The third Azeroth
World of WarcraftForever
Forever launches November 4, 2026, and the beta opened September 17. It is a permanent third version of WoW next to Modern and Classic, not a replacement for either.
You do not need to buy anything to play it: a subscription or Game Time is enough from launch day. The packs buy beta access, the Skyborne race, and a name before everyone else. Which of those is worth paying for is below.
- 01
Level 60 cap
The 2004 number, and Blizzard says it is not going up.
- 02
Three new zones
Zephras Isle, The Riverglades and Mount Hyjal.
- 03
No realms
You pick a playstyle, not a server. Everyone on it shares one world.
Next: Beta closes
October 21, 2026
The test ends. Everything you did in it stays in it, so treat the beta as a look at the game rather than a head start.
October 21, 2026, exact time not published
Launch build
What ships on November 4
Blizzard has confirmed the shape of the launch build. The numbers below come from BlizzCon coverage rather than a written Blizzard page, so anything we could not confirm directly is marked.
- Level cap
- 60
- New zones
- 3
- New quests
- 1,000+
- New dungeons
- 9
- Raids
- 2, on Dec 9
- New race
- Skyborne
Matching the original 2004 launch cap. The beta caps at 30.
Zephras Isle (1 to 12), The Riverglades (30 to 45) and Mount Hyjal. A fourth follows in spring 2027.
Spread across the whole 1 to 60 bracket, not bolted onto the end.
From The Hall of Thanes at 13 to Shaper’s Terrace at 58, so there is one at almost every tier.
Barrow Deeps (10 player) and Hyjal Summit (20 player) open five weeks after launch, not on day one.
Requires an upgrade pack. Starts on Zephras Isle.
Dates
The road to launch
- 01
Sep 17, 2026
Done
Beta opens
The Forever beta goes live. It opens at a level 20 cap, raised to 30 after roughly two weeks, and beta characters are not expected to carry over to launch.
- 02
Oct 21, 2026
Upcoming
Beta closes
The test ends. Everything you did in it stays in it, so treat the beta as a look at the game rather than a head start.
- 03
Oct 27, 2026
Upcoming
Early name reservation
Runs October 27 to November 3 for anyone who bought an upgrade pack. This is the only part of the pre-purchase that is genuinely time-critical: names are first come, first served.
- 04
Nov 4, 2026
Upcoming
Launch
World of Warcraft: Forever goes live at 3:00 PM PST. An active WoW subscription or Game Time is all you need to play it.
Reference
Start here
- 01Beta accessBoth routes into the September 17 beta, including the free one, and what the level 30 cap means.
- 02EditionsEvery pack side by side, what each one actually adds, and which to skip.
- 03FAQStraight answers on subscriptions, level cap, Classic, and whether beta progress carries over.
- 04Classes & racesThe nine Classic classes, the six new race combos, the Skyborne, and the Paladin rework.
- 05Race & class combosThe full matrix: every race, every class, and which twelve combinations are new in Forever.
- 06RacialsTwo actives and two passives per race, what is new, and Plainsrunning finally arriving.
Coverage
Forever, as it happens
Guides, news and reviews for Forever specifically, kept separate from our Retail and Classic coverage so nothing here is an old expansion guide with the version numbers changed.
Last verified 2026-09-17 against Blizzard’s pre-purchase announcement and BlizzCon 2026 coverage. Key art: Blizzard Entertainment, from the official World of Warcraft: Forever product page.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by Blizzard Entertainment. World of Warcraft is a trademark of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
We say where every fact came from and flag what is unconfirmed. See our editorial standards. Covering something other than Azeroth? We also run a gacha section and a survival and sandbox section.