Summary
- Blizzard’s diverse game library includes iconic titles like Starcraft, Warcraft, Diablo, WoW, Overwatch, and Hearthstone.
- Expansion packs like Brood War and The Frozen Throne added depth to popular games like Starcraft and Warcraft 3.
- Despite controversies, mergers, and departures, Blizzard remains a major player in the video game industry.
Blizzard is one of the most famous and recognizable names in the video gaming world. This famous brand has been responsible for multiple franchises that have had massive effects on their genres and the entire landscape of gaming.
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Blizzard Entertainment is one of the gaming landscape’s biggest developers. However, even Blizzard had titles that fell by the wayside.
The debate over which games in this vast library are the best will rage among gamers forever, partly because Blizzard has produced such a wide variety of genres and types of games, so it’s difficult to compare them. From a developer who focused heavily on real-time strategy games to the owner and operator of the most successful MMORPG of our time, Blizzard has continued to innovate and try new genres as time has gone on.
Updated on January 10, 2025, by Kristy Ambrose: Blizzard had made a name for itself in the gaming world thanks to its great RTS titles like Warcraft and Starcraft but many would be shocked by how much the company has grown in recent decades. Years of scandals have also rocked the company and many of the designers that drove the creation and development of these games have moved on, with some of the biggest changes stemming from the merger with Activision years ago and more recently, the behemoth Microsoft. Despite the problems, Blizzard is still a name to be reckoned with in the cutthroat world of video games.
10
Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm
The Star Of Real-Time Strategy
StarCraft II: Campaign Collection
- Developer(s)
-
Blizzard Entertainment
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Mighty
Starcraft 2 was already capturing the hearts of fans before Blizzard started rolling out the expansions. Even though there was never a Starcraft 3, the numerous expansions still took players through a complex and interesting storyline. These chapters included Brood War, Wings of Liberty, Heart of the Swarm, and Legacy of the Void, along with the spinoff titles, all of which included the various races and their backstories that make up the Starcraft universe.
The first Starcraft game was launched in 1998, and it began one of the greatest RTS franchises of all time. The original Starcraft was released on March 31, 1998, in North America and was an instant classic.
The game’s first expansion, Brood War, added new features and continued the game’s story. Although players could find a lot of enjoyment and competition in the multiplayer modes available, the continuation of the single-player campaign in the expansions and sequel helped build a lot of great lore for the franchise.
9
Diablo
An Isometric RPG Nightmare
Diablo
- Creation Year
-
1997
- Developer(s)
-
Blizzard Entertainment
, NetEase Games - Publisher(s)
-
Blizzard Entertainment
, Sierra Entertainment
When it first launched to the general public, the original Diablo generated its fair share of controversy and issues, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a beloved title in its own right. The Reaper of Souls expansion pack reinvigorated the title, hoping to give players more content for the middling release.
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Thankfully, developers knocked it out of the park with the expansion, releasing a title that had no issues, tons of content, and hours of additional fun for dedicated fans. There are some who would have liked for the campaign to be a bit longer, but the expansion definitely helped to erase some of the scars left by a less-than-stellar original launch.
8
Warcraft: Orcs & Humans
A Simple But Brilliant RTS Concept
Warcraft: Orcs and Humans
Real-Time Strategy
Adventure
- Released
-
November 15, 1994
- Platform(s)
-
Microsoft Windows
, macOS
, Linux - Developer(s)
-
Blizzard Entertainment
Orcs & Humans was the first installment in the series of real-time strategy games that would eventually become the world’s most popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game. It was originally released in 1994, a busy time for the RTS genre, and included the same basic ideas of building, conquering, and fighting, and broke new ground in the realm of multiplayer capabilities.
The player has only two choices regarding which race they play in Orcs & Humans, but the game is slightly different depending on whether it’s a multiplayer game or the campaigns. The multiplayer game always has the same objective, which is to conquer and defeat the enemy. The campaigns, on the other hand, are the series of missions that a player can complete, which evolved into much more sophisticated storylines in future games.
7
Warcraft 3
Also Available In An Updated Version, Warcraft: Reforged
Warcraft 3: Reforged
- Released
-
January 28, 2020
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Weak
Starcraft wasn’t the only successful RTS franchise in Blizzard’s corner. Many could argue that World of Warcraft is the superior RTS experience, considering it inspired a full-blown MMORPG that stands the test of time as one of the greatest games ever created for the genre. It’s one of the most influential RTS games of all time, Warcraft 3. Despite the game having a pretty terrible remaster released, the original game still has its soul.
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By the release of The Frozen Throne expansion, players were already fully immersed in Warcraft III and enjoying its amazing gameplay and engrossing storyline. The Frozen Throne was set to add more content to the already expansive game but actually managed to steal the show as perhaps the best part of the Warcraft III saga. This expansion pack is held in some of the highest regard by Blizzard fans.
