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World of Warcraft: Forever official cover art
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Access & dates

WoW Forever release date and beta schedule

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Forever went live globally on November 4, 2026 at 3pm PST / 23:00 UTC. Beta ran from September 17 until it closed October 23 at 10:00 a.m. PDT. Name reservations ran October 27–November 3; raids unlock December 9.

Blizzard beta instructions ↗Blizzard panel recap ↗Blizzard roadmap ↗Battle.net terms ↗

The confirmed global opening hour, beta dates, name reservations and December raids.

Announcement guide · Reviewed November 5, 2026
Needs playable verificationPlayable routes and build advice will be added after beta verification.

Before you start

  • Convert the single global opening instant to your own timezone.
  • The beta closed October 23 at 10:00 a.m. PDT. The December raid opening hour remains unconfirmed; use the region-specific reservation times below.

Current access: live since November 4 #

WoW Forever went live in all regions on November 4 at 3pm PST / 23:00 UTC. Blizzard closed the beta on October 23, and name reservations ended November 3. The dated beta instructions and observations below are historical, not a way to join the closed test or proof of launch behavior.

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The announced schedule #

Scroll sideways to compare every column.

The announced schedule
Milestone2026 datesAccess
Beta testingSep 17 – Oct 23Blizzard closed the beta for good at 10:00 a.m. PDT on Friday, October 23, after the October 21 Stress Test, as its October 20 notice set out. That replaced the older October 21 and October 22 labels.
Friend codes by emailFrom October 20Invite-A-Friend codes start arriving in separate emails for eligible digital purchases; a friend can use one for Forever access November 4–11. Sending hour unconfirmed.
Name reservationsOct 27 – Nov 3Eligible packs; up to three characters across all rulesets. Opens October 27 at 1:00 p.m. PDT in North America and 18:00 CET in Europe; first come, first served.
LaunchNovember 4 · 3pm PSTGlobal opening: 23:00 UTC. Active subscription, game time or an eligible launch-week friend code.
Raids unlockDecember 9Barrow Deeps (10 players, eight bosses), Hyjal Summit (20, 13 bosses), Onyxia’s Lair (40, Drakefire Amulet needed). Exact opening hour unconfirmed.
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The September 13 developer panel #

Blizzard has published its September 13 Deep Dive recap. It explains Legacy sharing and launch caps, Camping, ruleset-based grouping, Transmog, equipment changes and new race/class combinations.

The panel was scheduled for 10:00am PDT / 17:00 UTC. That presentation time was separate from beta access and launch. Follow the updated system guides for the announced rules.

Understand Legacy points Choose a ruleset with friends
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The same launch, across timezones #

These are conversions of the November 4 opening confirmed in Blizzard’s global-launch article: 3pm PST / 23:00 UTC. All regions share that opening instant.

Blizzard’s dedicated global-launch article now explicitly lists November 4 at 3:00 p.m. PST and 23:00 UTC. Rechecked October 31 UTC, the “Carve a New Path” introduction and its upgrade section also both say PST. The earlier PDT/PST discrepancy no longer appears in that article.

The same launch, across timezones
TimezoneLocal opening
PST (UTC−8)November 4 · 3:00pm
EST (UTC−5)November 4 · 6:00pm
UTC / GMTNovember 4 · 11:00pm
CET (UTC+1)November 5 · midnight
IST (UTC+5:30)November 5 · 4:30am
JST / KST (UTC+9)November 5 · 8:00am
AEDT (UTC+11)November 5 · 10:00am
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Add the dates to your calendar #

The preparation page provides an .ics download. Launch uses November 4 at 23:00 UTC for local-time conversion. Beta testing dates, name reservations and the raid opening use all-day entries rather than invented hours.

An imported file is a snapshot, not a subscription. If dates change, replace the earlier imported entries with the revised file. Stable event identifiers help calendar software recognize the same milestones, but replacement behavior depends on the calendar app.

The beta calendar spans September 17 through October 23, when Blizzard closed the beta at 10:00 a.m. PDT.

Show launch in your timezone Download the milestone calendar
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Your launch checklist, in date order #

  1. Beta progress is gone: the beta closed October 23, and Blizzard Support says it doesn't carry over to launch.
  2. From October 20: Invite-A-Friend codes start arriving in separate emails for eligible digital purchases. A friend can use one for Forever access November 4–11.
  3. October 27–November 3: if your pack includes early reservation (Heroic or higher), create and customize up to three characters. Each full two-part name must be unique in its region.
  4. First login: choose the Classic or Enhanced preset, then your ruleset. Blizzard suggests Enhanced if you're unsure, and you can change its settings later in Options.
  5. Before you group: set your Preferred Online Language (Escape, Options, then Languages and Social under System). It covers the whole account and can't be changed again for 24 hours.
  6. Agree on ruleset and faction with your group. On PvP you can only create characters for one faction, and cross-ruleset and cross-faction grouping aren't supported.
  7. Confirm your subscription or game time will cover the session.
  8. Convert November 4 at 23:00 UTC (3:00 p.m. PST) to your timezone, and recheck Blizzard’s announcement on the day.
  9. Leave room for maintenance or queues; a scheduled release date is not a server availability guarantee.
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KEEP GOING

Your next step.

Access & dates

Beta closed: access history

Find the beta client, check Windows/Mac requirements and troubleshoot missing access or install errors.

Read guide
Access & dates

Reserve your character name

Eligibility, the reservation window and a practical preparation list.

Read guide
World & progression

Find dungeons & raids

October 8 Dalaran beta access, dungeon and party XP changes, dungeon ranges and the announced raid schedule.

Read guide

Based on the linked sources. Sources, corrections and coverage. Suggest a correction ↗

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