s Next | 12:00 p.m. | 3:00 p.m. |
| Diablo: Developer Update | 1:45 p.m. | 4:45 p.m. |
| World of Warcraft: What’s Next II | 2:45 p.m. | 5:45 p.m. |
| Overwatch: Hero Deep Dive | 3:45 p.m. | 6:45 p.m. |
The schedule is oddly convenient for most viewers in the United States. The main sessions are in the afternoon and early evening, rather than stretching into the nite.
BlizzCon 2026: When and where to watch
You don’t have to be in Anaheim to know the biggest news.
Blizzard announced that select BlizzCon programming, including the Opening Ceremony, major panels and esports competitions, will be streamed live.
Various aspects of the event will be streamed on Blizzard’s official channels and on individual game channels on Twitch and YouTube.
In addition to the main broadcast by Blizzard, fans of a particular franchise should also tune into that game’s official channel.
Some live entertainment will be for attendees only and not all on-site activities will be streamed.There are also in-game rewards for viewers.
BlizzCon streams will have a variety of viewing incentives from Blizzard.
Watch eligible World of Warcraft, Diablo IV, Overwatch, Hearthstone, and other Blizzard communities broadcasts to earn event-related rewards.
StarCraft is also included.
Blizzard says you can earn a 10-Day XP Boost by watching eligible StarCraft content on Twitch from September 12 to 13.
This particular detail is interesting, as the franchise has garnered renewed attention in anticipation of the event, due to strange activity on the franchise’s official website.
Until Blizzard makes an official statement regarding a new StarCraft game, any bigger announcements are just speculation until Blizzard says otherwise.# Schedule subject to change following the Opening Ceremony.
One of the more interesting tidbits of info in Blizzard’s event guidance is its note that the full schedule will be updated after the Opening Ceremony.
This does not guarantee that the reveal will be surprising.
Many of the big gaming events don’t release the session info to avoid panels spoiling something before it’s announced.
That said, this means the BlizzCon schedule we see now may not be the final one.
Programming will follow the Opening Ceremony, and there’s a chance Blizzard could show off an unannounced game or a significant project.
This highlights the significance of the opening presentation.## Main Stage is smaller than BlizzCon
The Main Stage will grab the headlines, but there’s more to the event than just franchise announcements.
BlizzCon 2026 will feature dedicated areas and programming for Blizzard’s legacy games, including World of Warcraft, Diablo, Hearthstone, and Overwatch.
Esports remains the king of the weekend with the Overwatch World Cup, World of Warcraft Arena World Championship, Mythic Dungeon International, Hearthstone Masters Tour World Championship and Blizzard Classic Cup.
Attendees will also get to check out playable games and all the other experiences on the show floor.
The Blizzard Arcade also returns to the convention with classic titles like StarCraft and Heroes of the Storm.# What television programs should you watch?
Start with the Opening Ceremony for big announcements.
Add both What’s Next sessions to your calendar for World of Warcraft.
First, watch the Diablo Opening Ceremony, then continue on to the Developer Update.
Most obviously, Overwatch players interested in the next character and the way in which that hero will play are going to the Hero Deep Dive.
Also, after the Opening Ceremony is done, check the schedule in case Blizzard has any surprise plans.
Sometimes the most interesting thing about BlizzCon is what isn’t on the schedule.