WoW Forever release date, price and editions

Release date and launch time

WoW Forever launches on November 4, 2026 at 3:00 PM PST (Pacific time), at the same moment in every region. The countdown on the official game site runs to 11:00 PM UTC. In Poland, Germany and France that is Thursday, November 5, 2026 at midnight.

We converted the times from 11:00 PM UTC (Europe and the US are both on winter time by then). That is why the Polish and German Battle.net shop pages say "November 5" while the US page says "November 4": it is the same moment. One Blizzard article says "PDT", but the countdown on the game site confirms 3:00 PM PST.

What you need to play

An active WoW subscription or Game Time is enough: Forever has no separate price, and you do not need a pack to play. The same subscription also covers Modern WoW and WoW Classic on one account. You do not need the Midnight expansion for Forever. You also need a Battle.net account, the Battle.net app and an internet connection.

• In Turkey, Battle.net has charged in euros since June 22, 2026, so prices match Europe. We do not list prices in Polish złoty: the shop shows euros when you are not logged in.
• The WoW Token (€20.00) can be turned into game time in Modern WoW, but there is no Token in Forever itself: the developers say they have no plans for it (Massively OP, September 14, 2026).

A friend invited with an Invite-A-Friend code can play from November 4 to November 11, 2026 without a subscription. The codes arrive by email from October 20, 2026 and do not grant beta access.

Packs: prices and contents

There are three digital packs, each including everything from the one before. You can upgrade a pack later, but not downgrade (Wowhead).

Price in Polish złoty: the Polish shop page shows euros (VAT included) when you are not logged in. According to Łowcy Gier (September 30, 2026), the Skyborne Heroic Pack costs 129.99 zł on Battle.net, and altermmo reports about 130 zł and 260 zł for the pack with beta access. The shop may only show złoty after you log in to a Polish account.

• You can only use the Cerulean Prideclaw after buying the riding skill in game.
• Mounts and transmogs work in Modern WoW and Forever, pets and tabards only in Forever. No pack item works in WoW Classic.
• The race and the name reservation only apply to the WoW account you buy the pack for.
• The Warcraft Forever Collection is on sale until January 11, 2027. What the new race offers: races and Skyborne.

Collector's Edition

The Collector's Edition box contains a Warcraft Forever Collection code (Skyborne Epic Pack with beta and 30 days of game time, Warcraft III: Reforged and Forsaken Kingdom), a Dwarf and Bear statue, a Zephras Isle mousepad, Hyjal Summit and Riverglades art prints, collectible pins and a Companion journal.

On October 18, 2026 the Gear Store showed "Sold Out". The restock of English versions (announced September 24, 2026) ships in February 2027, after launch, with a limit of 1 per household. Players in Europe write on the forums that both EU batches sold out.

Already bought a digital pack? If you redeem a Collector's Edition code by December 31, 2027, you can get Battle.net Balance credit equal to the amount you paid (not every product qualifies).

Beta

• It runs from September 17 to October 21, 2026 (Pacific time). Blizzard calls October 21 the "last full day of beta testing", while Warcraft Tavern says it ends on October 22. No closing time has been given.
• Guaranteed access comes with the Skyborne Epic Pack, the Warcraft Forever Collection and the Collector's Edition code. The Heroic Pack does not include beta access. The game site also has a free "Beta Opt-In".
• The level cap started at 20 and has been 30 since October 1, 2026.
• Blizzard has not said directly whether beta characters will carry over to the launch servers.

Stress test on October 21, 2026

The stress test was moved from October 19 to October 21, 2026 (Kaivax on the Blizzard forums, October 16). When we checked, Blizzard's news post still said October 19: the forum date is the current one.

Europe starts at 5:00 PM UTC and the Americas and Asia at 9:00 PM UTC: it is not one global moment. Anyone with a WoW account can join, without a subscription or beta access. The test lasts "a few hours" on the launch servers and may end earlier or run later.

1. Open the Battle.net app and select World of Warcraft.
2. In the Game Version menu above the Play button, choose World of Warcraft: Forever Stress Test (In Development section).
3. Click Install, then Play.
4. Pick an available test realm and create a new character.

Name reservation

• It runs from October 27 to November 3, 2026 (PST) and is included in every pack. Blizzard has not announced the opening time.
• You can create up to three characters. It is first come, first served: Blizzard does not guarantee names.
• Every character has two names, like a first name and a surname. The full pair must be unique across the region. You can hide the second name above your character (Options → Nameplates → "My Secondary Name"), but it still shows in chat.
• Invite-A-Friend codes do not give name reservation, because they only work from November 4.

Instead of a realm list you choose a ruleset: Normal, PvP or Roleplaying, with Hardcore coming after launch. How to choose: servers and rulesets.

PC and Mac requirements

Mac: the minimum is macOS 12, Apple M2 or a 9th generation Intel Core (Coffee Lake) and 8 GB RAM; recommended is macOS 15, Apple M4 and 16 GB RAM. On both systems you need an SSD with 128 GB free. In the beta the installation is larger than intended, and Blizzard says it will reduce it.

Platforms and controller

Forever runs on Windows and Mac through the Battle.net app. There are no console versions at launch, and according to Vice (September 14, 2026) there are no official plans for them. Blizzard does not mention Steam Deck or Linux. Blizzard has announced official gamepad support: in the beta the options are under Esc → Options → Gameplay → Gamepad (Alpha), and keyboard and mouse keep working at the same time (Warcraft Tavern).

Languages: no Polish, Turkish or Italian

Forever has 10 language versions: English (US), English (EU), Español (AL), Español (EU), Português (BR), Deutsch, Français, Русский, 한국어 and 繁體中文.

There is no Polish, so Polish players will play in English or another language from the list. The Polish shop page is translated, but that is only the product description. There is no Turkish or Italian either, even though Modern WoW has had a full Italian version since 2012. That is why our guides use the English in-game names.

Instead of language realms there is a "Preferred Online Language" option (Esc → Options → System → Languages and Social), which you can change once every 24 hours. Game regions: Americas & Oceania, Europe, Korea and Taiwan.

Age rating

The European Battle.net shop lists an age rating of 12 (without naming the system). In the US, the Warcraft Forever Collection content is rated ESRB Teen (including violence, blood, alcohol and tobacco).

Russia

Blizzard suspended sales in Russia and Belarus in early 2022. New releases such as Diablo IV could not be bought or launched on accounts set to the Russia or Belarus region (Habr, December 13, 2022), and since June 3, 2023 Battle.net has blocked gifts to those accounts. At the same time, Russian is one of Forever's languages, and the Russian page of the EU shop lists prices in euros. We found no official statement on whether accounts in the Russia region will be able to play Forever.

What the game is and how it differs from Classic: what is WoW Forever. First steps after launch: beginner's guide.