World of Warcraft: Forever went live worldwide at 3 p.m. PT (6 p.m. ET) on Nov. 4, and Blizzard is already calling it the biggest launch in World of Warcraft history by peak concurrent players. The studio made the claim on Nov. 6 on the game's official X account, along with a second record for the most returning players the game has ever seen. It didn't attach a number to either.
Peak concurrency counts how many people are playing at the same moment during the busiest stretch. It isn't a sales or subscriber figure, and without the actual number there's no telling how far Forever pulled ahead of past expansions.
What WoW Forever is
It's a third version of World of Warcraft that sits alongside the modern game and Classic, which brings back older versions of the game. You're back on Azeroth's original continents with a level cap of 60, but it isn't a 2004 replica. It adds more than 1,000 new quests, zones like Mount Hyjal, Shen'dralas and the Riverglades, a new race, the Skyborne, and nine dungeons for levels 13 to 60, closed-off areas built for five-player groups. Our breakdown of modern WoW, Classic and Forever covers how the three differ.
The first raids, endgame challenges for large groups of level 60 characters, are Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit and Onyxia's Lair, and they open Dec. 9. A Hardcore ruleset, where a character's death is permanent, is coming later with no date yet.
What it costs
There's no separate box to buy. Forever is included with a World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time, which Blizzard's US store sells at $14.99 for one month or $155.88 for 12 months, about $12.99 a month. The same subscription also covers modern WoW and Classic.
What you pay extra for is the Skyborne race and its starting zone, Zephras Isle, which require the $29.99 Skyborne Heroic Pack. The $59.99 Epic Pack adds 30 days of Game Time and more cosmetics. The Warcraft Forever Collection, $79.99 and on sale until Jan. 11, 2027, also includes the Skyborne and throws in Warcraft III: Reforged and the Forsaken Kingdom campaign. Our launch preview lists what's in each pack.
How to start playing
1. Download the Battle.net desktop app and sign in with an account that has an active subscription or Game Time. 2. Under World of Warcraft, open the Game Version menu, pick WoW: Forever, then click Install and Play. 3. On your first login, choose an experience preset. Enhanced turns on high-definition models, map objectives, a single bag, transmog (changing how your gear looks without losing its stats) and a centralized interface. Classic keeps standard-definition models and the old interface, with no map objectives or transmog. Blizzard suggests Enhanced if you're unsure, and you can switch later in Options. 4. Instead of picking a realm, the server your character lives on, pick a ruleset: Normal, PvP (player versus player), Roleplay or Roleplay PvP.
Everything you do on any character feeds the account-wide Legacy System, which hands out challenges, perks and rewards, so you don't need alts to benefit from it.
Pack buyers also got launch invite codes, one with Heroic and three with Epic. Each code lets a friend without a subscription play through Nov. 11.
Queues and known issues
Blizzard hasn't published login wait times, and its list of known WoW Forever issues doesn't mention server outages. It does flag smaller bugs: keybindings and settings resetting after you log back in, characters stuck on the Deeprun Tram between Stormwind and Ironforge, mailboxes that won't open and guild charters that can't be registered.
Frequently asked questions
Is WoW Forever free?
No. WoW Forever is included with a World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time, which costs $14.99 for one month in Blizzard's US store. There's nothing extra to buy to play it, and the same subscription covers modern WoW and Classic. Only the Skyborne race costs more.
How much does the Skyborne race cost in WoW Forever?
The Skyborne and their starting zone, Zephras Isle, require the $29.99 Skyborne Heroic Pack. They're also part of the $59.99 Epic Pack, which adds 30 days of Game Time, and the $79.99 Warcraft Forever Collection, which is on sale until Jan. 11, 2027.
What time did WoW Forever launch?
WoW Forever went live worldwide at 3 p.m. PT, 6 p.m. ET, on Nov. 4, 2026. Blizzard launched it simultaneously in every region rather than rolling it out by time zone, so players in Central Europe got in at midnight on Nov. 5.
When do WoW Forever raids open?
The first three raids, Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit and Onyxia's Lair, open Dec. 9, 2026, for level 60 characters. Until then, group content is the nine five-player dungeons spread across levels 13 to 60.
Should I pick the Classic or Enhanced preset in WoW Forever?
Blizzard recommends Enhanced if you're unsure. It turns on high-definition models, map objectives, a single bag and transmog. Classic keeps standard-definition models and the traditional interface for players chasing the original feel. You can switch later in Options.
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