Diablo III is an action role-playing dungeon crawler developed by Blizzard Entertainment, released in 2012 for PC, Mac, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. The third entry in the long-running Diablo franchise, it follows the series' established formula of battling through monster-filled dungeons against waves of beasts, undead, and demonic enemies across four distinct acts. Players choose from multiple character classes and progress through four escalating difficulty tiers — Normal, Nightmare, Hell, and Inferno — with a separate Hardcore mode adding permanent death stakes. A notable feature introduced in this installment is an auction house system allowing players to trade equipment using either in-game gold or real currency, the latter also redeemable for Blizzard merchandise. The game further includes an extensive achievements system that rewards players for meeting specific in-game milestones.
The game takes place in the dark fantasy world of the Diablo series twenty years after the events of Diablo II. Deckard Cain and his niece Leah are in the Tristram Cathedral investigating ancient texts regarding an ominous prophecy. Suddenly, a mysterious star falling from the sky strikes the Cathedral, creating a deep crater into which Deckard Cain disappears.
