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WoW Forever stress test on October 19: start times, who can join, and the wipe
The WoW Forever stress test runs on October 19 on the servers WoW Forever will use at launch. Any WoW account can join, no subscription needed. It lasts a few hours, then every character is deleted and the beta reopens.
Oct 17, 2026Checked against build 1.60.1.704501 min read
The WoW Forever stress test is on October 19, Blizzard announced on October 15. For a few hours, WoW Forever runs on the servers it will use when it goes live on November 4, and anyone with a World of Warcraft account can log in.
Start times by region
| Region | Starts | In UTC |
|---|---|---|
| Europe | October 19, 19:00 CEST | 17:00 |
| Americas and Oceania | October 19, 2:00 p.m. PDT | 21:00 |
| Taiwan | October 20, 5:00 a.m. | 21:00 (October 19) |
| Korea | October 20, 6:00 a.m. | 21:00 (October 19) |
Europe starts four hours before the other regions. Blizzard said the test runs for “a few hours” and gave no end time.
Who can join
Any player with a World of Warcraft account can join. No active subscription is needed, so this is the first chance for players without beta access to make a WoW Forever character. Blizzard asks testers to make a character, do some quests, trade items, chat and group up, so the servers see launch-day traffic.
The beta goes down, and everything is wiped
Blizzard takes the WoW Forever beta offline before the test and reopens it after. When the stress test ends, all characters are deleted, names included. Nothing you make in the test carries over to launch, so don’t spend your favourite name on it.
What to do with a few hours
A stress test is a good look at a starting zone before launch day. Our leveling guide covers every start, and the what’s new page has every date between now and launch, including the October 20 Invite-A-Friend codes and the October 27 name reservation.
If you play with addons, the BoF WoW Forever in-game leveling guide is free from level 1 to 30. We haven’t seen yet which game folder the stress test uses, so check that your addons load once you’re in. The steps are in how to install addons in WoW Forever.
Questions
When is the WoW Forever stress test?
On October 19, 2026. It starts at 19:00 CEST in Europe, at 2:00 p.m. PDT in the Americas and Oceania, and on October 20 at 5:00 a.m. in Taipei and 6:00 a.m. in Korea, Blizzard said on October 15.
Who can join the WoW Forever stress test?
Any player with a World of Warcraft account. Blizzard says no active subscription is needed.
Do characters from the WoW Forever stress test carry over to launch?
No. When the stress test ends, every character is deleted, names included, and the beta reopens. WoW Forever launches on November 4, 2026.
Is the WoW Forever beta down during the stress test?
Yes. Blizzard takes the beta offline first, runs the stress test on the servers WoW Forever will use at launch for a few hours, then reopens the beta.