Can you play Diablo 4 solo? Answered

If you've made it to this article, then you've probably done so with a giant question mark in your head. It is a strange question to ask, to be sure. After all, every other game in the Diablo series has been playable completely solo, so why wouldn't Diablo 4? Still, you're here, which means something led you to believe otherwise. Is Diablo 4 the odd one out? Keep reading and find out, dear reader.

Can Diablo IV be played alone?

Is Diablo 4 really the odd one out in the series? Yes. Yes, it is. Diablo 4 cannot be played entirely solo. The game is always online, and you will always be able to see other players moving about the open world. There is no way to disable this. For some long-time Diablo 4 fans, this may be awful news for you but don't fret just yet. Having fully completed the game's main campaign alone, I can tell you that the lack of solo play extends only to the open world itself, not the dungeons. Only players in your party can join you in a dungeon, so there is still plenty of the solo experience left in Diablo 4.

Even in the open world though, much of the game contains events that are designed for random players to hop in and play, yourself included. They spawn randomly throughout the world, and it is encouraged to join in and assist when they appear. Beyond these though, most of the time you'll just see other plays run by without even noticing you. Diablo 4 can still be a solo experience if you want it to be so long as you can ignore the very occasional appearance of another player.

Related: How to get Baleful Fragments in Diablo 4

Is Diablo IV an MMO?

By definition of what an MMO is, then technically yes it is. It is massive, it is multiplayer, and it is online. However, the definition has always been a bit vague on what counts. By most metrics, Diablo 4 is not considered a MMO. While it has a lot of MMO staple mechanics, it lacks its share of them as well. It would be more accurate to call Diablo 4 an online shared-world RPG, rather than an MMO, much like Warframe or Path of Exile.

Can you do Diablo IV's endgame solo?

Despite Diablo 4 being a shared-world game, it was still designed with the solo player in mind. That said, you can do all of Diablo 4's endgame alone. You can even solo the game's world boss enemies, fairly easily, so long as you have a strong build and are skilled enough. That said, endgame content, like Helltides, will be quite a bit easier when other players are around participating. Helltides can be a bit dangerous alone if you're not properly geared up yet. Thus, having others around to steal way Hell's attention can be rather useful to you. The best part is that everyone that participates still gets full loot, so unless you're just hard against seeing other players, this is nothing but a good thing.

While I understand that there are diehard fans out there that want their Diablo solo-flavored, I recommend giving solo-playing in Diablo 4 a chance. It really isn't much different from the norm, and you may find it kind of endearing to see other players struggle with the minions of Hell growing stronger, as you run by.

For more on all things Diablo 4, check out our Diablo 4 skip campaign option, explained guide, right here at Pro Game Guides.