WoW Forever release date, beta and how to get access

When exactly does WoW Forever launch?

Blizzard gives one global launch moment: November 4, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. PST, a Wednesday. Because United States daylight saving time ends on November 1, 2026, Pacific time is UTC−8 on launch day, which puts the launch at 23:00 UTC. Europe left summer time a week earlier, on October 25, so the United Kingdom is on GMT and central Europe on CET, while south-eastern Australia is already on daylight time. The table converts that single moment with each zone's own rules; every row is one and the same instant.

Do I need to buy WoW Forever?

No. Access is included with your World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time, the same subscription that covers modern WoW and WoW Classic. Icy Veins notes there is no free trial or starter edition, so a subscription is the only way in outside the launch week Invite-A-Friend codes.

The optional upgrade editions add cosmetics, beta access and one gameplay feature: the Skyborne race and its Zephras Isle starting zone are only available with the Skyborne Heroic Pack or higher. Prices below are from Wowhead's preorder guide; the contents are from Blizzard.

A physical Collector's Edition is sold through the Blizzard Gear Store. It includes a Warcraft Forever Collection digital code, a 13-inch Dwarf and Bear statue, a Zephras Isle mousepad, art prints, pins and a companion journal.

What does each pack unlock, and what comes with the subscription alone?

The same facts, read the other way round: by feature rather than by edition. A subscription or Game Time is the only requirement for the game itself; every pack adds to that, and the Skyborne race is the one gameplay feature behind a purchase. Contents are Blizzard's; the fine print under the table comes from Blizzard's shop page and support articles.

• Every pack benefit applies only to the specific WoW account it was bought on, per the footnotes on Blizzard's Forever page.
• The 30 days of Game Time in the Epic Pack and the Collection are activated on November 4, 2026, with launch. The 30 days that come with the physical Collector's Edition activate as soon as its digital code is claimed, per Blizzard Support.
• The beta does not need Game Time, only beta access, per Blizzard Support. Playing at launch does.
• Housing decor is for modern WoW only and needs World of Warcraft: Midnight; the Forever in-game items cannot be used in WoW Classic, per Blizzard's shop footnotes.
• If you bought the physical Collector's Edition and also buy a digital pack to play the beta or reserve names sooner, some digital purchases are credited back as Battle.net Balance when the Collector's Edition code is redeemed by December 31, 2027, per Blizzard Support. Upgrade purchases (Heroic to Epic) are not credited automatically.

How do I get into the WoW Forever beta?

The beta began on September 17, 2026 and runs through October 21, 2026, the last full day of testing. There are two routes in: buy the Skyborne Epic Pack or the Warcraft Forever Collection for guaranteed access, or opt in on Blizzard's WoW Forever page for a chance at an invitation. Blizzard sends invitations in waves throughout the test.

Wowhead and Icy Veins both report the level 30 cap arriving about two weeks into the test. Blizzard's own wording is that the cap will be raised to 30 later in the beta. It happened on October 1, 2026: Blizzard took the beta down for maintenance that morning, Pacific time, and its development notes for the new build say players can now level up to a maximum of level 30. The same build added the Excavation Site: Wetlands dungeon for levels 26 to 31 and opened Razorfen Downs and Uldaman, and the City of Dalaran dungeon followed on October 8.

How to install the beta

1. Update your graphics drivers and run the Battle.net desktop app, which may need to update itself.
2. Select World of Warcraft from the list of games.
3. In the Game Version drop-down above the Play button, choose World of Warcraft: Forever Beta under In Development, then click Install.
4. After installation, click Play and select any available test realm.
5. Create a new test character and enter the game.

How does Early Name Reservation work?

Early Name Reservation runs from October 27 through November 3, 2026 (PST) and is included with any upgrade purchase, Heroic Pack and up. During that window you can create and customize up to three characters. Names are first come, first served, and a desired name is not guaranteed.

Forever uses two part character names, a first and last name, and names are unique per region rather than per realm. The reservation applies only to the specific WoW account the pack was bought on.

The physical Collector's Edition carries the benefit through the Warcraft Forever Collection code inside it. Blizzard has not said when that code is delivered relative to October 27; its Collector's Edition post points buyers who want the digital benefits sooner to a digital pack, with some purchases credited back as Battle.net Balance once the Collector's Edition code is redeemed. Blizzard has also not announced an opening hour for October 27, or whether the three reserved characters can be deleted and remade inside the window. This page is updated when it does.

What are the character naming rules in WoW Forever?

Every Forever character has two names, a first name and a second name that works like a surname, and only the full combination has to be unique in your region, not either part on its own. Both names are checked together against Blizzard's naming rules, and a name that breaks them is normally replaced with a random temporary name. Blizzard set the Forever rules out in a post on September 21, 2026; the table separates what it has published from what it has not.

The beta enforcement came in a developer post on Blizzard's forums on September 24, 2026. Each action was reviewed individually by the World of Warcraft development team, Customer Service does not take appeals against them, and Blizzard's system for enforcing naming standards was about to come online. If the name you want is taken, Blizzard's advice is to choose another combination or try the game's random name generator; Blizzard Support does not release names that other characters hold.

What are Invite-A-Friend Launch Codes?

Every upgrade pack includes codes you can send to friends so they can play Forever during launch week, November 4 through November 11, 2026, without a subscription or Game Time. The Heroic Pack includes one code; the Epic Pack and the Warcraft Forever Collection include three.

Codes are delivered by email from October 20, 2026. An invited friend redeems the code through Battle.net. The codes do not include beta access, and gift purchases are excluded.

Blizzard's support article adds the limits that matter in launch week:

• A code gives the account it is redeemed on access to Forever from launch on November 4 through November 11, 2026, and it can be redeemed until November 11. It is not Game Time and opens no other version of WoW.
• A code does not unlock the Skyborne race or the Zephras Isle starting zone quests.
• Codes cannot be redeemed on an account that already owns any Forever upgrade pack, and each code works on a single WoW account.
• Upgrading from the Heroic Pack to the Epic Pack or the Collection adds two codes, for three in total; upgrading from the Epic Pack to the Collection adds none.
• The physical Collector's Edition comes with three codes of its own, sent by the Gear Store's partner with the beta code, so someone who also bought a digital pack ends up with six. Collector's Editions bought from retailers in Korea, Australia and New Zealand get no codes.
• Blizzard Customer Support does not replace lost codes or codes redeemed on the wrong account, and codes are deactivated if the order is refunded.

What PC do I need for WoW Forever?

Blizzard has set a hard GPU floor: your graphics card must be based on AMD Graphics Core Next 1 (2012), NVIDIA Maxwell (2014) or Intel Skylake (2015) or newer, because the updated visuals rely on RGBA16F UAV support in compute shaders. Cards such as the Radeon HD 6950 or GeForce GTX 760/770/780 will not run the game.

Wowhead also lists Mac requirements: macOS 12 and an Apple M2 or 9th generation Intel Core at minimum, macOS 15 and an Apple M4 recommended.

What happens on launch day?

Servers open for everyone at one moment, 3:00 p.m. PST on November 4, 2026, which is 23:00 UTC; Blizzard calls the launch global and gives no regional opening times. What is open on day one is the leveling game to level 60 with the four new regions, nine dungeons and the Darkspear Islands battleground; the first raids follow on December 9. The table separates what Blizzard has published about launch day from what it has not.

What happens after launch?

The first raids, Barrow Deeps and Hyjal Summit, open on December 9, 2026, and Hardcore arrives after launch. The roadmap guide lists every phase and unlock date that has been announced so far.

Frequently asked questions