World of Warcraft: Forever, unveiled by Blizzard at BlizzCon on September 12, 2026, launches worldwide on November 4 at 3:00 p.m. PST. The version players long called "Classic+" returns to the original continents, keeps the level cap at 60 and adds a large amount of new content; Blizzard presents it as a permanent version of WoW alongside the modern game and Classic. Its beta has been running since September 17 and closes on October 21.
Release date, beta and price
The launch is simultaneous in every region (23:00 UTC, or midnight going into November 5 in Paris), and a World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time is all you need to play.
Three optional upgrades are on pre-sale in the Battle.net Shop. The cheapest, the Skyborne Heroic Pack, unlocks the new Skyborne race and its starting zone, plus early name reservation, a mount and cosmetics. The Skyborne Epic Pack adds beta access and 30 days of game time, and the Warcraft Forever Collection, on sale until January 11, 2027, adds Warcraft III: Reforged and its new Forsaken Kingdom campaign. Blizzard Watch lists them at about $30, $60 and $80 in the US, and a physical Collector's Edition at $150. Any upgrade includes early name reservation for up to three characters, from October 27 to November 3.
The beta opened with a level cap of 20, the Skyborne starting zone and two new dungeons, Hall of Thanes and the Ruins of Lordaeron. The cap will rise to 30 later in the test, and a "Server Slam" will open the servers to everyone for a few hours; neither has a date yet. Besides Epic Pack and Collection owners, testers are selected from opt-in sign-ups.
What's new in Azeroth
The story is set after Warcraft III Reforged: Forsaken Kingdom and before Molten Core. Blizzard promises more than 1,000 new quests from level 1 to 60, new regions such as Mount Hyjal, Shen'dralas and the Riverglades, nine new dungeons and two new raids: Hyjal Summit for 20 players and the Barrow Deeps, a 10-player challenge at maximum level. New raids unlock on December 9. Flying mounts and level scaling stay out.
Skyborne characters choose a faction at creation: Horde Skyborne can become Shamans, Alliance Skyborne Mages, and both can play Warrior, Hunter, Rogue or Druid. Six other race and class pairs open up: Gnome Priest, Human Hunter, Dwarf Shaman, Orc Mage, Troll Warlock and Undead Paladin.
Camping turns the Cooking Fire into a campfire where players rest, place objects made with their professions and share one-hour buffs. Professions gain more than 600 new recipes, including advanced Blueprints dropped by dungeon bosses; our professions and recipes section lists every recipe in the beta client. Transmog is opt-in and can be switched off entirely. Realms give way to rulesets (Normal, PvP and Roleplaying), with Hardcore following after launch.