WoW Forever Release Date and Launch Time

World of Warcraft: Forever launches on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at 3:00 PM PST. It is one global launch rather than a rolling one, so the servers open at the same moment everywhere: 6:00 PM on the US East Coast, 11:00 PM in London and midnight in Berlin and Paris, which means most of Europe actually starts on November 5. Below you'll find a live countdown, the launch time for every major time zone, every date that matters before and after launch, from the end of the beta to the first raids, and a short checklist for the days before the servers open.

WoW Forever Release Countdown

The timer below counts down to the global launch and switches over to your local time automatically, so there is nothing to convert.

WoW Forever Release Date

Blizzard set the release for November 4, 2026, and confirmed it with the start of pre-purchases. WoW Forever is not a separate purchase: it comes with an active World of Warcraft subscription or game time, so anyone already subscribed can log in the moment the servers open. The editions in the Battle.net Shop are optional upgrades that add the Skyborne race, extra rewards and early access.

The launch is a single moment for the whole world. There is no staggered rollout where the Americas start first and Europe follows a day later. That's why the date shifts east of the Atlantic: when it is 3:00 PM in Los Angeles, it is already past midnight across most of Europe and morning in Asia and Oceania.

For a full rundown of what the new version adds, from the Skyborne race to the new zones, read our WoW Forever overview.

WoW Forever Launch Time in Every Region

The table converts the official 3:00 PM PST start into local time. Daylight saving has already ended in both the US and Europe by November 4, so these are standard times.

If you're in Europe and booked a day off, make it November 5. The servers open as November 4 turns into November 5, so the first full day of play falls on the fifth.

WoW Forever Key Dates Before and After Launch

Launch night is one stop on a longer schedule. The beta closes two weeks earlier, name reservation runs in the week before, and the first raids open five weeks after launch.

Every phase after launch, from the December raids to the spring 2027 update, is laid out in our WoW Forever roadmap.

When Does Level 30 Unlock in WoW Forever?

The level 30 limit only exists on the beta. Beta characters have been capped at 30 since September 17, and that cap stays in place until the beta closes on October 21. The live game has no staged level cap: from November 4 every character can level all the way to 60.

Beta characters don't carry over to the live game either. Everyone starts from level 1 on launch night, beta testers included.

What You Can Play on Day One

The launch version is a full leveling game. The endgame raids arrive later, but everything from level 1 to 60 is there from the first hour.

• Levels 1-60 with more than 1,000 new quests across the whole range.
• Four new zones: Mount Hyjal, Shen'dralas, the Riverglades and Zephras Isle.
• Nine new dungeons, from Hall of Thanes at level 13 to Shaper's Terrace at 58-60.
• The Skyborne race, available with the Skyborne Heroic Pack or a higher edition.
• The Normal, PvP and Roleplay rulesets, with Hardcore to follow in winter.

Raids are the one thing missing at launch. The Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit and Onyxia's Lair all open together on December 9, 2026. If you'd rather reach that date already geared, our WoW Forever leveling service takes a character from 1 to 60 for you.

To see every new area on the map, with level ranges and how to get there, check our WoW Forever new zones guide.

How to Prepare for the WoW Forever Launch

A few things can be settled before November 4, and each one saves time once the servers open and the queues start.

1. Reserve your names between October 27 and November 3. Any of the three upgrade editions lets you create and customize up to three characters early. Names are first-come, first-served, and Forever has no realms, so each name is unique across the whole region.
2. Plan both parts of the name. Character creation asks for a Main Name and a Secondary Name, and both are required. The second part is what leaves room for an original combination when the obvious names are gone.
3. Pick your ruleset. You choose between Normal, PvP and Roleplay once, and you can only group, trade and use the Auction House with players on the same ruleset.
4. Settle on a race and class. The new race and class combinations make the choice wider than in Classic, so it is worth deciding before the first evening.
5. Send your Invite-A-Friend codes. Every upgrade edition includes at least one code. A friend who redeems it plays free from November 4 to November 11.

The differences between the rulesets, including what happens to world PvP on each, are covered in our WoW Forever Normal vs PvP ruleset guide.

For help choosing a class, our WoW Forever tier list ranks every spec for leveling, dungeons and PvP.

WoW Forever Release Date FAQ

More WoW Forever Guides

These guides cover what to decide and what to expect before the servers open on November 4.