WoW Forever Roadmap: All Dates and Phases
What's coming to WoW Forever, and when? The roadmap collects every announced date, from release through the first raids and Hardcore to the 2027 content updates. Each date is marked confirmed or unconfirmed, and each detail lists its source.
- Launch: Nov 5, 2026
- Raids: Dec 9, 2026
- Hardcore: Winter 2026/27 unconfirmed
- Next update: Spring 2027 per fan sites
Next up: Stress test (Server Slam) on Oct 19, 2026.
Timeline
- Sep 12, 2026over
Announcement at BlizzCon confirmed
- Blizzard unveils WoW Forever; the upgrade packs are available for pre-order right away. official
More on this: What's New in WoW Forever?
- Sep 17, 2026 –
Oct 21, 2026Beta confirmed
- Started with a level cap of 20, raised to level 30 on October 1. official
- The Epic Pack includes beta access. Progress does not carry over. official
- The servers close in the early hours of October 22 (US time). official
More on this: Editions and prices
- Oct 19, 2026
Stress test (Server Slam) unconfirmed
- Blizzard has announced an open test lasting a few hours. official
- So far the date only appears in the Battle.net launcher; time and duration are missing. unconfirmed
More on this: Stress test
- Oct 20, 2026
Invite codes by email confirmed
- The codes from the upgrade packs are sent out. They can be redeemed from November 4 to 11. official
More on this: Release and Countdown
- Oct 27, 2026 –
Nov 3, 2026Early name reservation confirmed
- Secure up to three character names with any upgrade pack; names are first come, first served. official
- In Korea and Taiwan from October 28 to November 4, local time. official
- Blizzard has not announced a time yet. unconfirmed
More on this: Rulesets and Names
- Nov 4, 2026 –
Nov 11, 2026Friends play without a subscription confirmed
- Players invited with an invite code can play without a subscription this week. official
More on this: Launch checklist
- Nov 5, 2026
WoW Forever launch confirmed
- Worldwide at the same time: November 4 at 3:00 pm PST, which is November 5 at midnight CET. official
- No early access. Skyborne are playable from day one with an upgrade pack. official
- Normal, PvP and Roleplay rulesets, plus the honor and rank system and a new battleground. official
More on this: Release and Countdown · Launch time worldwide · Skyborne guide · PvP
- Dec 9, 2026
The first raids open confirmed
- The first three raids open at the same time. In Korea and Taiwan on December 10, local time. official
- Group sizes of 10, 20 and 40 players, according to the roadmap slide. per fan sites
More on this: Barrow Deeps · Hyjal Summit · Onyxia's Lair · Onyxia attunement
- Winter 2026/27
Hardcore ruleset unconfirmed
- Blizzard has confirmed Hardcore for “some time after launch.” official
- “Winter 2026/27” only appears on the BlizzCon roadmap slide. unconfirmed
- Hardcore launches with twelve dedicated Legacy challenges. official
More on this: Hardcore · Legacy System
- Jan 11, 2027
Last day of the Warcraft Forever Collection confirmed
- After that, only the Heroic and Epic Packs remain. unconfirmed
More on this: Editions and prices
- February 2027
Delivery of backordered Collector's Editions confirmed
- If you ordered the collector's edition later, you'll receive it in February 2027. official
More on this: Editions and prices
- Spring 2027
First major content update unconfirmed
- Two new raids for 10 and 20 players and two new dungeons. per fan sites
- New quests, a new playable zone and a legendary quest chain. per fan sites
- A new PvP season. per fan sites
- Officially, Blizzard only says that more raids, dungeons, PvP and world content will follow. official
- Summer 2027
Revamped “iconic” raid unconfirmed
- Blizzard has announced a revamped, well-known raid, but no date. official
- Summer 2027 according to the roadmap slide, along with another raid and two dungeons. per fan sites
- Also updates to the world, PvP, professions and the Legacy System. per fan sites
- Which raid it will be is unknown. Many expect a 40-player raid. unconfirmed
More on this: Raids · Professions · Legacy System
- no date
Ideas without a date unconfirmed
- An account-wide bank is being considered for the not-too-distant future. per fan sites
- Shaman tanks are only being discussed internally. per fan sites
- Neither Northrend nor Pandaria is planned; for the first few years, the game stays in Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms. per fan sites
- Whether Molten Core and other old raids return has not been announced. unconfirmed
More on this: Forever vs. Classic
confirmed = date given by Blizzard, unconfirmed = date only from the roadmap slide, launcher or reports.
