Blizzard has postponed the return of leaderboards in Diablo 4 until 2026 to ensure stability for the upcoming season and incorporate player feedback. The feature, tied to a new endgame dungeon called The Tower, was originally planned for Season 11 starting December 11. It will now launch in beta form with patch 2.5.2 sometime next year.
Announcement Details
Blizzard revealed the delay during a recent Diablo 4 developer update livestream. Associate game director Zaven Haroutunian explained the decision stems from a need for season-launch stability and refinements based on testing. The original plan included debuting The Tower and leaderboards on December 11, but the team opted to push it back after feedback from the Season 11 public test realm, which featured an early, intentionally rough version of the dungeon.
The Tower and Leaderboards
The Tower is a new competitive dungeon where players test builds, compete on clear times, and earn rewards. Haroutunian noted that while it shares similarities with The Pit—both drawing from Diablo 3's Greater Rifts—it will evolve into a distinct mode over time. 'The Tower is going to start very similar, because it's starting at the same foundation,' he said. 'Over time, it will change, it will morph, it will be its own thing. And The Pit will suddenly have all this space it's freed up to occupy.'
Planned Improvements
Blizzard aims to address issues like progress orbs spawning too far from players, reducing backtracking, and minimizing the need to 'fish' for ideal dungeon layouts, a complaint echoed from Diablo 3. The team also plans to handle outlier bosses and environments that hinder competition. 'We want to aim at consistency and make sure the mode is fun, exciting, and competitive over just cramming in visual variety in it just for its own sake,' Haroutunian stated. This marks the first time Blizzard will introduce a major feature in beta for Diablo 4.
Season Context
Season of Divine Intervention launches December 11 with major updates, including permanent changes to Tempering and Masterworking systems, plus more intelligent enemies. A second expansion is expected in 2026. Previously, Diablo 4 had leaderboards that launched early in the game's lifecycle but were removed with the Vessel of Hatred expansion.