Blizzard announces World of Warcraft: Forever, launch on 4 November 2026

Blizzard has announced World of Warcraft: Forever. The game launches on 4 November 2026 and is included in a regular subscription. Forever is a reworked original Azeroth that stays at level 60 for good. The beta starts on 17 September.

Blizzard revealed Forever at the end of the Opening Ceremony of BlizzCon 2026, on 12 September. The game exists next to modern World of Warcraft and WoW Classic. The story is set in the first year of the original game, after Warcraft III and before Molten Core.

Dates

The beta runs from 17 September to 21 October and is playable up to level 30. Name reservation runs from 27 October to 3 November. Forever launches on 4 November at 15:00 Pacific time, which is 00:00 Belgian time on 5 November. The first raids open on 9 December.

The Skyborne and new zones

The Skyborne are a new race of elves with an elemental touch. At character creation, players choose a side. The High Order joins the Alliance and can play Mage; the Windshapers join the Horde and can play Shaman. The race requires the Skyborne Heroic Pack, which costs 29.99 euro.

Four regions are new or renewed: Zephras Isle, the starting zone of the Skyborne, the Riverglades in the Eastern Kingdoms, Shen’dralas between Mulgore and Desolace, and Mount Hyjal. Undead Paladin and Dwarf Shaman are new combinations of race and class. Footage from the show floor also shows Human Hunter, Gnome Priest, Orc Mage and Troll Warlock, but Blizzard has not confirmed those.

Dungeons and raids

Forever adds nine new dungeons. On 9 December the Barrow Deeps for 10 players and Hyjal Summit for 20 players open, together with the original Onyxia’s Lair for 40 players. Blizzard also mentions new tier sets, legendary quests and hundreds of new items.

Systems

Transmog and the new HD graphics are both optional and can be switched off. A new Legacy system rewards leveling, professions, reputations and dungeons with perks for the whole account, none of which add combat power. Camping lets players build a campsite in the world and buff each other with their professions. Every class gets new talent trees.

Hardcore is coming to Forever as well. Blizzard keeps the details for a separate panel on 13 September.

Price and editions

Forever is included in a World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time. The Battle.net Shop sells three optional digital editions: the Skyborne Heroic Pack for 29.99 euro, the Skyborne Epic Pack for 59.99 euro with beta access, and the Warcraft Forever Collection for 79.99 euro. A physical Collector’s Edition costs 150 euro in the Blizzard Gear Store.

The roadmap runs into the summer of 2027, according to Blizzard, with new raids, new dungeons and a PvP refresh in the spring and the summer.