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Release date · Name reservation · Launch time

WoW Forever Release Date, Name Reservation and Beta Dates

World of Warcraft: Forever launches on November 4, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. PST. The beta ran from September 17 and closed onOctober 23, and Early Name Reservation opens on October 27. Here is every confirmed date, what is next and what is still not announced.

Last updated · Facts from Blizzard and major WoW sites, listed below · WoW Forever FAQ

Beta closedOfficial page ↗Launch inNovember 4, 2026, 3:00 p.m. PSTEarly Name Reservation opens October 27: 18:00 CET in Europe, 1:00 p.m. PDT in North America

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Key dates

Beta (closed)

Sep 17 – Oct 23, 2026

Closed for good on October 23, 2026, 10:00 a.m. PDT, two days after the original October 21 end. Nothing carries over.

Early Name Reservation

October 27 – November 3, 2026

Opens October 27, 18:00 CET (Europe), October 27, 1:00 p.m. PDT (North America), October 28, 07:00 KST (Korea), October 28, 07:00 CST (Taiwan). Up to 3 characters, upgrade owners only.

Launch

November 4, 2026 · 3:00 p.m. PST

Your time:

What time does WoW Forever launch?

Blizzard gives one launch moment for the whole world: November 4, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. PST. That is 6:00 p.m. EST the same evening, 11:00 p.m. in the UK, midnight in Central Europe and 10:00 a.m. on November 5 in Sydney — so in Europe and Australia the servers open after midnight or the next morning, not on November 4.

WoW Forever launch time in common time zones
Time zoneLaunchUTC offset
Pacific Time (Los Angeles)November 4, 2026 · 15:00GMT-8
Central Time (Chicago)November 4, 2026 · 17:00GMT-6
Eastern Time (New York)November 4, 2026 · 18:00GMT-5
Brazil (São Paulo)November 4, 2026 · 20:00GMT-3
UK (London)November 4, 2026 · 23:00GMT+0
Central Europe (Berlin, Paris)November 5, 2026 · 00:00GMT+1
Eastern Europe (Helsinki, Bucharest)November 5, 2026 · 01:00GMT+2
Western Australia (Perth)November 5, 2026 · 07:00GMT+8
Eastern Australia (Sydney)November 5, 2026 · 10:00GMT+11
New Zealand (Auckland)November 5, 2026 · 12:00GMT+13

Converted from Blizzard's 3:00 p.m. PST. Daylight saving has ended in the US and Europe by November 4; Sydney is on summer time (AEDT).

WoW Forever release time in Europe

November 5, 2026 · 00:00

Central European Time. Eastern Europe is an hour later, so most of Europe logs in after midnight on November 5.

Release time in the UK

November 4, 2026 · 23:00

GMT, so the UK is the one European time zone where the servers still open on November 4.

Release time in Australia

November 5, 2026 · 10:00

Sydney on summer time. Perth is three hours earlier, and New Zealand two hours later.

Full WoW Forever timeline

  1. September 12, 2026WoW Forever announced at BlizzCon 2026
  2. September 17, 2026Beta opensLevel cap 20 at first
  3. October 1, 2026Beta level cap raised to 30
  4. October 15, 2026Last gameplay build of the beta (1.60.1.70425)Raid-wide group buffs, reworked racials, class tuning
  5. October 20, 2026Blizzard extends the beta by two daysInvite-A-Friend Launch Codes also start arriving for upgrade buyers
  6. October 21, 2026Global stress test on the launch hardware2:00–6:00 p.m. PDT, open to any WoW account; test characters deleted afterwards
  7. October 23, 2026Beta closes for good10:00 a.m. PDT (17:00 UTC). Nothing carries over to launch
  8. October 27 – November 3, 2026Early Name Reservation on the live clientUp to 3 characters across all Rulesets. Needs an upgrade pack or the Collector's Edition
  9. October 27 – 30, 2026Live client builds 1.60.1.70630 to 1.60.1.70707Mage talent changes, renamed Watcher's Signets; server hotfixes on 70707 then reworked the Paladin and Druid trees and applied the October 26 racial pass
  10. October 29, 2026Blizzard confirms the launch time in every region and four launch rulesetsNormal, PvP, Roleplay and Roleplay PvP
  11. November 4, 2026Global launch at 3:00 p.m. PST
  12. November 4 – 11, 2026Invite-A-Friend launch week
  13. December 9, 2026Raids unlock: Barrow Deeps (10), Hyjal Summit (20), Onyxia's Lair (40)
  14. Some time after launchHardcore rulesetNot dated yet

Beta end date: Blizzard's beta announcement called October 21 the last full day of testing. On October 20 Blizzard's community manager Kaivax said the beta would reopen after the October 21 stress test and close at 10:00 a.m. PDT on October 23, which is when it shut down.

How Early Name Reservation works

The beta is over, so the next way into WoW Forever is Early Name Reservation on the live client. It is for upgrade owners only; everyone else creates characters at launch.

Who and when

  • Needs the Skyborne Heroic Pack, the Skyborne Epic Pack, the Warcraft Forever Collection or the Collector's Edition, on the WoW account it was bought for. Upgrades are on the Battle.net Shop.
  • Opens October 27, 18:00 CET in Europe; October 27, 1:00 p.m. PDT in North America; October 28, 07:00 KST in Korea; October 28, 07:00 CST in Taiwan. Runs through November 3.
  • Up to three characters in total across all Rulesets: two on PvP leaves one for Normal or Role-Play. The limit only applies before launch.
  • Names are first come, first served. Each character has a first and a last name, and only the full combination has to be unique.

