Blizzard Watch WeeklyApr 13, 2026 9:00 am CT

Blizzard Watch Weekly: We’re on the brink (of having too much to do in our favorite games)

By Elizabeth Harper

There’s a lot going on about a lot going on, as Blizzard continues to release a stream of news about things coming soon. Things that are almost here but aren’t here quite yet. But some of these are pretty close, like Hearthstone Battlegrounds Season 13, which launches this week. But also coming soon, we have a new WoW patch, a new Diablo 4 expansion, and a new Overwatch hero (even if she is Temu Cammy). That’s going to give us plenty of game to stay busy.

Let’s take a look at everything we learned last week, as well as what’s coming up next week. Here’s the latest Blizzard gaming news.

What happened last week?

Blizzard announced a release date for WoW patch 12.0.5, and it’s just around the corner on April 21. This minor patch includes a lot of content: void assaults and ritual sites where you can fight against Xal’atath’s continued attack on Azeroth, as well as a couple of lighthearted features with the Decor Duel prop hunt mode and Abyss Anglers fishing game. Plus Decimus will be opening the Voidforge for us, giving bonus loot rolls and extended upgrade tracks for gear to help us power up our characters even more.
Need more releases? Blizzard also announced Hearthstone Battlegrounds Season 13 is launching on April 14 (i.e. soon). The latest season brings back trinkets and adds the new Fodder keyword for demons and Chromadrake keyword for dragons, which adds some powerful new interactions for these warbands. There are also two new heroes: Genn, Worgen King, who lets you choose two hero powers, and Mister Clocksworth, who lets you earn a golden minion with only two cards.
Overwatch gives us our first look at upcoming hero Sierra with a trailer that’s all action and little dialog.
After getting home from PAX East, Eric wrote up his six favorite game demos, including Cat Secretary, in which you play a cat working as a secretary. It goes about as well as you would expect.
Would you — or do you — play World of Warcraft on a controller? We consider some interesting comments from Holly Longdale about controller support.
This week’s Hearthstone Tavern Brawl is Splendiferous Showdown!, another new brand brawl. This is a fun one that lets you choose from one of Whizbang’s decks to play with — and they’re all unique takes on the typical classes. Here’s what you need to know to win!

What’s happening this week (and beyond)

April 14: Hearthstone Battlegrounds Season 13 launches
April 21: WoW patch 12.0.5 launches
Through April 23: The latest WoW Twitch Drop runs almost through the end of the month, with a new color of the much-loved murloc plushie.
April 27 – March 4: WoW Children’s Week goes live, though we haven’t heard if this year has anything new.
April 28: Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred launches
Until they’re gone: BlizzCon 2026 tickets are on sale

Other things we’re playing, watching, and more

This week’s Epic Games Store freebie is Prop Sumo, a beat-em-up party brawler that that aims for silly hijinx — and also lets you play as a magnet or soda can. Those things may be related.