6
Diablo 2
Everyone’s Favorite Sequel
- Released
-
June 28, 2000
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Strong
Diablo was considered by many to be one of the greatest games that Blizzard Entertainment ever created, so there were high hopes and additional scrutiny from the gaming world about what Diablo II could offer. It’s always difficult to produce a sequel to a highly beloved piece of entertainment because developers are always going to feel like they’re chasing perfection. The Diablo 3: Ultimate Evil Edition combines this title and the popular expansion for the original game, Reaper of Souls, into a single game only available on the PS4.
Thankfully, Diablo 2 turned out to be an absolute smash success, and there are many players out there who would argue it does so much more than its predecessor. It’s possible that Diablo 2 is the more beloved game out of the two and its development helped skyrocket the popularity of the ARPG, giving birth to a franchise that still stands strong to this day.
5
World Of Warcraft
The MMORPG That Was A Game Changer
- Released
-
November 23, 2004
World of Warcraft recently celebrated 20 years of gaming history, and the world’s most popular MMORPG has hit some bumps but shows no signs of slowing down. The game’s very first expansion, The Burning Crusade expansion was released all the way back in 2006, four years after the release of the game’s original vanilla version. It added two new races, one for each faction; the Alliance received the Draenei, and Blood Elves for the Horde, and both were drawn from the lore of Warcraft 3.
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The game’s second expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, was based on the popular expansion for the RTS game and took the already popular MMO off the charts. This expansion set was released on November 13, 2008, and sold 2.8 million copies on its launch day alone. The expansion focussed around Arthas, a former prince turned into the Lich King, a fan favorite that players didn’t know much about after Warcraft 3.
Cataclysm, which dates from 2010, is the expansion that made many physical changes to the already existing game world, and not everyone liked it. The Classic realms that exist now are fairly recent additions to cater to players who preferred the older game.
4
Overwatch
The New Generation Of FPS Games
- Franchise
-
Overwatch
- Released
-
May 24, 2016
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Mighty
Blizzard’s daring and intense FPS IP earns a place as the developer’s sixth-best game of all time, according to Metacritic. Overwatch was released on May 24, 2016, for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, with a Nintendo Switch version being released in late 2019, and has always enjoyed a lot of love from both fans and critics.
The game was flooded with both critical and commercial acclaim upon its release and has been supported with new maps and characters for its entire lifespan. The unique and detailed hero characters, which give this genre the nickname of “hero shooter” are part of the game’s appeal, each with different skills, weapons, gear, specialties, and other customized details.
3
Hearthstone
The Fantasy Card Game Based On Azerothian Lore
- Released
-
March 11, 2014
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Mighty
Our last entry relating to the Warcraft universe is the newest and most unique IP within the franchise. Hearthstone was released on March 11, 2014, for both Mac and Windows and was a huge success for Blizzard. The digital card game stands out from others using the lore of Warcraft along with fun graphics and RPG elements to match the card designs and characters.
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The game was critically received and due to its payment model made a ton of money, and was ported to mobile for both Android and iOS in 2014 to make even more. Hearthstone has also managed to amass a massive amount of attention in esports because of the game’s competitive nature.
2
Starcraft 2
A Highly Anticipated Sequel
StarCraft II: Campaign Collection
-
OpenCritic
-
Top Critic Rating:
87/100
Critics Recommend:
95%
- Developer(s)
-
Blizzard Entertainment
Our second-place entry is the long-awaited sequel to the original Starcraft. Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty was released on July 27, 2010, 12 years after the release of the original Starcraft. The game’s campaign focused on the terrain campaign, with the game’s subsequent two expansions each focusing on the other two races.
This game was a solid continuation of the story and made solid additions while still keeping to the feeling of its predecessor. It was released in three parts, and each one told the story from the PoV of one of the participating races. Wings of Liberty was about the rebel forces versus the Terran Dominion and was released in 2010. Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm which featured the Dominion’s story as the main focus, was launched in 2013. Starcraft 2: Legacy of the Void is the last installment, which was released in 2015, about the Protoss.
1
Warcraft Rumble
Fun With Action Figures in RTS Mode
- Developer(s)
-
Blizzard Entertainment
- Released
-
November 3, 2023
Warcraft Rumble is a free-to-play game that brings players back to the early days of RTS games but with quirky modern graphics that mimic action figures. It’s designed as a mobile game for Android phones and tablets, and players can get it using the usual downloader or directly from a QR code.
Players can choose various figures from Warcraft lore as their champions as they progress through the various layers of tower defense and real-time strategy. Famous names include Grommash Hellscream and Maiev Shadowsong, which leads the player’s forces across locations in Azeroth, the setting of Warcraft 3 and later World of Warcraft. The gameplay options include a single-player campaign, and a player-versus-player mode, and leads the player throughout the familiar continents of the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor.
Blizzard
- Date Founded
-
February 8, 1991
- Headquarters
-
Irvine, California, United States
- CEO
-
Bobby Kotick