What is WoW: Forever? How it differs from Classic, release date and how to play

In one sentence

World of Warcraft: Forever takes the original 2004 Azeroth and adds new content on top, as its own branch beside Classic and the modern game. Countdown on our WoW: Forever launch page.

How it differs from Classic

• Classic recreates the 2004 game as faithfully as possible.
• Forever starts from the same world with a level cap of 60 but adds 3 new zones, over 1,000 quests, 9 dungeons and 2 raids, the new Skyborne race and race–class combinations never offered before.

Key dates

• Beta: 17 September – 21 October 2026 (Skyborne Epic Pack and Warcraft Forever Collection owners)
• Name reservation: 27 October – 3 November 2026
• Launch: 4 November 2026, 3:00 p.m. PST

What you need

It is included with a World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time, nothing extra to buy. Get WoW Game Time 60 days for your account's region and redeem it on Battle.net. Optional packs can be paid with a Battle.net gift card.