Quick answer: The WoW Forever beta ended on Friday, October 23, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. PDT (17:00 UTC). It was first scheduled to end on October 21, and Blizzard extended it by two days with a farewell event. Nothing from the beta carries over: no characters, gold, guilds or names. The full game launches on Wednesday, November 4, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. PST, which is 23:00 UTC and 00:00 CET on November 5, after maintenance from 10:00 a.m. PST.
Last verified: Nov 3, 2026, 11:20 UTC, against Blizzard's beta forum posts, the launch post and the official countdown, which targets 23:00 UTC on November 4.
This page was first published on October 17, when the beta was still due to end on October 21. It now covers the actual end date, why you will see three different dates online, and what happens between today and launch. For everything after launch, including the December 9 raids and Hardcore, see our new WoW Forever roadmap.
All WoW Forever prices · How delivery works in WoW ForeverWoW Forever Power LevelingWoW Forever GoldWoW Forever PvP Rank & HonorWoW Forever Raids, Dungeons & Pre-Raid GearWoW Forever ProfessionsWoW Forever Reputation, Riding & Class QuestsWoW Forever account safety
WoW Forever prices today
- Gold: from $20.95 (5 gold), within 30 minutes; $4.19 per gold, No account access, US, EU
- Power Leveling: from $436.99 (1–60), within 12 days; from $0.95 per level, Piloted / Self-play Remote, US, EU
- PvP Rank & Honor: from $37.02 (rank 1–2), within 7 days; from $37.02 per rank, Piloted / Self-play Remote, US, EU
WoW Forever - Gold
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When did the WoW Forever beta end?
The beta ran from September 17, 2026 and closed on October 23, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. PDT. Three end dates still circulate, and only one is the real close:
| Date | Where it comes from | Is it the real end? |
|---|---|---|
| October 21, 2026 | Blizzard's pre-purchase article, which still says the beta "runs through October 21, 2026, PST" | No, this was the original plan |
| October 22, 2026 | Blizzard's BlizzCon roadmap graphic ("Beta Sept 17 - Oct 22") | No, the September graphic still shows it |
| October 23, 2026, 10:00 a.m. PDT | Kaivax, Blizzard community manager, official forums, October 22 | Yes |
The extension came with a goodbye event. On October 22, Kaivax wrote that "the WoW Forever Beta will end 24 hours from now, at 10:00 a.m. PDT on Friday, October 23", with 24 hours of "shenanigans and upheaval" in Zephras Isle, Dun Morogh, Elwynn Forest, Teldrassil, Durotar, Tirisfal Glades and Mulgore. Blizzard warned the event "almost certainly" included items and experiences that "will not be a part of WoW Forever after it launches on November 4."
The next day, the beta was gone. Kaivax closed it with this message:
"The WoW Forever Beta is now closed, and we're incredibly grateful to everyone who joined us over the last five weeks of playtesting, data gathering, bug reporting, and feedback." — Kaivax, Blizzard community manager, October 23, 2026
The separate free Stress Test ran on October 21 (moved from October 19) and was wiped too. There has been no beta, test realm or stress test since October 23, and Blizzard has not announced another one. If the beta vanished from your Battle.net Game Version menu, that is the close, not an outage.
Does anything from the WoW Forever beta carry over to launch?
No. Beta characters, levels, gold, guilds and names do not move to the live game. Everyone starts at level 1 on November 4, beta testers included. Blizzard's note that the farewell-event items "will not be a part of WoW Forever after it launches" points the same way, and the Stress Test was wiped after it ended.
Gold from other WoW versions does not transfer either. Blizzard has never said Classic Era, Season of Discovery or Anniversary gold or characters carry into Forever, so the Forever economy starts from zero at launch. The beta wipe guide covers what was deleted in detail.
Two things did survive the beta. The first is knowledge: Blizzard re-tuned classes and racials several times in October, and its November 2 development notes made a final pass. The second is your local addon and UI files, if you copied them before the beta client closed. Our addon migration guide covers moving them into the live folder.
What time does WoW Forever launch on November 4?
3:00 p.m. PST on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, which is 23:00 UTC. US daylight saving time ended on November 1, so PST is correct, and every Blizzard launch article now prints PST. The official countdown on the Forever page targets 2026-11-04 at 23:00 UTC. Blizzard's launch post lists these times:
| Region | Launch time |
|---|---|
| Americas (PST) | 3:00 p.m., November 4 |
| Brazil (BRT) | 8:00 p.m., November 4 |
| UK (GMT) | 11:00 p.m., November 4 |
| Europe (CET) | 12:00 a.m., November 5 |
| Taiwan (CST) | 7:00 a.m., November 5 |
| Korea (KST) | 8:00 a.m., November 5 |
| Australia and NZ (AEDT) | 10:00 a.m., November 5 |
| UTC | 23:00, November 4 |
Before that, a Battle.net app notice (quoted on the official forums) lists scheduled maintenance from 10:00 a.m. PST on November 4, with the game "available again at approximately 3:00 PM (PST)". That is 18:00 to about 23:00 UTC. Our launch time guide has more cities, including the Canadian provinces that no longer change clocks.
