The World of Warcraft: Forever release date is November 4, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. PST. Blizzard calls it a global launch in its pre-purchase announcement, and the Battle.net product page still shows "Pre-purchase" and "Available November 4." At the source check recorded here on September 13, 2026, WoW Forever was not out yet. This is an announced future release.
Blizzard's opening-ceremony recap says the separate Warcraft III Reforged: Forsaken Kingdom campaign is available to play "today." That line refers to the Warcraft III campaign, not Forever, and it does not move the November 4 release date.
WoW Forever rollout schedule
| Milestone | Date | Status and source distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | Starts September 17, 2026. Blizzard's written launch copy and Battle.net page say it runs through October 21, 2026, PST. The official @Warcraft roadmap image says September 17 to October 22. | Announced, with a one-day first-party conflict that Blizzard has not resolved. |
| Early Name Reservation and Character Creation | October 27 through November 3, 2026, PST | Blizzard's pre-purchase announcement says this comes with any upgrade purchase, allows up to three characters, and is first-come, first-served with no name guarantee. It names the digital upgrades but does not say whether the physical Collector's Edition qualifies. |
| Launch | November 4, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. PST | Announced future launch. A World of Warcraft Subscription or Game Time grants access at launch. |
| Raids unlock | The @Warcraft post says Early December; its attached roadmap image prints December 9. | Announced roadmap plan, not live content. Blizzard says roadmap content and timing can change. |
WoW Forever beta date and access
Guaranteed beta access comes with the Skyborne Epic Pack, Warcraft Forever Collection, or physical Collector's Edition, according to Blizzard's beta-access support article. Signing up without one of those purchases does not guarantee access. A World of Warcraft Subscription or Game Time covers launch access, not beta access. The beta reference keeps the access gates and the October 21/22 conflict together.
Release-date questions
What time does WoW Forever launch?
Blizzard's pre-purchase announcement gives 3:00 p.m. PST on November 4, 2026. This article keeps Blizzard's stated time zone rather than inferring unpublished local launch times. See the maintained roadmap for name reservation, raid unlocks, Hardcore, and 2027 milestones, and the beta reference for the unresolved October 21/22 end-date conflict.
Is WoW Forever out yet?
Not at the September 13, 2026 source check recorded for this article. Battle.net still showed "Pre-purchase" and "Available November 4." The opening-ceremony recap's "available to play today" wording refers to the separate Warcraft III Reforged: Forsaken Kingdom campaign.
Reports and speculation before the reveal
Before Blizzard announced Forever, secondary coverage connected a DefaultForeverBindings.wtf file, "Camelot" strings, and community posts to possible Classic-era projects. Those clues were reports and speculation, not Blizzard's release announcement. Blizzard's public name is World of Warcraft: Forever, and the November 4 date comes from Blizzard's own pages. Icy Veins' report is context for those earlier clues, not confirmation of a different product or date.
Still not announced
The Forever pre-purchase announcement, product page, beta guidance, and general transfer article do not publish a Forever-specific policy for character carryover or transfers, collections, gold, achievements, beta-character persistence or wipes, or regional realm rollout. Treat those points as unknown until Blizzard publishes them.