6 Diablo 4-Like Games To Grind Before The ARPG's Next Season

How can we talk about Diablo IV without mentioning the reigning free-to-play ARPG champ that launched into Steam Early Access at the end of 2024? Path of Exile 2 is a monolith in the genre, with the most impressive, yet daunting, passive skill tree in history, a genuinely massive build variety, multiple end-game modes, and a challenging story mode that borrows from the ever-growing Soulslike genre. You can easily spend 100 hours per character, and there are six of them already in Early Access.

There’s nothing wrong with nostalgia. Do you remember your very first ARPG? For many, it was the original Diablo or one of the numerous Forgotten Realms titles on consoles. But how about Titan Quest? The Greek mythology inspired hack-and-slash holds up well today, especially considering it still receives occasional expansions and updates through its Anniversary Edition. Plus, Titan Quest 2 is on the horizon, so delving into a battle against the Greek gods never felt more pertinent.

Yes, even so long after its release, Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem retains its ‘Mixed’ rating on Steam due to poor design choices, bugs, and lackluster end-game content. That said, this is easily one of the most gorgeous ARPGs in the genre, thanks to the power of CryEngine 3, which also powers Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Crysis 3. One of the things I like most about Wolcen is its build diversity, allowing you to swap between weapon sets and skills to change up your approach to a dungeon or boss on the fly.

In certain circles, if you mention you’re a fan of any modern ARPG like Diablo 4, you’ll receive messages and replies pointing you toward Grim Dawn. It’s a spiritual successor to the countless hack-and-slash titles many of us grew up playing, like Diablo 2, and it’s a favorite for a reason. The game offers hundreds of items and affixes, crafting, base-building, quests with choices and consequences, and build diversity that allows you to tailor the game to your liking by combining multiple classes into an amalgamation of power and prospect!

Seriously? It’s Torchlight 2! The colorful aesthetic may throw some players for a loop, as its cartoonish appearance belies a serious game created by some of the genre’s grandfathers. The gameplay loop in this exceptional ARPG holds up so well, many years after its release. To many long-time fans, it’s the last in the series. They don’t consider any of the new releases canon. With unique pets, straightforward builds, enthralling loot, and a handful of side activities (like fishing) which can transform and evolve your pet, there’s much to see and do in this old-school hack-and-slash.

Why did developers take so long to smush together the hack-and-slash genre within the Warhammer 40,000 universe? Instead of the usual magic, missiles, and cold, hard steel of sword and board fighters, Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Martyr allows players to wield highly explosive grenades, bolters, lasguns, chainswords, and more impressive weaponry from the vast arsenal of the space marines. You’ll traverse the galaxy, fight solo or with up to three other players, upgrade weapons, and run through nearly endless seasonal and end-game content.

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