Sources: official = official Blizzard announcement, per fan sites = only backed by fan sites, the press or store quotes, unconfirmed = conflicting or unconfirmed.
FAQ
When does WoW Forever release?
On November 4, 2026 at 3:00 pm PST, worldwide at the same time. In Central Europe, that's midnight on November 5, 2026.
When do the first raids open in WoW Forever?
Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit and Onyxia's Lair open on Dec 9, 2026. The date is official; the group sizes of 10, 20 and 40 come from the roadmap slide.
When is Hardcore coming to WoW Forever?
Some time after launch. There's no official date; according to reports, the BlizzCon roadmap slide says winter 2026/27.
What's coming to WoW Forever in 2027?
According to the roadmap slide: two raids, two dungeons, a new zone, a legendary quest chain and a PvP season in spring, and a revamped well-known raid in summer. Officially, Blizzard has only confirmed that more raids, dungeons, PvP and world content will follow.
Is Northrend or another expansion coming?
No, that's not planned. According to the developers, the game stays in Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms for the first few years, and the world grows there with new zones, dungeons and raids.
How up to date is this roadmap?
We update it with every new announcement. Each date shows whether it's confirmed, and each detail shows its source.
As of Oct 15, 2026. Prices and contents may change; Blizzard's details in your region's store are authoritative.
More WoW Forever Guides
- What's New in WoW Forever?
Every change compared to Classic at a glance. - Forever vs. Classic
Every difference, topic by topic, with sources. - Rulesets and Names
Normal, PvP, RP, Hardcore and name reservation. - Races and Classes
Skyborne and every race and class combination. - Raids
Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit and Onyxia from Dec 9, 2026. - PvP
Honor, rank points, ranks 1–14 and the new battleground. - Legacy System
65 challenges, three trees, cosmetic rewards. - Which class suits me?
Quiz with 8 questions and a class recommendation. - Best professions
Which profession suits which class. - Making gold
Honest ways to earn gold, no buying, no bots. - Release and Countdown
Every date up to the raid launch. - Editions and prices
All editions, prices and what the subscription includes. - Class quests
Every class quest chain for each class, by level. - Class trainers
Where every class finds its trainers, with coordinates. - Macros
Ready-made macros for all nine classes to copy. - Dungeon quests
Every quest to pick up before each dungeon as a checklist. - Quest Chains
Every quest chain by zone, in the right order. - Librams and Arcanums
All eight librams with materials, costs and bonuses. - Tier list
The strongest classes and specs by role. - Skyborne guide
The new race: factions, racial abilities and starting zone. - Hardcore
What is confirmed and what is still open. - Onyxia attunement
Every attunement quest as a checklist. - Launch time worldwide
When WoW Forever launches in your time zone. - Server status
Servers, queues and known issues during launch week. - What to do at which level?
Zones, quests and dungeons for every level. - Riding
Required level, cost and mounts. - Camping
Every camp object and what it does. - Lockpicking
Rogue guide, skill 1–300. - Pick Pocket
What rogues can steal and where. - Install addons
How to get addons into WoW Forever. - Launch checklist
Your day-one checklist for WoW Forever. - Legacy planner
Plan the perk trees and tick off all 65 challenges. - Patch notes
What changes in the game data from build to build.