The World of Warcraft: Forever release time is 3:00 p.m. PST on Wednesday, November 4, 2026 (23:00 UTC), and Blizzard is opening it at the same moment worldwide. That is 6:00 p.m. EST in New York, 11:00 p.m. GMT in London and midnight CET on November 5 in most of Europe, according to Blizzard’s launch announcement. Access comes with any active World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time; the paid packs are optional.
- Platforms: Windows and Mac through the Battle.net app (controller support is in beta).
- Cost: included with a WoW subscription ($14.99 for one month on the Battle.net Shop, less on longer plans) or Game Time.
- Before launch: Early Name Reservation for pack owners runs until November 3.
Table of Contents
WoW Forever release time in every region
US clocks went back an hour on November 1, so North American times are standard time. Rows come from Blizzard’s table and launch map; we converted the other zones from 23:00 UTC.
| Region / city | Local launch time | Date |
|---|---|---|
| US Pacific (Los Angeles) | 3:00 p.m. PST | Wed, Nov 4 |
| US Mountain (Denver) | 4:00 p.m. MST | Wed, Nov 4 |
| US Central (Chicago), Mexico City | 5:00 p.m. CST | Wed, Nov 4 |
| US Eastern (New York) | 6:00 p.m. EST | Wed, Nov 4 |
| Brazil (São Paulo) | 8:00 p.m. BRT | Wed, Nov 4 |
| UK (London) | 11:00 p.m. GMT | Wed, Nov 4 |
| Central Europe (Paris, Berlin) | 12:00 a.m. CET | Thu, Nov 5 |
| South Africa (Cape Town) | 1:00 a.m. SAST | Thu, Nov 5 |
| Turkey (Ankara) | 2:00 a.m. TRT | Thu, Nov 5 |
| UAE (Abu Dhabi) | 3:00 a.m. GST | Thu, Nov 5 |
| India | 4:30 a.m. IST | Thu, Nov 5 |
| Taiwan (Taipei) | 7:00 a.m. CST | Thu, Nov 5 |
| Korea (Seoul), Japan | 8:00 a.m. KST / JST | Thu, Nov 5 |
| Australia East (Sydney) | 10:00 a.m. AEDT | Thu, Nov 5 |
| New Zealand (Auckland) | 12:00 p.m. NZDT | Thu, Nov 5 |
Blizzard's official launch map: one global unlock on Nov 4-5. Image: Blizzard Entertainment
One caveat for launch afternoon: players on Blizzard’s forums quote a Battle.net app notice of scheduled maintenance from 10:00 a.m. PST on November 4, with service expected back at about 3:00 p.m. PST. Blizzard’s news site doesn’t mention it, but the end time matches the launch, so don’t expect an early unlock.
How to install WoW Forever before launch
WoW Forever is its own game version inside the Battle.net app. Blizzard’s returning-player guide gives the steps:
- Install the Battle.net desktop app on Windows or Mac and sign in.
- Pick World of Warcraft, then choose WoW: Forever in the Game Version menu above the Play button (and the right account, if you have several).
- Click Install and let the download finish before the 3:00 p.m. PST start.
The Battle.net Shop lists a 4-core 3.0 GHz CPU, a DirectX 12 GPU with 4 GB of video memory, 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of free SSD space as the Windows minimum. Pack owners could install the client for name reservations from October 27, and forum players report pre-installing it in late October.
Do you need to buy WoW Forever?
No. Blizzard says access is included with a World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time. The optional upgrade editions add extras:
| Edition (US price) | What it adds |
|---|---|
| Skyborne Heroic Pack ($29.99) | The new Skyborne race and Zephras Isle start, Early Name Reservation, a mount, cosmetics, 1 Invite-A-Friend code |
| Skyborne Epic Pack ($59.99) | Heroic Pack + 30 days of Game Time from Nov 4, more cosmetics and pets, 3 codes in total |
| Warcraft Forever Collection ($79.99) | Epic Pack + Warcraft III: Reforged and the Forsaken Kingdom campaign (on sale until Jan 11, 2027) |
Invite-A-Friend codes let a friend play without a subscription from November 4 to November 11, launch week only.
The Ruleset screen replaces the realm list; Hardcore comes after launch. Image: Blizzard Entertainment
What happens when you first log in
There is no realm list. You pick an Experience Preset (Classic or Enhanced visuals and UI), then a Ruleset: Normal, PvP, Roleplay or Roleplay-PvP. Hardcore arrives some time after launch. Characters get a two-part name, unique per region and first come, first served, so friends should agree on a Ruleset and faction first. Our WoW Forever name reservation guide covers the naming rules.
The level cap is 60, with more than 1,000 new quests, nine new dungeons and zones such as Mount Hyjal, Shen’dralas and the Riverglades. The three launch raids (Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit and Onyxia’s Lair) don’t open until December 9.
WoW Forever adds more than 1,000 new quests across levels 1-60. Image: Blizzard Entertainment
What’s next
Name reservation closes November 3, launch follows on November 4, and the Invite-A-Friend window ends November 11, about a week before GTA 6 on November 19 (see our GTA 6 release time guide). WoW Forever shares launch week with Ocarina of Time on Switch 2; our games coming out this week list has the rest. Blizzard ran a WoW Forever stress test in October to prepare the servers; we’ll add any official queue or server notes here as Blizzard posts them.
Sources: Blizzard (launch times), Blizzard (Return to Azeroth), Blizzard (upgrade editions), Blizzard (name reservation), Battle.net Shop, Insider Gaming, Blizzard forums. Checked November 2, 2026, 01:00 UTC.
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Featured image: Blizzard Entertainment
