Blizzard has announced a new variant of World Of Warcraft, and you’ll be able to play the beta later this week.
While Diablo 5 and a new StarCraft arguably stole the show at BlizzCon 2026, some people might be more excited for World Of Warcraft: Forever.
All three titles were announced during the opening ceremony for BlizzCon 2026 on Saturday (September 13). The convention spanned two days and, along with gaming announcements, it featured panels and playable demos for those in attendance.
While we’re going to have to wait until 2029 and 2030 respectively for Diablo 5 and the next StarCraft, World Of Warcraft: Forever is just around the corner on November 4, 2026. If you want to play it before then, a beta is set to take place later this week.
What is World Of Warcraft: Forever?
This is essentially the third World Of Warcraft branch, after modern World Of Warcraft which launched in 2004 and has been updated with countless expansions over the years, and 2019’s World Of Warcraft Classic, which is a vanilla version of that title with all the updates removed.
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In comparison, World Of Warcraft: Forever is an evolution of Classic, which expands on the 2004 version of Azeroth with improved visuals, three new zones, over 1,000 new quests, nine new dungeons, two new raids, a new playable race in the Skyborne Elves, and other additions.
When does the beta start?
World Of Warcraft: Forever’s beta kicks off on Thursday, September 17 and concludes on October 21, 2026. Blizzard hasn’t yet confirmed a start time.
How do I get access to the World Of Warcraft: Forever beta?
To get access to the beta, you have two options. For guaranteed access, you’ll have to pre-order the World Of Warcraft: Forever Collection (£69.99), Skyborne Epic Pack (£51.99), or the World Of Warcraft: Forever Collector’s Edition (£131) through the Blizzard store.
The latter is physical edition with a journal book, a mousepad, and a Dwarven Hunter & Loyal Bear statue. The Skyborne Epic Pack, meanwhile, comes with mounts and pets not in the Skyborne Heroic Pack, while the World Of Warcraft: Forever Collection includes everything in the Epic Pack, along with access to Warcraft 3: Reforged and Warcraft 3: Reforged: Forsaken Kingdom. You can find a breakdown here.
If you have an active World Of Warcraft subscription, you’ll still have to buy one of these packs to access the Forever beta. However, subscribers will be able to access the base game of World Of Warcraft: Forever when it launches in November.
Alternatively, if you don’t fancy splashing the cash yet, you can sign up on the World Of Warcraft website. However, this doesn’t guarantee access to the beta, but will put you in the running to receive access via Battle.net.
What’s included in the beta?
Blizzard hasn’t confirmed what will be included in the beta, but you will be able to play up to level 30. In the final version of World Of Warcraft: Forever, there’s a level cap of 60.
Beyond the game’s full launch on November 4, 2026, Blizzard has laid out a 2027 roadmap for the title, which includes additional raids, a hardcore mode, and new raids.
Will beta progress carry over to the final game?
Blizzard has already confirmed character creation and name reservations will be open from October 27, 2026 for the final game, so your progress will not carry over from the beta.
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