Updated October 31: Added what Blizzard has said about playing World of Warcraft: Forever on more devices. Executive producer Holly Longdale told GamesRadar that controller support is the first step toward console and handheld play, and named Microsoft’s Project Helix. No console version is confirmed, so the November 4 launch is still PC only.
World of Warcraft: Forever launches on November 4, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. PST, and Blizzard is running it as one global moment: 23:00 UTC. It is a PC launch through the Battle.net desktop app. The base game comes with a World of Warcraft Subscription or Game Time, and the optional paid packs are what add the new Skyborne race, beta access and Warcraft III: Reforged.
Key dates
| What | When |
|---|---|
| Beta opens for Epic Pack and Collection owners | September 17, 2026 |
| Early Name Reservation opens | October 27, 2026 |
| Early Name Reservation closes | November 3, 2026 |
| Launch | November 4, 2026, 3:00 p.m. PST (23:00 UTC) |
| First raids unlock | December 9, 2026 |
| Warcraft Forever Collection leaves the store | January 11, 2027 |
The launch hour around the world
| Region | Local launch time |
|---|---|
| Americas | 3:00 p.m. PST, November 4 |
| Brazil | 8:00 p.m. BRT, November 4 |
| UK | 11:00 p.m. GMT, November 4 |
| Europe | 12:00 a.m. CET, November 5 |
| Taiwan | 7:00 a.m. CST, November 5 |
| Korea | 8:00 a.m. KST, November 5 |
| Australia and New Zealand | 10:00 a.m. AEDT, November 5 |
| UTC | 23:00, November 4 |
The essentials
| Platform | PC only at launch, through the Battle.net desktop app. No console version is confirmed, though Blizzard’s WoW executive producer says playing it on more devices is the long-term goal. |
| Access | Included with a World of Warcraft Subscription or Game Time. The three optional packs add extras. |
| Launch | November 4, 2026, 3:00 p.m. PST, which is 23:00 UTC |
| Level cap | 60 |
| New quests | More than 1,000 across the level 1 to 60 journey |
| New areas | Mount Hyjal, Shen’dralas, the Riverglades and Zephras Isle |
| Dungeons | Nine five-player dungeons, from level 13 to level 60 |
| Raids | December 9: Barrow Deeps (10 players), Hyjal Summit (20) and Onyxia’s Lair (40) |
| GPU floor | AMD GCN 1 (2012), NVIDIA Maxwell (2014) or Intel Skylake (2015) or newer |
| Game Pass / PS Plus | Not applicable, because there is no console release |
| Download size | Not published |
| Physical edition | Collector’s Edition through the Blizzard Gear Store, while supplies last. Blizzard does not publish its price on the pages we checked. |
Will it come to consoles?
Not on launch, and nothing is confirmed. But in an interview with GamesRadar ahead of the launch, Holly Longdale, Blizzard’s executive producer and vice president for World of Warcraft, said controller support is the first step toward playing the game on more devices: “Play it wherever you want and, at some point, on whatever you want,” and “the first leg of that journey is getting gamepads working really well with World of Warcraft, and we thought Forever was the perfect place to start.” Longdale specifically named Microsoft’s Project Helix console, which Xbox says can run PC games.
That is a statement of intent, not an announcement. There is no console release date, no platform list and no Xbox or PlayStation store page for World of Warcraft: Forever, so nothing changes for players on November 4.
What arrives on launch day
Blizzard calls World of Warcraft: Forever a permanent home alongside modern and Classic World of Warcraft. It is set after Warcraft III: Reforged: Forsaken Kingdom and before Molten Core, and it takes you across the original continents to level 60 with more than 1,000 new quests. Four areas are new or rebuilt. Mount Hyjal picks up the aftermath of Archimonde’s defeat, and Shen’dralas hides a mystery between Mulgore and Desolace. The Riverglades is a frontier of rivers and trade routes with more than 150 new quests across the mid-30s to mid-40s. Zephras Isle carries the Skyborne starting experience, which runs from level 1 to level 12.
The class and race combinations widen too. Blizzard lists Orc Mages, Troll Warlocks, Undead Paladins, Human Hunters, Gnome Priests and Dwarf Shamans, and a Skyborne can join either the Horde-aligned Windshapers or the Alliance-aligned High Order. The same page also lists a Legacy system that pays out account-wide benefits as you level a character, a new Camping system, and updates to Professions and Honor. On your first login you pick an Experience Preset, Classic or Enhanced, before you pick your Ruleset, and Blizzard says to start with Enhanced if you are unsure. You can change the individual settings later.
