Sign up and be invited
Opt in on the official sign-up page. Selected players get an email invitation during the test.
Roadmap and beta access
Where WoW Forever is on its way: the beta test, how to get into it, name reservation, the launch and the first raids. Every date comes from Blizzard's own announcements, and what Blizzard has not said yet is marked as such.
- Beta test
- 17 Sep - 21 Oct
- Launch
- 4 November 2026
- First raids
- 9 Dec
The road to launch
- Happening now
The beta test
Testers play the game before launch in phases, with new content arriving in builds.
- Week one: level cap 20, the Skyborne and Zephras Isle, and the dungeons Hall of Thanes (levels 13 to 18) and Ruins of Lordaeron (15 to 20).
- 1 October build: level cap 30, with Excavation Site: Wetlands (26 to 31), Razorfen Downs (from 25) and Uldaman (from 30), eleven dungeons in all.
- 21 October is the last full day of testing.
- Not announced
Server Slam
Servers open for a few hours so that anyone can play the beta.
- Blizzard says it will happen later in the test and will announce the date. Nothing more is public yet.
- Up next
Early name reservation
Upgrade buyers can claim their character names before launch.
- Open to all upgrade purchases; up to three characters can be reserved, first come first served.
- A name has two parts, and the pair must be unique within your region, not just your realm.
- Later
WoW Forever launches
The game goes live worldwide at the same moment.
- Normal, PvP and Roleplaying rulesets are there from day one.
- Invite-A-Friend launch codes can be used from 4 to 11 November; they reach upgrade buyers from 20 October.
- Later
The first raids open
The raids unlock after launch, including Hyjal Summit for 20 players and Barrow Deeps for 10.
- Blizzard names these two raids in its What's Next recap; the recap gives 9 December for the first raids to unlock.
- Not announced
More to come
Blizzard describes Forever as an evergreen Azeroth that keeps growing.
- More raids and dungeons, PvP updates, world content and extra quests along the 1 to 60 journey, plus a revamped iconic raid.
- Hardcore arrives sometime after launch.
How to get into the beta
Buy a bundle
The Skyborne Epic Pack and the Warcraft Forever Collection include beta access. It can take up to 30 minutes to show up, and the launcher may need a restart.
Be invited by Blizzard
Community veterans, press, fansites, friends and family receive invitations too.
Installing it
- Open the Battle.net desktop app.
- Under In Development, pick World of Warcraft: Forever Beta.
- Install it and create new test characters.
This site follows the beta build by build: today that is 1.60.1.70205, with 35 dungeons. See the patch notes for what each build changed and what changed against Classic. Blizzard’s beta announcement (opens in a new tab)
Editions and upgrades
Base access
Part of a standard WoW subscription or Game Time.
- The game at launch, with the Normal, PvP and Roleplaying rulesets
Skyborne Heroic Pack
An upgrade.
- The Skyborne race and Zephras Isle
- Early name reservation
- Cerulean Prideclaw ground mount
- Cosmetics and housing decor
- One Invite-A-Friend code
Skyborne Epic Pack
Everything in Heroic, and:
- Beta access from 17 September
- 30 days of Game Time from 4 November
- More cosmetics, pets and tabards
- Three Invite-A-Friend codes
Warcraft Forever Collection
Limited time, on sale until 11 January 2027. Everything in Epic, and:
- Warcraft III: Reforged and its Forsaken Kingdom campaign
- Forsaken and Human figurine housing decor
A Collector’s Edition with physical items is sold in the Blizzard Gear Store. Blizzard’s posts list no prices, so none are given here. Pre-purchase details (opens in a new tab) Launch details (opens in a new tab)
Rulesets
Normal
The baseline game: exploring, questing, cooperating, and PvP when you choose it.
At launchPvP
More danger and open-world conflict in contested territory.
At launchRoleplaying
For players who want to lean into the fantasy with like-minded adventurers.
At launchHardcore
The hardest test, where death has lasting consequences.
Sometime after launchYou cannot switch a character between rulesets; you start a new one. Collections and Legacy Points carry across rulesets, with Hardcore following its own rules. Blizzard on rulesets (opens in a new tab)
Source and build
Blizzard announcements and forum postsDates, access rules, editions and rulesets are taken from Blizzard's own news posts about WoW: Forever (beta announcement, launch details, pre-purchase, name reservation, What's Next recap, rulesets) and the beta development notes on its forum. Each step on the roadmap links to its post.
Open source