Is World of Warcraft: Forever free?

It is included with a World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time, the same one that covers modern WoW and Classic. There is nothing to buy unless you want the Skyborne race, beta access, name reservation or cosmetics, which come in the optional paid editions.

Is Forever the same thing as Classic+?

Classic+ is the community's name for the idea; Forever is what Blizzard built and named. Blizzard describes it as a new permanent home alongside modern and Classic WoW, and says it is not a mode, a season, or a new version of Classic.

Do I need to have played Classic first?

No. Blizzard aims Forever at past, current and new players, and the new content spans levels 1 to 60. If you have never played the original game, Forever is the version of it Blizzard wants you to start with.

Does Forever replace WoW Classic?

Blizzard presents Forever as its own version running alongside modern WoW and Classic, not as a replacement. It has said nothing about closing existing Classic realms.

Will Forever get expansions?

Blizzard has announced none. It says the level cap stays at 60 for the foreseeable future and calls Forever an evergreen version of Azeroth that grows through updates: new raids from December 9, more raids and dungeons, PvP updates, Hardcore and more quests. A pre-announcement leak named a first expansion; Blizzard has not confirmed it.

What is World of Warcraft: Forever?

The short answer

World of Warcraft: Forever is Blizzard’s third version of World of Warcraft. Blizzard calls it “a new permanent home alongside modern and Classic WoW” Confirmed Blizzard. It is set in the original Azeroth, “after the events of Warcraft III Reforged: Forsaken Kingdom and before Molten Core” Confirmed Blizzard: the two original continents, the original nine classes, a level cap of 60. Then, instead of moving on to old expansions the way Classic did, it adds new content inside that world: new zones, new dungeons and raids, a new race, new systems, and more than a thousand new quests spread across every level.

Blizzard’s own line for what it is not: “This is not a mode, a season, or a new version of Classic. It is a promise to keep building this world with the community.” Confirmed Blizzard Players have called this idea “Classic+” for years. Forever is the version Blizzard built.

It launches on November 4, 2026, and the beta opens on September 17. Access is included with the subscription or Game Time you already use for any version of WoW.

Who it is for

Blizzard says Forever “invites past, current, and new players.” In practice that is three different people.

You played Classic, or vanilla back in the day. The world is the one you know, with the blank spaces filled in and the level-60 cap kept on purpose. What you get that Classic never had is the new content and the quality-of-life systems, and Blizzard says its class updates “focus on talents and abilities you notice” while keeping what makes each class unique. What’s different from Classic is the full list.

You play modern WoW. Forever is slower and lower: level 60, a world that Blizzard describes as taking “center stage,” rewards that come from playing rather than from systems layered on top. Your subscription already covers it, and the paid editions’ cosmetics work in both games. Nothing you own in modern WoW carries over; nothing has to.

You have never played World of Warcraft. Forever is the version Blizzard wants newcomers to start with: the original 1-to-60 journey, rebuilt with a modern engine and modern options, and a community starting from scratch on the same day you do. The class picker is a good first stop.

What is in it at launch

The short list, each item confirmed by Blizzard and detailed on Everything we know:

Zones. Mount Hyjal, Shen’dralas and the Riverglades are new, Zephras Isle is the Skyborne starting island, and several existing zones are overhauled. More than 1,000 new quests across levels 1 to 60.
Nine new dungeons, from the Hall of Thanes beneath Ironforge to the Shaper’s Terrace, many of them aimed at characters below 60.
A new race, the Skyborne Elves, who choose the Horde or the Alliance at character creation. They require the Skyborne Heroic Pack or a higher edition.
New race and class pairings: Forsaken Paladin, Orc Mage and Dwarf Shaman so far, with more promised.
Systems Classic never had: the account-wide Legacy perks, Camping, two-part character names, optional transmog with an off switch, HD or SD character models, gamepad support.

Raids come five weeks after launch, on December 9: Barrow Deeps for 10 players and Hyjal Summit for 20.

How it differs from Classic, and from modern WoW

Against Classic. Same map, same cap, same classes. The difference is direction: Classic moves forward through the old expansions, Forever stays at 60 and grows sideways. Blizzard says the cap holds “for the foreseeable future” Confirmed PC Gamer, and the roadmap after launch is more raids, dungeons and zones inside the original world, not The Burning Crusade. The systems are the other half: Legacy, Camping, two-part names and the transmog toggle have no Classic equivalent. The row-by-row comparison is on What’s different from Classic.

Against modern WoW. Modern WoW is the expansion game: Midnight now, its Eclipse update next, The Last Titan after that, with a level cap that rises each time. Forever has no expansions announced and a cap that stays put. Blizzard describes it as a game where “the world takes center stage, community comes first, and the journey matters as much as the destination” Confirmed Blizzard, and where “leveling remains just as important as endgame, effort continues to matter, and rewards come from playing the game” Confirmed Blizzard. The two share an account, a subscription and the paid editions’ cosmetics, and nothing else.

When and how to play

Beta: September 17 through October 21, 2026, Pacific time. Access comes with the Skyborne Epic Pack, the Warcraft Forever Collection or the physical Collector’s Edition, and Blizzard has said a free sign-up will appear without any guarantee. Everything about getting in is on the beta FAQ.
Early Name Reservation: October 27 through November 3, for paid editions, up to three names per account, first come first served.
Launch: November 4, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. PST, included with an active World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time.

The paid editions are optional. The Skyborne Heroic Pack unlocks the new race, its starting island, name reservation and cosmetics. The Skyborne Epic Pack adds beta access and 30 days of Game Time from launch. The Warcraft Forever Collection adds Warcraft III: Reforged and its new Forsaken Kingdom campaign, which sets up Forever’s story. Prices, contents and who should buy which are in Which edition should you buy?; most players should buy nothing.

What comes after launch

Blizzard’s roadmap, in its own order: new raids on December 9, then “more raids, dungeons, PvP updates, world content, additional quests throughout the level 1–60 journey, Hardcore, a revamped iconic raid, and major updates” Confirmed Blizzard. Blizzard calls Forever an evergreen version of Azeroth and says it is “made to last.” It has announced no expansion; a pre-announcement leak named a first expansion, “Lands of Conflict” Community MMO-Champion, and Blizzard has said nothing to support it.

Where to go next

Everything we know: every confirmed fact, tagged and sourced, updated as Blizzard talks.
What’s different from Classic: the row-by-row comparison.
Which edition should you buy?: the money question.
Beta FAQ: dates, access, and what Blizzard has not said.
Class picker: the nine classes by faction, role, style and race.
Zones, quests and NPCs: the original world indexed, every row with its source, and Forever’s changes marked as the beta shows them.
News: Blizzard’s announcements as they land, with sources.