Which upgrade pack should you buy?
| Pack | Price (US) | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Skyborne Heroic Pack | $29.99 | The Skyborne race and the Zephras Isle starting experience, Early Name Reservation, the Cerulean Prideclaw mount (the riding skill is sold separately in game), cosmetics, housing decor and one Invite-A-Friend code |
| Skyborne Epic Pack | $59.99 | Everything in the Heroic Pack, plus beta access from September 17, 30 days of Game Time from launch day, more cosmetics, pets and tabards, and three Invite-A-Friend codes |
| Warcraft Forever Collection | $79.99 | Everything in the Epic Pack, plus Warcraft III: Reforged, the Forsaken Kingdom campaign and figurine housing decor. It leaves the store on January 11, 2027 |
Game Time is Blizzard’s prepaid play time, sold separately from a subscription. The Epic Pack and the Collection each include 30 days of it from launch day, and Blizzard’s store page says gameplay past that period needs a subscription or more Game Time. For example, a player who buys only the Heroic Pack still needs one of those two to cover the first month.
When does the name reservation open?
Early Name Reservation runs from October 27 through November 3. North America starts at 1 p.m. Pacific on October 27 and Europe at 6 p.m. CET the same day, while Korea and Taiwan start on October 28 at 7 a.m. KST and 7 a.m. CST. You need a digital upgrade pack or the Collector’s Edition to take part, and you can reserve up to three names across your Rulesets. Names go on a first-come, first-served basis, so Blizzard cannot promise you the one you want.
What lands after launch
Three raids unlock on December 9. Barrow Deeps is for 10 players and has eight bosses, while Hyjal Summit is for 20 players and has 13. Onyxia’s Lair is for 40 players, and every raider needs the Drakefire Amulet from a faction-specific attunement questline before they can enter. All three are level 60 content.
The price ladder is the part worth thinking through before launch day. The Epic Pack costs $30 more than the $29.99 Heroic Pack, and that extra money buys 30 days of Game Time, beta access and a shelf of cosmetics. The $79.99 Collection adds $20 on top for Warcraft III: Reforged and its campaign. If you already pay for a subscription, the Heroic Pack is the only upgrade that changes World of Warcraft itself, because Blizzard puts the Skyborne race and the Zephras Isle starting questline behind it.
What we still do not know
Blizzard has not published a download size for World of Warcraft: Forever, and the Collector’s Edition page in the Gear Store does not show a price on the pages we checked. No console version appears in the launch post, so this is a Battle.net launch on PC.
Start here
- WoW: Forever release time: when it unlocks in your time zone
- WoW: Forever editions compared: Heroic, Epic and Collection
- Can your PC run it? WoW: Forever GPU requirements
- What to do before November 4
- Rulesets: Normal, PvP, Roleplaying and Hardcore
- What Blizzard is changing about the classes
- The Release Calendar
Frequently asked questions
Is World of Warcraft: Forever on PC, console or Steam?
It launches on PC through the Battle.net desktop app. Blizzard’s launch post, its store page and the install steps in its name reservation guide all point PC players at Battle.net, and no console version appears in the announcement.
Do I need a subscription to play World of Warcraft: Forever?
Yes. Blizzard says access to World of Warcraft: Forever is included with a World of Warcraft Subscription or Game Time, and the Epic Pack and the Collection each add 30 days of Game Time starting on launch day.
Is the Skyborne race in the base game?
No. Blizzard’s store page states that access to the Skyborne race or the Zephras Isle starting experience requires the $29.99 Heroic Pack or a higher edition.
What is the download size for World of Warcraft: Forever?
Blizzard has not published one. The minimum system requirements it lists are a GPU requirement, and the size of the install is still missing.
Is World of Warcraft: Forever cross-platform?
There is no console version to cross-play with. It launches on PC through Battle.net, so the question of cross-progression does not come up yet.
Latest news
- World of Warcraft: Forever Editions Compared: Heroic, Epic and Collection
- World of Warcraft: Forever Day/Night Cycle: Oceania Fix Being Weighed
- World of Warcraft: Forever: What to Do Before November 4
- World of Warcraft: Forever System Requirements: Does Your GPU Work?
- World of Warcraft: Forever Rulesets: Normal, PvP, Roleplaying, Hardcore
- World of Warcraft: Forever Release Time: When It Unlocks in Your Time Zone
- World of Warcraft: Forever Pre-Purchase Guide: Dates and What to Buy
- World of Warcraft: Forever’s Classes Won’t Be Modernized, But ‘Some Classic Era Classes Were Too Simple’