What happened between the beta ending and launch?
Blizzard said in the closing post that it was moving into "a few short days where we will do some focused work on priority issues and the game service itself, so that it will be in good shape for launch day on November 4." Then the launch steps rolled out on schedule:
| Date (2026) | What happened | Status today |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 20 onward | Invite-A-Friend Launch Codes emailed | Codes work Nov 4 to Nov 11 only |
| Oct 21 | Free Stress Test | Ended and wiped |
| Oct 23, 10:00 a.m. PDT | Beta closed | Closed, no further test |
| Oct 27 to Nov 3 | Character creation and Early Name Reservation, up to 3 characters across all rulesets | Ends Nov 3; Blizzard has not published the closing hour |
| Nov 2 | Final pre-launch class tuning notes | Blizzard plans no big tuning before the December 9 raids, bugs and serious outliers aside |
| Nov 4, 3:00 p.m. PST | Global launch | Tomorrow |
Early character creation needed a Forever Digital Upgrade or the Collector's Edition on the right WoW account. Reserved characters exist as level 1 placeholders and become playable at launch. If you hit a faction lock or a "no realms available" error during reservation, see our faction lock guide and the name reservation guide.
WoW Forever - Power Leveling
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What happens next after the WoW Forever launch?
Short version: one more fixed date, then seasons. The first three raids, Barrow Deeps (10 players), Hyjal Summit (20) and Onyxia's Lair (40), unlock on December 9, 2026, 35 days after launch, per Blizzard's raid overview. Hardcore arrives "sometime after launch" with no date. Two major content updates are planned for spring and summer 2027.
We moved the full timeline to its own page so it can be kept current as Blizzard adds dates: the WoW Forever roadmap lists every dated and undated milestone with its source. For raid sizes and loot, see the raids guide.
Do you still need an upgrade pack now that the beta is over?
No pack is required to play. Forever is included with a WoW subscription or Game Time from November 4. The beta was the main reason to buy the Skyborne Epic Pack ($59.99), and that reason is gone. What is left:
- Skyborne Heroic Pack ($29.99): the Skyborne race and Zephras Isle start, plus one Invite-A-Friend code. It never included beta access.
- Skyborne Epic Pack ($59.99): adds 30 days of Game Time starting November 4 and three codes in total.
- Warcraft Forever Collection ($79.99): adds Warcraft III: Reforged with the Forsaken Kingdom campaign, on sale only through January 11, 2027.
Our pack comparison and cost guide go deeper.
What should you do before launch?
- Install the live client. In the Battle.net app, choose World of Warcraft, then World of Warcraft: Forever in the Game Version menu, and pick the WoW account your upgrade is on.
- Move your addons. The live folder is _forever_, not the beta's _classic_beta_.
- Agree on ruleset and faction. Groups, guilds, dungeons and raids only work with players on the same ruleset and faction.
- Plan the first night. Our launch day checklist covers the maintenance window and the first hours.
- Budget gold. Class training from 1 to 60 costs 206 to 207 gold for every class, per Blizzard's November 2 notes, before mounts and bags. The gold farming guide has the numbers.
Blizzard is watching the new economy closely. During the beta, Senior Game Designer Josh "Aggrend" Greenfield said: "We have closed over 2,100 gold-buying accounts, and we have closed almost 1,600 gold-selling or botting accounts on the beta." Blizzard's terms prohibit buying gold and paid boosting, so read our gold buying and ban risk guide first.
If you followed Forever back when it was the rumored "Classic+", our older Classic+ gold and characters explainer shows how much of that speculation turned out right.
Want a head start when the servers open on November 4? timesaver.gg runs WoW Forever services from launch day.
- WoW Forever Power Leveling — any range from 1 to 60, played by hand on the quest route
- WoW Forever Gold — startup gold for training, riding and bags in the new economy
- All WoW Forever services — gold, leveling, dungeons and more in one place
FAQ
When did the WoW Forever beta end? The WoW Forever beta ended on October 23, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. PDT (17:00 UTC). It was originally scheduled to run through October 21, and Blizzard extended it by two days with a 24-hour farewell event.
Why do some sites say the WoW Forever beta ended October 21 or October 22? October 21 is the original end date on Blizzard's pre-purchase page, and October 22 is printed on Blizzard's BlizzCon roadmap graphic. On October 22 Blizzard announced the beta would close on October 23 at 10:00 a.m. PDT, and it closed then.
Can I still play the WoW Forever beta? No. The beta closed on October 23 and Blizzard has not announced another test. The next way to play is the full launch on November 4, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. PST.
Does WoW Forever beta progress carry over? No. Beta characters, gold, guilds and names do not carry over to launch. Everyone starts at level 1 on November 4.
What time does WoW Forever launch? WoW Forever launches on Wednesday, November 4, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. PST, which is 23:00 UTC and midnight CET on November 5. Maintenance runs from 10:00 a.m. PST that day.
What comes after the WoW Forever launch? Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit and Onyxia's Lair unlock on December 9, 2026. Hardcore comes later with no date, followed by major updates in spring and summer 2027. Our WoW Forever roadmap tracks every date.
