WoW Forever release date: launch time in your time zone and every key date

World of Warcraft: Forever launches worldwide on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. PST. In Italy, Spain and the rest of Central Europe that is midnight between November 4 and 5, 00:00 CET on Thursday, November 5, the time Blizzard itself gives on its Italian and Spanish pages. Below: the conversions, the dates before and after launch, and what the official sources leave open.

Launch time in your time zone

Blizzard gives one global time, 3:00 p.m. PST, and no separate times per region. Converted:

These offsets are the ones in force on November 4: the US leaves daylight saving time on November 1, 2026, Europe on October 25, and Mexico City stays on UTC−6 all year.

Every key date

You'll find them in the calendar too.

The beta: September 17 to October 21

Blizzard set the beta from September 17 to October 21, 2026 (PST) and called October 21 "the last full day of testing". You get in through opt-in invitations or with the Skyborne Epic Pack or the Warcraft Forever Collection. The level cap was 20 at the start; since the October 1 build it is 30, according to the development notes Blizzard posts on its forums.

Blizzard also announced a Server Slam, a test of a few hours open to everyone, "at a later point during the test period". As of October 10 it has given no date.

Before launch: invite codes and names

Invite-A-Friend codes arrive by email from October 20 (PST): one with the Skyborne Heroic Pack, three in total with the Epic Pack or the Collection. Gift purchases don't include them. The friend you invite can play Forever from November 4 through November 11 without a subscription, but without beta access.

Early Name Reservation runs from October 27 through November 3 (PST) and comes with any upgrade purchase: you can reserve names for up to three characters, first come, first served. Blizzard has not said what time it opens. What each edition includes: editions and prices.

After launch

New raids unlock on Wednesday, December 9. The two raids announced are Hyjal Summit and the Barrow Deeps, but Blizzard doesn't say which ones open that day (zones, dungeons and raids). The Warcraft Forever Collection stays on sale until January 11, 2027.

Hardcore "will be available sometime after launch", with no date, while the other rulesets start with the game (rulesets). Standard Definition Skyborne models are "arriving early 2027". Blizzard's later plans (more raids and dungeons, PvP updates, a revamped iconic raid) have no dates either.

Where the official sources disagree

• The English article "Carve a New Path" (September 12) says "3:00 p.m. PDT". On November 4 the Pacific coast is on PST, and 3:00 p.m. PDT would be an hour earlier. Every other English source says PST, and the Italian and Spanish 00:00 CET matches PST, so PDT looks like a slip.
• In Spanish (Spain), the pre-purchase article says 00:00 CET on November 5, but two other articles say 23:59 CET on November 4. The gap is one minute; the Spanish shop says November 5.

What we don't know yet

• What time Early Name Reservation opens.
• The date of the Server Slam.
• Which raids unlock on December 9.
• When Hardcore arrives.
• Whether any region gets a different time: Blizzard only gives the global one.

New to the game? Start with what WoW Forever is or the FAQ.