It’s hard to believe, but Hearthstone has been around for a long while. It first launched in early 2014 on PC, before coming to mobile devices a year later. It’s seen a lot of changes since then, and modes have come and gone, but the game is still going strong, hosting multiple eSports tournaments throughout the year, including at BlizzCon.

While a lot of collectible card games have bowed out in the digital space, Hearthstone forges on, and now we’re getting new details straight out of BlizzCon 2026. A new expansion is on the way, as well as a few other twists some players didn’t see coming.

Reign of the Black Empire Is Coming To Hearthstone

During the Opening Ceremony in Anaheim, California, Blizzard notes that this is a pretty big year of announcements, with multiple new updates coming to Hearthstone. For one, a new expansion is coming, set “10s of thousands of years” in the past, when the Old Gods in the Warcraft universe were at the peak of their power.

It’s called Reign of the Black Empire, and it’s “deeply rooted in World of Warcraft lore.” Part of that power fantasy comes through the new keyword: Assemble. You can merge the text boxes of two minions to create a new text box, which can lead to a “whole lot of fun or less fun combinations,” according to Blizzard.

The Journey Is A New Story Hub

The biggest announcement is easily the reveal of The Journey. This will be the “home for all the events, stories, and new stories that each expansion is telling.” That includes narrative vignettes and exclusive game modes are housed within The Journey. It’s a free update for everyone, so you won’t need to buy into it or the upcoming expansion to take part.

Beyond those announcements, we got one more tease: a new class. Coming “early next year in March,” it’s the first new Hearthstone class in six years since the Demon Hunter. It’s none other than The Monk, which is “one of the most anticipated classes” from fans, Blizzard noted.

As far as Battlegrounds goes, it’s getting a new minion type called Aberrations. They’re linked directly to the theme of the Old Gods from the Reign of the Black Empire expansion. And for every Aberration that dies, your Old God is closer to waking up during the match.

If you’re a Hearthstone fan, there’s a lot in the pipeline, and much of it is a lore-based treat for longtime Warcraft fans. If you’re a newcomer, The Journey should serve as a cohesive way to get into the story, given that the game is 12 years old at this point.

Systems

Released

March 11, 2014

ESRB

T for Teen: Alcohol Reference, Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes

Engine

Unity

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer