Updated September 14, 2026. The World of Warcraft: Forever roadmap now has four dated milestones: beta begins September 17, beta runs through October 21, early name reservation is October 27–November 3, and global launch is November 4 at 3:00 p.m. Pacific time. Blizzard has also set December 9 for the first new raids to unlock. Beyond that first raid release, the studio has described the kinds of updates it plans, but has not published dates for each phase.
WoW Forever roadmap at a glance
| Date | Milestone | What Blizzard has said |
|---|---|---|
| September 17, 2026 | Beta begins | Access is included with the Skyborne Epic Pack and Warcraft Forever Collection. |
| October 21, 2026 | Beta ends | Blizzard lists the beta as running through October 21, Pacific time. |
| October 27–November 3, 2026 | Early Name Reservation | Included with any upgrade purchase; create and customize up to three characters. Names are first come, first served. |
| November 4, 2026, 3:00 p.m. Pacific | Global launch | Access is included with a World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time. |
| December 9, 2026 | New raids unlock | Blizzard has announced this date for the first new raids. |
September 17–October 21: beta testing
The beta window begins September 17 and runs through October 21, 2026, Pacific time. Blizzard lists beta access as part of the Skyborne Epic Pack and the limited-time Warcraft Forever Collection. The official announcement gives the dates, but it does not include a precise opening hour, day-by-day content schedule, or a full test feature list. Those details should be treated as unannounced until Blizzard posts them.
For the current access rules and preparation checklist, visit our WoW Forever beta guide. Standard subscription access applies at launch; Blizzard has not said that a subscription by itself provides pre-launch beta access.
October 27–November 3: reserve character names
Early Name Reservation is scheduled for October 27 through November 3 and is included with any upgrade purchase. Blizzard says players can create and customize up to three characters during this window. Names are reserved first come, first served, so preferred names are not guaranteed. This is a pre-launch activity, not an earlier start to the full game: normal global launch remains November 4 at 3:00 p.m. Pacific time.
November 4: World of Warcraft: Forever launches
The game launches globally on November 4, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. Pacific time. Blizzard says access to WoW Forever is included with a World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time. The Skyborne Epic Pack and Warcraft Forever Collection also include 30 days of Game Time that will be added to the account starting November 4; play beyond the included time requires a subscription or additional Game Time.
Qualifying upgrades include Invite-A-Friend Launch Codes for a limited launch-week invitation window, November 4–11. Blizzard says those codes will begin arriving by email on October 20, Pacific time. The Heroic Pack includes one code; the Epic Pack and Collection include three total codes. Codes are a launch-week benefit, not beta access for a friend.
December 9: first new raids unlock
Blizzard has announced December 9 as the date new raids unlock. The What’s Next recap identifies Barrow Deeps as a planned maximum-level 10-player challenge and Hyjal Summit as a 20-player raid. The recap does not specify that every raid opens on December 9, so this page describes that milestone as the first new raid release rather than assigning a date to each instance. See our WoW Forever raids guide for the currently announced raid details.
After December 9: announced direction, dates not set
Blizzard says more raids and dungeons, PvP updates, world content, additional quests throughout the level 1–60 journey, Hardcore, a revamped iconic raid, and further major updates are planned. These are roadmap commitments at the feature level; the panel recap does not give dates, order, patch numbers, or a release cadence for them. We will add milestones only when Blizzard makes them specific.
The studio describes Forever as a lasting, evolving game experience built with community feedback. That is useful context for the roadmap, but it is not a promise that every announced feature will arrive on a particular schedule. Content, dates, and availability can change during testing and development. We separate firm dates from future plans here so returning players can plan without mistaking an undated feature for a scheduled launch.
How to follow future schedule changes
Blizzard’s official news posts are the source for changes to dates and included benefits. We’ll update this page when new milestones are announced, and note what changed. For an overview of the game and links to the topic guides, return to the WoW Forever hub. If a date changes, use the latest official notice instead of older screenshots, reposts, or unsourced calendars.
Official sources
- Blizzard: Pre-Purchase World of Warcraft: Forever Upgrades and Begin Your Next Journey in Azeroth (beta, name reservation, launch, Game Time, invite codes).
- Blizzard: World of Warcraft: Forever What’s Next Panel Recap (December 9 raids and undated future content).
Both sources were reviewed September 14, 2026. Dates are presented as Blizzard announced them; later notices take precedence.
