WoW Forever Release Date, Launch Times and What's New
By Expos.GG Team · 2026-11-08
World of Warcraft: Forever launches worldwide on November 4, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. PST. Here are the launch times for every region, the choices you make before you play, and what unlocks after launch.
World of Warcraft: Forever goes live worldwide on Wednesday, November 4, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. PST (23:00 UTC). Every region launches at the same moment, so in Europe, Asia and Oceania the servers open on November 5 local time.
This page covers the launch time in your region, what Forever actually is, the choices you make the first time you log in, and what unlocks in the weeks after launch.
WoW Forever launch times by region
| Region | Local launch time | | --- | --- | | Americas (PST) | 3:00 p.m., Wednesday, Nov 4 | | Brazil (BRT) | 8:00 p.m., Nov 4 | | United Kingdom (GMT) | 11:00 p.m., Nov 4 | | Central Europe (CET) | 12:00 a.m., Nov 5 | | Taiwan (CST) | 7:00 a.m., Nov 5 | | Korea (KST) | 8:00 a.m., Nov 5 | | Australia & New Zealand (AEDT) | 10:00 a.m., Nov 5 | | UTC | 23:00, Nov 4 |
Early name reservation opened on October 27 with up to three reserved characters per account. If you reserved names, those characters are waiting for you at launch.
What is WoW Forever?
!Adventurers gathering at the gates of a stone city at dusk, ready for a new journey across Azeroth
Blizzard describes Forever as an adventure across the original continents to level 60, set after the events of Warcraft III: Reforged's Forsaken Kingdom and before Molten Core. It is not a straight re-release of 2004. The headline additions are:
- A level cap of 60. The cap is meant to stay at 60. - Four new zones: Zephras Isle, Shen'dralas, Riverglades and Mount Hyjal. Riverglades alone adds more than 150 quests for the mid-30s to mid-40s. - More than 1,000 new quests across the leveling journey. - Nine new five-player dungeons from level 13 to level 60. See our full WoW Forever dungeon list. - A new playable race, the Skyborne, plus six new race and class combinations: Orc Mage, Troll Warlock, Undead Paladin, Human Hunter, Gnome Priest and Dwarf Shaman. See the Skyborne and race/class guide. - Rebalanced talents and specs. The goal is to make every class viable, and dual spec unlocks at level 40. - A Camping system. The Cooking profession's Basic Campfire becomes a shared campsite where players add profession-crafted Camp Features. - The Legacy System. This account-wide progression rewards exploring the game, finishing challenges and playing different classes. Every advantage can still be unlocked on a single character.
What you choose the first time you log in
Your Experience Preset
Before anything else, Forever asks you to choose your Experience Preset:
- Classic gives a more traditional presentation. It uses standard-definition models, no quest markers or objective areas on the map, separate bags, no transmog, keyboard turning and the classic UI layout. - Enhanced gives an updated presentation. It uses high-definition models, quest markers and objective areas, one combined bag, transmog, keyboard strafing and a centralized UI layout.
Blizzard's advice is to start with Enhanced if you're not sure. The preset is only a starting point, and every setting can be changed later under Game Menu → Options. You also pick HD or SD models separately for each character, and you can change that at a Barbershop.
Your Ruleset, not a realm
There is no realm list. You pick a Ruleset: Normal, PvP, Roleplay or Roleplay PvP. Each ruleset is one large shared world per region instead of dozens of separate servers. Hardcore arrives later as a fifth ruleset. Our WoW Forever rulesets guide explains how to choose.
A two-part name
Because there are no realms, every character has a two-part name, and the full name must be unique within your region. Have a few combinations ready before launch.
What unlocks after launch
!A mountain summit raid entrance at night with torchlight and a huge world tree in the distance
| When | What | | --- | --- | | November 4, 2026 | Launch: leveling 1–60, the nine new dungeons, professions | | December 9, 2026 | Raids open: Barrow Deeps (10 players), Hyjal Summit (20) and Onyxia's Lair (40) | | After launch (Winter 2026/2027) | The Hardcore ruleset | | Spring 2027 (planned) | Two new raids, two new dungeons, new quests and a new playable area, a legendary questline, a PvP season refresh | | Summer 2027 (planned) | A revamped iconic raid, another new raid, more world content, two new dungeons, a PvP season refresh, profession and Legacy updates |
The 2027 entries come from the published roadmap and may change. December 9 is the important date for now: that gives you five weeks from launch to reach 60 and gear up for raids. Our WoW Forever raids guide covers how to prepare.
Your pre-launch checklist
1. Make sure your World of Warcraft account has game time before Wednesday. Check the Battle.net shop for current editions and optional packs. 2. Install or update the game in the Battle.net app early so you aren't downloading at 3:00 p.m. 3. Pick a ruleset with your friends or guild. Everyone needs the same ruleset and faction to group easily. 4. Pick your class and race, including whether one of the new combinations tempts you. 5. Have two or three name combinations ready. 6. Decide on two professions. Gathering professions are useful from level 1, and Cooking powers the new campsites. 7. Set a date for 60. If you want to raid on December 9, you need a plan that gets you there with time to gear up.
WoW Forever release date FAQ
When does WoW Forever come out? November 4, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. PST (23:00 UTC). That's November 5 in Europe, Asia and Oceania.
Are raids available at launch? No. Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit and Onyxia's Lair open on December 9, 2026 for level 60 characters.
Is Hardcore available at launch? No. Blizzard says the Hardcore ruleset arrives sometime after launch, and the roadmap lists Winter 2026/2027.
What is the level cap in WoW Forever? Level 60.
Are there realms in WoW Forever? No. You choose a ruleset instead, and each ruleset is one shared world per region.
Skip the grind if your time is short
Not everyone can take launch week off. Expos.GG is taking pre-orders for WoW Forever leveling. Choose any range from 1 to 60, Piloted or Remote control, and NA or EU on the Normal, PvP or Roleplay rulesets. Work starts when the servers open. You can also pre-order raid spots for December 9 or browse every WoW Forever service.
