BlizzCon 2026 start time, countdown clock, and what to expect from the opening ceremony
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Blizzard is opening the doors to this year’s BlizzCon over the weekend. The two-day event will be taking place on September 12 and September 13, 2026, featuring a wide range of activities – and hopefully some exciting announcements. Whether you’re heading to the event in-person or just watching online, you’ll be able to catch all the reveals, some of which may have been leaked.
But first and foremost, there’s the opening ceremony. The ceremony tends to act as the biggest and most anticipated part of the show, particularly for stream watchers, showcasing major announcements right off the bat. As such a packed event, it kicks off early in the day, but with BlizzCon taking place in California, you’ll be able to tune in later on in the day in most time zones.
When does the BlizzCon 2026 opening ceremony start?
Blizzard published its official BlizzCon 2026 schedule at the start of September, revealing that the event will kick off at 10:30 AM, local time (US Pacific), in the Anaheim Convention Center.
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- Los Angeles – 10:30 AM PDT
- New York City – 1:30 PM EDT
- London – 6:30 PM BST
- Berlin – 7:30 PM CEST
- Mumbai – 11:00 PM IST
- Tokyo – 2:30 AM JST (September 13)
- Sydney – 3:30 AM AEST (September 13)
- Auckland – 5:30 AM NZST (September 13)
Fans not present at the event itself can tune into a whole host of different streams across YouTube and Twitch. We recommend checking out Blizzard’s Viewship Guide for the full list. Aside from the main Blizzard channel, there will be dedicated streams for World of Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Overwatch esports, StarCraft, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, and Warcraft 3.
What to expect from the BlizzCon 2026 opening ceremony
With an hour and fifteen minutes dedicated to the opening ceremony, there should be plenty for fans to sink their teeth into. The confirmed focus is Diablo, with Blizzard promising “extensive plans” for the future of Sanctuary. The schedule immediately afterwards includes World of Warcraft: What’s Next, a Diablo developer update, another WoW presentation, and an Overwatch Hero Deep Dive, suggesting all three games will be major parts of the show.
Aside from those, there are some potentially huge rumored reveals to watch for. The biggest is a new StarCraft game, widely expected to be the long-rumoured open-world shooter led by Far Cry veteran Dan Hay; recent StarCraft teasers have also fuelled speculation about Sarah Kerrigan’s return.
World of Warcraft could reveal more about its next major content and The Last Titan, while rumours point to a possible WoW Classic-style project or Warcraft RTS. Other speculation includes new Overwatch heroes and a possible animated project, a Diablo TV series, and even a revival of Heroes of the Storm. These remain rumours rather than confirmed announcements, so the Opening Ceremony and beyond could still (and likely will) contain some surprises that haven’t leaked.
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