Blizzard has confirmed that StarCraft is returning with a new instalment, revealed at BlizzCon 2026 as a "story-driven open-world shooter" — a significant departure from the strategy format that made the series famous. It's the first major StarCraft release since the 2017 remaster and comes 16 years after StarCraft 2, ending years of speculation about shooter spin-offs that had previously stalled in development.

The game, simply titled StarCraft, was announced via a cinematic trailer, with Blizzard acknowledging the long gap by saying "it's about damn time." However, fans face a lengthy wait, as the title isn't due for release until spring 2030, nearly four years from now. Previous rumours of a StarCraft shooter project, last reported in 2024, had come to nothing, so the game's ultimate release date could still shift given the long development runway ahead.