News
The WoW Forever beta
The beta runs until Oct 21, 2026, two weeks before launch on Nov 4, 2026 at 23:00 UTC (3 p.m. Pacific). Here is how to get in, what the realms have been doing, and what to do when the game will not let you log in.
Beta in progress
Level cap 30
- Opened
- Sep 17, 2026
- Last day
- Oct 21, 2026
- Launch
- Nov 4, 2026
Launch in
On this page
Road to launch
Blizzard’s dates; content and timing can still change.
Beta opensSep 17, 2026
- Level 20 cap at first
Level 30 capOct 1, 2026
- Dungeon runs added: Excavation Site, Hall of Thanes, Ruins of Lordaeron
Beta endsOct 21, 2026
- Last full day to play: October 21
Name reservationOct 27, 2026
- Claim names and make your characters ahead of launch day
LaunchNov 4, 2026, 23:00 UTC (3 p.m. Pacific)
Raids unlockDec 9, 2026
- The Barrow Deeps, 10 players
- Hyjal Summit, 20 players
- Onyxia's Lair, 40 players
Hardcore launchWinter
- Forever Hardcore realms open
Major updateSpring 2027
- 2 new raids, 10 and 20 players
- 2 new dungeons
- New quests and a new playable area
- A legendary questline
- PvP season refresh
Major updateSummer 2027
- A revamped iconic raid
- A new raid
- More world content
- 2 new dungeons
- PvP season refresh
- Profession and Legacy updates
Level cap: 20 from Sep 17, 2026, then 30 from Oct 1, 2026. Open now and new in Forever: Hall of Thanes, Ruins of Lordaeron, Excavation Site, City of Dalaran, all four open under the level 30 cap.
How to get in
Opt in for free
No guaranteeOn the official Forever site, sign up through the “Beta Opt-in” link in the top-right corner, then wait: Blizzard pulls testers from that list in waves, and an invite is never guaranteed.
The official Forever siteBuy a pack
Access from day oneThe Skyborne Epic Pack and the Warcraft Forever Collection include beta access from the first day, with the Skyborne and a name reservation. The Heroic Pack unlocks the Skyborne but not the beta.
Blizzard’s pre-purchase page
Once you are in, the beta shows up in the Battle.net app under World of Warcraft, in the game version menu.
Login errors
Find the message you see. Each one says why it happens and what to do.
Retrieving character listCharacter not found
Why: A realm-side login fault right after the October 1 update (level 30). Logins failed for about 90 minutes after the realms came back.
- 1Wait while Blizzard works on it; nothing on your PC causes it.
- 2If it comes back, quit the game completely.
- 3Open the Battle.net app, wait until the beta update completes, and launch again.
Seen on Oct 1, 2026. Blizzard (Oct 2, 2026): “We’re aware of and working to address an issue that appears to be preventing testers from logging into the WoW: Forever Beta.” Read the post (official forums, opens in a new tab)
You have been disconnected from the server. (BLZ51901016)
Why: The realms are offline while a new build goes out. Everyone gets it at the same time.
- 1Check the realm status: if the realms are down, wait for Blizzard to bring them back.
- 2Realms up but the error will not clear? Close and reopen the Battle.net app so it downloads the latest build.
Seen on Sep 17, 2026, Sep 24, 2026, Oct 1, 2026, Oct 8, 2026.
WOW51900319Disconnected while playing
Why: Realms turned unstable after the September 24 build: players lagged and got kicked offline every 10 to 15 minutes.
- 1Log back in straight away.
- 2Blizzard patched it on September 25: the realm restart that day carried the stability fixes.
Seen on Sep 24, 2026. Blizzard (Sep 25, 2026): “We’re tracking server issues that are affecting some Beta testers, and our fix for this will almost certainly result in restarting servers today.” Read the post (official forums, opens in a new tab)
No realms availableAfter choosing Normal, PvP or Roleplaying
Why: Your game client is older than the build the realms run.
- 1Quit the game.
- 2Reopen the Battle.net app and wait for the beta update to finish.
- 3Then log in.
Seen on Sep 28, 2026, Oct 2, 2026.
Realm is fullA queue after a disconnection
Why: A server bug filled the login queue after disconnections, even with room on the realm.
- 1Blizzard fixed it on September 27; there is nothing to do.
Seen on Sep 26, 2026, Sep 27, 2026. Blizzard (Sep 27, 2026): “We looked into this, and found an issue that was causing the queue to fill, and we just fixed the issue.” Read the post (official forums, opens in a new tab)
Character with that name already existsCharacter stuck after a realm restart
Why: The character was on a boat or behind a loading screen when the realms restarted, and the server kept it locked.
- 1Post on the beta forum.
- 2Include the locked character's name and roughly when you last played it.
Seen on Sep 21, 2026, Sep 22, 2026, Oct 8, 2026. Blizzard (Sep 22, 2026): “When reporting an issue like this, please provide the name of the Beta character that you’re locked out of, and if possible, the exact time you were last successfully playing the character (and got disconnected).” Read the post (official forums, opens in a new tab)
Social features lockedAustralian testers only
Why: October 1 build bug (Australia only): a pop-up says your social features are locked.
- 1Close the window. Your social features work normally.
Seen on Oct 1, 2026, Oct 3, 2026. Blizzard (Oct 1, 2026): “This is not the case, of course. We’ll get the bug fixed as soon as possible.” Read the post (official forums, opens in a new tab)
Maintenances and restarts
All beta outages, realm restarts and new builds, latest at the top. Times are UTC.
- New build onlineUpdate of Oct 14, 2026
- New build onlineUpdate of Oct 10, 2026
- NoticeBeta Realm Maintenance - October 8 (official forums, opens in a new tab)
- New build onlineUpdate of Oct 8, 2026WoW Forever Beta Development Notes – Updated October 8 (official forums, opens in a new tab)
- Maintenance announcedBeta Realm Maintenance - October 8 (official forums, opens in a new tab)
- Problem acknowledgedBeta Service Issue - October 1 (official forums, opens in a new tab)
- Problem acknowledgedTemporary Dialog Bug for Australian Testers (official forums, opens in a new tab)
- New build onlineUpdate of Oct 1, 2026WoW Forever Beta Development Notes – Updated October 1
- NoticeBeta Update Maintenance - October 1 (official forums, opens in a new tab)
- Maintenance announcedBeta Update Maintenance - October 1 (official forums, opens in a new tab)
- New build onlineUpdate of Sep 30, 2026
- New build onlineUpdate of Sep 29, 2026
- Problem acknowledgedRealm is full (official forums, opens in a new tab)
- New build onlineUpdate of Sep 23, 2026
- Problem acknowledged"Character with that name already exists" (official forums, opens in a new tab)
- New build onlineUpdate of Sep 18, 2026
Events
The Forever Open duel tournament
October 17 and 18, on the betaA community tournament run by Tips Out with a $100,000 prize pool: one-on-one duels between level 30 Horde characters on the beta’s PvP ruleset. Qualifiers and check-in (15 gold entry fee) are on October 17, the finals for the top four of each class on October 18, streamed on Esfand’s and Xaryu’s Twitch channels. Sign-up closed on October 2, so only registered players can still take part.
Not a Blizzard event. Noted on October 3, 2026.