Explainer
WoW Forever launch time: November 4 at 3:00 p.m. PST, and the local time in every region
WoW Forever launches globally on November 4, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. PST (23:00 UTC). That's 6:00 p.m. Eastern, 23:00 in London, midnight in Paris and Berlin, and Thursday morning in Seoul and Sydney. Every region's time, and what to do before.
Oct 19, 2026Checked against build 1.60.1.704502 min read
WoW Forever launches on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. PST, Blizzard says, globally, at the same moment for everyone. That’s 23:00 UTC. US clocks go back an hour on November 1, so launch day is on standard time (PST).
WoW Forever launch time by region
Blizzard gives one time, 3:00 p.m. PST. These are our conversions of it:
| Where | Local launch time |
|---|---|
| US Pacific (Los Angeles, Seattle) | Wed Nov 4, 3:00 p.m. |
| US Mountain (Denver) | Wed Nov 4, 4:00 p.m. |
| US Central (Chicago), Mexico City | Wed Nov 4, 5:00 p.m. |
| US Eastern (New York) | Wed Nov 4, 6:00 p.m. |
| Brazil (São Paulo) | Wed Nov 4, 20:00 |
| UK, Ireland, Portugal | Wed Nov 4, 23:00 |
| Central Europe (Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Rome) | Thu Nov 5, 00:00 (midnight) |
| Taiwan | Thu Nov 5, 07:00 |
| Korea | Thu Nov 5, 08:00 |
| Australia (Sydney, Melbourne) | Thu Nov 5, 10:00 |
| New Zealand (Auckland) | Thu Nov 5, 12:00 |
For Europe that’s a late Wednesday night, and for Korea and Australia a Thursday morning.
Do you need to buy WoW Forever?
No. Blizzard says access is included with a World of Warcraft subscription or game time. The Skyborne Heroic and Epic packs are optional: they add the Skyborne race and its Zephras Isle start, Early Name Reservation, a mount and cosmetics.
What happens before launch
- October 20: Invite-A-Friend codes start arriving by email.
- October 21: the stress test, open to any WoW account, and the beta’s last full day of testing.
- October 27 to November 3: Early Name Reservation, for players with an eligible upgrade: you can create and customize your character before launch.
- November 4 to 11: Invite-A-Friend launch week.
Every date, each tied to Blizzard’s own post, is on what’s new in WoW Forever.
Be ready at 3:00 p.m.
- Pick your ruleset first. You can’t move a character between rulesets later: can you switch rulesets in WoW Forever?
- Pick your class and race. The best class for leveling and every racial Forever changed help.
- Have your addons ready. The live game’s folder appears once the launcher installs it, and the steps are in how to install addons in WoW Forever. The free BoF WoW Forever in-game leveling guide takes every race from level 1 to 30.
- Plan your first hour. Every start’s road is on the leveling guide.
Questions
When does WoW Forever launch?
WoW Forever launches globally on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. PST, Blizzard says. That's 23:00 UTC.
What time does WoW Forever launch in Europe?
WoW Forever launches at 23:00 on Wednesday, November 4 in the UK and Portugal, and at midnight (00:00) on Thursday, November 5 in Central Europe: Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Rome. Blizzard gives one global time, 3:00 p.m. PST.
Does WoW Forever launch at the same time in every region?
Yes. Blizzard says WoW Forever launches globally on November 4, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. PST, which is the same moment everywhere: 23:00 UTC.
Do I need to buy WoW Forever?
No. Blizzard says access to WoW Forever is included with a World of Warcraft subscription or game time. The Skyborne packs are optional upgrades.
Can I make my character before WoW Forever launches?
With Early Name Reservation, from October 27 to November 3, 2026, players with an eligible upgrade can create and customize a character before launch, Blizzard says.