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.