Diablo IV hits $666 million in sales in just five days: how it compares to previous games in series

Diablo IV is now generating a hell of a lot of money, as it has already become Blizzard’s fastest-selling game ever both in dollars and units sold. Let’s take a look at sales figures for other games in the long-lasting series.

Activision Blizzard shared the news in a press release, saying that Diablo IV surpassed $666 million in sales globally in its first five days. However, the company didn’t disclose how many copies were sold exactly.

If we divide sales by the base global price of $70, Diablo IV could have sold around 9.5 million units. However, there are also Deluxe ($90) and Ultimate ($100) versions, so it is hard to estimate the total number of copies sold, and the real figures are likely lower than 9.5 million copies.

“Diablo IV is a result of our incredible teams working together to craft and support genre-defining games, build legendary worlds, and inspire memories that will last a lifetime,” Blizzard president Mike Ybarra said in a statement. “We’re humbled by the response, proud of the team, and remain committed to listening to our players and ensuring Diablo continues to exceed expectations for years to come.”

How do Diablo IV’s sales compare to previous games in the series?

• The first Diablo game, released in January 1997, shipped over 500k units during its first days on sale and surpassed 1 million copies sold by November. Overall, the game has sold over 2.5 million units globally.
• Diablo II, released in June 2000, sold 184k copies in its first 24 hours, hitting the 1 million mark after two weeks. Although it is hard to track the game’s total sales, it surpassed 4 million units sold in June 2001.
• Diablo III, released in May 2012, had an even bigger launch, selling over 3.5 million copies in its first day. It had crossed the 30 million mark by August 2015, with Rod Fergusson saying last year that the game had attracted “over 65 million players” (not pure sales).
• Diablo II: Resurrected, released in September 2021, had sold 5 million units by April 2022.
• Last year, Blizzard also called Diablo Immortal “the biggest launch in franchise history” after announcing that it had reached over 10 million installs. But it is hard to take claims like these seriously given that Immortal is a free-to-play title.