World of Warcraft: Forever beta FAQ

The beta opens on September 17. This page answers the questions people are actually asking about it, from what Blizzard has published and nothing else. Where Blizzard has not said, the answer says so, with the date we last checked. The full picture of the game is on Everything we know, and the money question is in Which edition should you buy?

Dates and times

When does the beta start and end?

September 17 through October 21, 2026, Pacific time. Blizzard’s pre-purchase post gives both dates as “PST” and its Collector’s Edition post says “PDT”. Pacific daylight time is in force on both dates, so read them as Pacific and ignore the letters.

What time on September 17 does it open?

Blizzard has not published an hour. Its support article says the beta client “will be available for installation in the Battle.net App once testing begins”, so the client shows up when the servers do. The countdown on our front page runs to midnight Pacific; treat the day as confirmed and the hour as unknown. We will put the hour here the moment Blizzard gives one.

Is there a schedule? Will the servers go down?

Expect it. Blizzard Support says the beta client “may be offline at any moment” and points to the official beta forums, English only, for the schedule. As of September 13 there is no Forever beta forum; the WoW: Forever category on the official forums is where one would appear.

What else happens around the start?

Two Blizzard streams bracket it. The Forever deep-dive panel is on September 13 at 10:00 a.m. PDT, on the BlizzCon stream. A live World of Warcraft Q&A follows on September 17 at 10:00 a.m. PDT on Warcraft’s Twitch and YouTube channels, with questions taken in advance on the forums and a VOD afterward.

Getting in

Which purchases include the beta?

Three of them, all sold as upgrades to an existing World of Warcraft account:

• Skyborne Epic Pack, $59.99 US, on the Battle.net Shop.
• Warcraft Forever Collection, $79.99 US, on the Battle.net Shop through January 11, 2027.
• Collector’s Edition, physical, from the Blizzard Gear Store, which includes a Warcraft Forever Collection code.

The Skyborne Heroic Pack at $29.99 does not include the beta. What each one contains beyond the beta is in the edition guide.

Is there a free way in?

Yes, without a guarantee. Blizzard’s support article says you can sign up on the official World of Warcraft website, that signing up “does not guarantee Beta access”, and that the sign-up page “is only available while testing is active or shortly before testing starts”. As of September 13 there is no sign-up page live. We check daily and will link it here the day it appears.

I bought the Epic Pack or the Collection. Do I need a code?

No. Blizzard flags the account automatically; there is nothing to redeem. If access is missing, check your Battle.net transaction history: the order has to show as Complete, because a failed order grants nothing. A gifted upgrade flags the recipient’s account, not the buyer’s.

I bought the Collector’s Edition. How does beta access arrive?

As a code, emailed with redemption instructions to the address you used on the Gear Store. Blizzard’s terms for it: the code needs a WoW game account, one redemption per game account, and it cannot be redeemed on an account that already has beta access. Customer Support will not replace a lost code or move one redeemed on the wrong account. One buyer reports the code email arrived about an hour after purchase, filed under Gmail’s Promotions tab. Community Blizzard forums

Can I still buy in after September 17?

Blizzard has set no cut-off. The Epic Pack and the Collection stay on sale, the Collection through January 11, 2027, and the shop lists the beta as running through October 21. Every day you wait is a day less of it, which is the whole calculation.

Does the beta need a subscription or Game Time?

Blizzard has not said. The requirement it has published, “a subscription or game time is required to play World of Warcraft: Forever”, is the Battle.net Shop’s line about the live game from November 4, and the Epic Pack’s 30 days of Game Time are added at launch, not before. We will confirm from inside the beta on September 17 and update this answer.

Can a friend get me in?

Not into the beta. The Invite-A-Friend Launch Codes that come with the paid editions grant an eligible friend access to Forever during launch week, November 4 through 11, and they are emailed from October 20. Nothing Blizzard has published shares beta access.

I have more than one WoW account. Which one gets the beta?

For the Collector’s Edition code, the account you redeem it on, once. For a digital upgrade, Blizzard says “your account will automatically be flagged”, and has not said how that resolves when a Battle.net account holds several WoW licenses. If this matters to you, buy on the account you play on and keep the receipt.

Playing it

How do I install the beta?

Through the Battle.net desktop app, which is required along with a Battle.net account and an internet connection. Blizzard Support says the beta client becomes available for installation there once testing begins. If you do not see it, close the app, restart it, and make sure you are logged in with the account that holds the access. Customer Support does not provide technical assistance with the beta client, so the forums are the place for install problems.

What level cap and zones are in the beta?

Blizzard has not said. The only description it has published is “an early look at the roads, stories, and systems” of Forever. What the finished game contains, from the new zones and level bands to the nine dungeons, is on Everything we know; how much of it is open in the beta is a day-one question, and we will answer it from inside. Every zone of the original world is already indexed under Zones; what the beta changes lands there row by row from day one.

Will my beta characters be wiped? Do they carry to launch?

Blizzard has not said. Its Collector’s Edition terms say beta “benefits expire after the applicable access period of September 17 through October 21”, and nothing published suggests characters, gold or names carry into the live game. Assume they do not. The one thing that does persist before launch is Early Name Reservation, October 27 through November 3, for paid editions.

Is there an NDA? Can I stream it?

Blizzard has published no NDA, embargo or streaming rule for this beta, and its beta is playable on the BlizzCon show floor already. That is not the same as a written yes. We will read the client’s terms on September 17 and update this answer either way.

Can I lose beta access?

Yes. Blizzard revokes beta access for Code of Conduct violations, and Customer Support cannot restore it, grant it, or help with a code redeemed on the wrong account.

Where do I report bugs and give feedback?

Blizzard has not named a channel yet. Its support article points to the official beta forums, which do not exist for Forever as of September 13; the WoW: Forever category on the official forums is the place to watch for one. Whether the client has an in-game feedback tool is another day-one check.

Which regions and languages does the beta cover?

Blizzard has not said. The beta forums it refers to are English only. We will report the realm list and the client languages on day one.

After the beta

What happens on October 21?

The beta closes and its benefits expire. Then, in order: Early Name Reservation from October 27 through November 3 for paid editions, up to three characters per account, first come first served; launch on November 4 at 3:00 p.m. PST, included with a subscription or Game Time; the Epic Pack’s and the Collection’s 30 days of Game Time added at launch; and Invite-A-Friend codes valid from November 4 through 11.

I bought a digital pack and now want the Collector’s Edition. Do I pay twice?

Not if you redeem the Collector’s Edition code before December 31, 2027. Blizzard credits the price of a full digital edition back as Battle.net Balance automatically. A partial upgrade, such as Heroic to Epic, is not credited automatically and needs a Customer Support ticket, and owning Warcraft III: Reforged earns no discount or credit.

What we are still checking

Each of these is a “Blizzard has not said” above. This is where the answer will come from.

• The opening hour on September 17. Blizzard’s post or the client appearing in the app.
• Whether the beta needs a subscription or Game Time. Logging in on day one.
• Level cap, zones and dungeons open in the beta. The September 13 panels described the finished game, not the beta build; day one answers this.
• Wipes and character copy. Blizzard’s beta forum post, if one comes.
• NDA or streaming rules. The client’s terms on day one.
• The feedback channel. A beta forum or an in-game tool.
• Regions and languages. The realm list on day one.
• The free sign-up page. Wowhead reports a Beta Opt-In button on the game’s Battle.net page as of September 13; we confirm and link it when we have used it.

Anything that changes lands in the changelog below, with the date.