Hearthstone enters Year of the Raptor: Into the Emerald Dream expansion, pets, esports, and more!

New year, new Hearthstone shenanigans! Blizzard just released a song and cinematic to celebrate the Year of the Raptor. Information about what to expect this year was also revealed, including the promise of three expansions, new Mini-Sets, Battlegrounds seasons, a major Arena update, and more. Read on for the esports.gg overview of everything you need to know about Hearthstone in 2025.

First up, we have the Into the Emerald Dream expansion. Leading up to it, you can expect a season of card reveals, a pre-release Tavern Brawl, plus an in-game event. You can also pre-purchase an Into the Emerald Dream bundle ahead of time starting in Hearthstone patch 31.6.

Then, when Into the Emerald Dream expansion launches in Hearthstone, you can look forward to some Core Set updates, the Year of the Raptor board, new rewards track, updated deck lists for new and returning players, updated in-client deck recipes, plus expansion-based daily and weekly quests.

During this expansion, you can also duke it out in Hearthstone Battlegrounds Season 10 in patch 32.2 before checking out the Druids of the Flame Mini-Set.

According to Blizzard, a significant Arena update is slated for patch 32.2 as well. This is going to be a revamp. More information about this is releasing closer to the patch's launch date.

Hearthstone's second expansion of the year slated for patch 33.0. This expansion also gets a Battlegrounds Season 11 in patch 33.2 plus the Festival of the Devilsaur Mini-Set in patch 33.4.

The Shrouded City expansion's kick-off events, which includes reveals, pre-purchase opportunities, and more, are scheduled for patch 32.4.

Interestingly, this patch 32.4 also marks the arrival of pets in Hearthstone. According to game designer Tyler Bielman, pets are "will launch as part of a new way to get cosmetics into your hands."

Continuing on, we know that the third Year of the Raptor expansion is The Heroes of Time expansion. It's launching in patch 34.0. Then, like with previous expansions, this one gets a new Battlegrounds season plus Mini-Set. Specifically, Battlegrounds Season 12 begins in patch 34.2 and The End of Time Mini-Set arrives in patch 34.4.

Finally, for competitive Hearthstone players and fans, there are three major esports events this year. They include two seasonal championships plus the 2025 World Championship.

That's it! It's going to be a packed and interesting year for the Hearthstone community. Are you excited about all of the upcoming content? Stick around on esports.gg for more news and updates.