Get ready

  1. Update your graphics drivers and the Battle.net desktop app.
  2. In the Battle.net app, open World of Warcraft and pick World of Warcraft: Forever in the Game Version menu above Play, then install it.
  3. When reservation opens in your region, press Play, choose your Ruleset and create up to three characters with the names you want.

Blizzard enforces its naming rules strictly; Warcraft Tavern reports testers losing beta access over character names.

What the beta covered

  • September 17 to October 23, 2026. About five weeks, extended by two days on October 20.
  • Level cap 20, then 30. The October 1 build raised the cap to 30 for the rest of the beta.
  • No raid testing. Content above level 30 stayed locked; raids open on December 9.
  • Last gameplay build: 1.60.1.70425 (October 15). It made eight group buffs such as Battle Shout and Windfury Totem raid-wide and reworked the racials. Every change is in our beta changes record.
  • Latest client: 1.60.1.70707 (October 30), the live client for launch. Five live builds followed the final beta build 1.60.1.70532, and server hotfixes on top of 70707 reworked the Paladin and Druid talent trees. See thelive client builds.
  • Nothing carries over. Beta characters, gold, professions and Legacy Points stay behind, and the October 21 stress test characters and names were deleted too.

What WoW Forever adds at launch

  • More than 1,000 new quests across the level 1–60 journey, with new and reimagined regions such as Hyjal, Shen'dralas, Riverglades and Zephras Isle.
  • The Skyborne, a new elven race: Horde Skyborne can be Shamans, Alliance Skyborne can be Mages, and both can be Warriors, Hunters, Rogues and Druids.
  • New race and class options such as Dwarf Shaman and Forsaken Paladin, plus new abilities and talent changes.
  • New dungeons, 10- and 20-player raids, and the Darkspear Islands battleground.
  • Legacy progression for leveling and alts, and Camping with shared campfire buffs.
  • No flying mounts and no level scaling, an optional HD/SD graphics choice and official gamepad support.

Editions and prices

WoW Forever itself is included with a World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time; there is no box price. Upgrades are optional. Prices below are the US and UK prices reported by GameSpot and Wowhead; other regional prices are on the Battle.net Shop.

WoW Forever upgrade editions
EditionPriceEarly namesIncludes
No upgradeSubscription or Game TimeNoFull access to WoW Forever from November 4. No Skyborne race.
Skyborne Heroic Pack$29.99YesSkyborne race and Zephras Isle starting zone, Early Name Reservation, Cerulean Prideclaw mount, cosmetics, housing decor for modern WoW, 1 Invite-A-Friend code.
Skyborne Epic Pack$59.99 / £51.99YesEverything in Heroic, 30 days of Game Time from November 4, more cosmetics, tabards and pets, 3 Invite-A-Friend codes in total. Included beta access while the beta ran.
Warcraft Forever Collection$79.99 / £69.99YesLimited time. Everything in Epic plus Warcraft III: Reforged, the Forsaken Kingdom campaign and two housing figurines. Included beta access while the beta ran.

Prepare for launch

WoW Forever release date FAQ

When is the WoW Forever release date?

World of Warcraft: Forever launches globally on November 4, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. PST. That is 6:00 p.m. EST and 23:00 UTC, so in Europe and Australia it is already November 5.

What time does WoW Forever launch?

Blizzard lists 3:00 p.m. PST on November 4, 2026. The time zone table on this page converts it to Eastern, UK, Central European and Australian time, and the page shows it in your own time zone.

When can I reserve my character name?

Early Name Reservation runs from October 27 through November 3, 2026, on the live WoW Forever client. It opens on October 27 at 18:00 CET in Europe and 1:00 p.m. PDT in North America, and on October 28 at 07:00 local time in Korea and Taiwan. You can create up to three characters in total across all Rulesets, and names are first come, first served.

Who can use Early Name Reservation?

Accounts with a WoW Forever upgrade: the Skyborne Heroic Pack, the Skyborne Epic Pack, the Warcraft Forever Collection or the Collector's Edition. It only applies to the WoW account the upgrade was bought for. Everyone else creates characters when the game launches on November 4.

When did the WoW Forever beta start and end?

The beta opened on September 17, 2026 and closed for good on October 23, 2026, 10:00 a.m. PDT (17:00 UTC). Blizzard first called October 21 the last full day of testing, then on October 20 kept the beta open for two more days after the October 21 stress test.

Can I still join the WoW Forever beta?

No. The beta closed on October 23 and there is no further beta or test phase announced before launch. The next time anyone plays is Early Name Reservation (upgrade owners) from October 27, then the full launch on November 4.

Was there a stress test?

Yes, one global stress test on October 21 from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. PDT (19:00 to 03:00 CEST) on the regional hardware used at launch. Any WoW account could join without a subscription. All stress test characters, names and guilds were deleted afterwards.

What was the level cap in the WoW Forever beta?

Level 20 at the start, raised to level 30 with the October 1 build, where it stayed until the beta closed. Content above level 30, including raids, was not in the beta.

Do I need to buy WoW Forever?

No. Access is included with a World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time. The upgrade packs are optional, but you need one of them to play the new Skyborne race and to reserve names early.

Does beta progress carry over to launch?

No. Nothing from the beta carries over: not characters, gold, professions or Legacy Points (Blizzard's 16-point grant for testers was only for the beta). Everyone starts fresh at level 1 on November 4.

Sources

Spotted a change or a mistake? Tell us. This is a fan site; dates can change, so check the official page before you plan around them.