Blizzard's September 12, 2026 announcement put the World of Warcraft: Forever beta on the calendar for September 17, 2026. The official roadmap pairs that start with planned play up to level 30. Beta access and testing details are split across Blizzard's product, support, and roadmap pages, so the end-date conflict below stays visible.
For the current eligibility checklist, installation steps, and system requirements, use the WoW Forever beta reference. This article records what the announcement said and what it left open.
Announcement at a glance
| Question | Current answer | Status |
|---|---|---|
| When does the beta start? | September 17, 2026 | Confirmed |
| When does it end? | October 21 in the current product and pre-purchase text, October 22 on the roadmap image | Conflict |
| What is the planned cap? | Play up to level 30 | Planned |
| Which purchases guarantee access? | Skyborne Epic Pack, Warcraft Forever Collection, or physical Collector's Edition | Confirmed |
| Is Heroic enough? | Heroic is not listed as a guaranteed-beta path | Confirmed boundary |
| Can I sign up without buying an upgrade? | Blizzard documents signup, but says it does not guarantee an invite | Confirmed route, unverified form |
| Is a subscription required for beta? | Blizzard says Subscription or Game Time grants launch access. It does not publish a separate beta subscription rule | Not announced |
| How do I install it? | An eligible account should see the client in the Battle.net App when testing begins | Confirmed |
| What hardware and platforms are listed? | Windows and Mac product details and system requirements are published | Confirmed, requirements may change |
| Will beta progress carry over? | No Forever-specific wipe or retention rule was located | Not announced |
Confirmed access rules
Blizzard Support lists three guaranteed-beta paths in World of Warcraft Alpha or Beta Access: the Skyborne Epic Pack, the Warcraft Forever Collection, and the physical World of Warcraft: Forever Collector's Edition. Digital Epic Pack and Collection purchases automatically flag the purchasing account. A physical Collector's Edition buyer receives a redeemable beta code by email at the address used for the Gear Store purchase. Redeem that code on the intended account. Support says it cannot grant beta access, replace a lost code, or fix a code redeemed on the wrong account.
The current Battle.net product page lists these edition boundaries:
| Edition | US price | Beta and access boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Skyborne Heroic Pack | $29.99 | Skyborne race and Zephras Isle starting experience, plus launch preparation benefits. It is not listed as a guaranteed-beta path. |
| Skyborne Epic Pack | $59.99 | Guaranteed beta access, 30 days of Game Time at launch, and three Invite-A-Friend launch codes. |
| Warcraft Forever Collection | $79.99 | Guaranteed beta access and the Epic Pack benefits, plus the Collection's other listed Warcraft content. |
| Physical Collector's Edition | $150.00 US Gear Store listing | Guaranteed beta access through the emailed code described by Support. |
The product page says Forever gameplay requires a WoW Subscription or Game Time. Its access language starts that access on November 4, 2026. The checked sources do not say whether an active subscription is also required for a player who already has a beta entitlement.
Timing and the planned test scope
Blizzard's pre-purchase announcement says the beta begins September 17, 2026, Pacific Time, and runs through October 21, 2026, Pacific Time. The Battle.net product page repeats October 21. The verified @Warcraft roadmap post attaches an image that reads "SEPT 17 - OCT 22" and "PLAY UP TO LEVEL 30."
The two end dates are both current first-party statements. Keep October 21 and October 22 visible until Blizzard updates one of them. The level-30 line is a roadmap plan, not a report from a live test or a permanent cap. The roadmap also says content and timing are subject to change.
No checked source gives an exact daily opening or shutdown time, beta phase or wave schedule, test population, or list of activities enabled at level 30. The product and announcement pages describe Forever content, but they do not establish that any named zone, dungeon, raid, class, race, profession, or Camping mechanic is available in the beta.
Requirements and installation
The product page lists Windows and Mac and the available regions Americas & Oceania, Europe, Korea, and Taiwan. Digital content requires an internet connection, a Battle.net account, and the Battle.net desktop app. Those are Forever product details, not a separate beta-only region matrix.
Blizzard's Forever system requirements page warns that the requirements may change. The current minimums are:
| Platform | Minimum listed by Blizzard |
|---|---|
| Windows | Windows 10 64-bit, May 2019 Update or newer; 4-core 3.0 GHz Intel Core Haswell or AMD Ryzen Zen processor; DirectX 12-capable 4 GB GPU; 8 GB RAM; 128 GB SSD; broadband internet; keyboard and mouse; 1280 x 720 display. |
| Mac | macOS 12; Apple M2 or ninth-generation Intel Core Coffee Lake processor; 8 GB RAM; 128 GB SSD; broadband internet; keyboard and mouse; 1280 x 720 display. |
The rendered Mac video row is ambiguous. It currently reads "Metal capable 4 GB GPU Apple M2 8 GB", and the table does not make clear how those values map to the requirement. This page does not turn that row into a more specific GPU rule.
For an account with beta access, Support says the beta client becomes available in the Battle.net App once testing begins. If it is missing, close and restart the app and confirm that the correct account is signed in. Blizzard warns that the beta client may be offline at any time and that access can be revoked for Code of Conduct violations.
These benefits are not beta access
Early Name Reservation and Invite-A-Friend codes are separate launch benefits:
| Benefit | Published rule | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Early Name Reservation and Character Creation | October 27 through November 3, 2026, Pacific Time. Any upgrade purchase includes the window, which allows up to three characters on the purchasing WoW account. Names are first-come, first-served, and a desired name is not guaranteed. | Confirmed, launch preparation only |
| Invite-A-Friend codes | Codes begin emailing October 20. A redeemed code grants Forever access November 4 through November 11, 2026. Heroic grants one code. Epic and Collection grant three. Physical Collector's Edition codes also grant three under Support's listed conditions. The code does not grant beta access, Game Time, the Skyborne race, or Zephras Isle. | Confirmed, launch week only |
| Subscription or Game Time | Grants Forever access beginning November 4. Epic and Collection include 30 days that activate at launch. The physical Collector's Edition's included time activates when its digital code is claimed. | Confirmed, launch access only |
See Invite-A-Friend Codes and 30-Day Game Time From World of Warcraft: Forever for the separate launch rules.
Unverified signup route
Support documents a signup route on the official World of Warcraft website and says signup does not guarantee beta access. The link in the Support article currently points to worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/midnight, which rendered the Midnight page during the September 12 check. No working Forever signup form was visible. The documented route is confirmed. A usable Forever form is unverified.
No official preload date, pre-download window, beta build number, download size, standalone installer, or more detailed launcher path was located. Do not treat player reports about early downloads or missing logos as Blizzard requirements.
Reported separately
In a community questions thread, the official WarcraftTeam account replied, "It will be fresh servers." Read the fresh-server reply as a narrow report about fresh servers. It does not answer whether beta characters are wiped, retained, copied, or transferred.
Not announced
The checked first-party sources have not published a Forever-specific rule for:
- beta wipes, progression retention, character copies, migration, or transfers;
- carrying achievements, collections, gold, mounts, pets, professions, or titles from another WoW version;
- moving characters between accounts, realms, regions, factions, or versions;
- realm names, queues, capacity, datacenters, or cross-region play;
- an active-subscription requirement for the beta;
- an NDA, recording or streaming rule, feedback cadence, formal feedback route, or scheduled wipe.
The general Character Transfer Information and Restrictions article does not name Forever, so it does not fill these gaps. For the full access checklist and open questions, see the WoW Forever beta reference.