Diablo 4 on Switch 2 is more than possible, but Blizzard needs to make huge changes first

Blizzard’s Diablo series will always be a PC series, but it’s no secret that Diablo has done phenomenally well on console. From the Diablo 3 console port to Diablo 2 Resurrected to the new Diablo 4, the ARPG franchise has burst into the living room.

While I don’t really mind where I play any Diablo game, I’ve become really fond of playing the series on the Nintendo Switch. With Nintendo Switch 2 now truly announced with a proper release date, specs and a list of new games, I’ll be playing a helluva lot of Diablo on the new handheld via backward compatibility. But with the new handheld’s massive power boost, could we finally see Diablo 4 on a Nintendo platform?

Diablo 4 on Nintendo Switch 2 is more than possible

Before the actual reveal of the Nintendo Switch 2, leaks already revealed that Blizzard is planning to release a version of Diablo 4 for the new handheld system. While nothing has been revealed, there are reportedly plans to bring the ARPG to Nintendo’s powerful new console.

With Diablo 4 available on base Xbox One and PS4, albeit with some major issues with new content, there is no reason why Nintendo players can’t get a version of the newest entry in the series. The game also only takes up around 40GB on Xbox Series S so the game could fit neatly in a 64GB Switch 2 cartridge without using Game Key Carts.

We’ve already seen the Switch 2 run CPU intensive games like Cyberpunk 2077, a game that is significantly harder to run than Diablo 4. With the new Nintendo handheld blowing the Steam Deck away according to developers, a platform which runs D4 very well, there’s no technical limit to the game on Switch 2, but there is one thing that will prove annoying.

D4 needs to drop online requirements for Switch 2

At the time of writing, Diablo 4 can only be played online. Despite many players enjoying the game solo, the game requires an internet connection at all times to be played. Obviously, Nintendo Switch 2 is a portable console, you can take it anywhere from the bathroom to someone else’s bathroom, and online only games are incredibly annoying when played portably.

It’s not a deal-breaker. (Well, unless Blizzard is suffering yet another DDOS attack.) However, I can’t be the only one who’s been playing an offline character in D2R on Switch, turned off the screen while I check my phone and had to restart the game because I disconnected from the internet. It can be pretty damn annoying.

Diablo 4 would only exacerbate this issue simply because of its complete lack of offline play. I hate online-only requirements at the best of times—and let’s be honest, D4 doesn’t need an internet connection for anything other than endgame content and selling us things.

I want Diablo 4 on Nintendo Switch 2—I think it would be sweet. However, with the game’s online-only setup, it would be a pain. It’s still a great game, but it would be a more annoying one unless Blizzard changes tact.