How to get World of Warcraft: Forever beta access: the dates, the free opt-in, and the two editions that guarantee it

Blizzard's official Forever page sets the beta window: it begins on September 17, 2026 and runs through October 21, 2026, ahead of the November 4 launch.

The free route is the opt-in on Blizzard's Forever page, under Beta and Game Updates. Blizzard's wording is opt in for a chance to beta test, so it is a lottery, not a guarantee, and it also signs you up for Forever news. You need a Battle.net account with World of Warcraft; the page says Forever, like the rest of WoW, requires a subscription or game time to play.

The guaranteed route is a paid edition. Blizzard's comparison table lists World of Warcraft: Forever Beta Access for the Skyborne Epic Pack and the Warcraft Forever Collection, and not for the entry level Skyborne Heroic Pack. Both of those editions also carry 30 days of game time, added at launch.

Two things that are not beta access: early name reservation, which runs October 27 to November 3 for the account the edition was bought on, and the Invite-A-Friend launch codes awarded with qualifying purchases, emailed from October 20, which let a friend play from November 4 to 11 at launch.

Blizzard has not said what the beta will contain or how much of Forever it covers. The World of Warcraft: Forever Deep Dive panel on Sunday, September 13 at 10:00 AM PT is the next place that detail could land; this article will be updated when it does.

Update from Blizzard's pre-purchase post: Forever launches globally on November 4, 2026 at 3:00 PM PST; beta access runs September 17 through October 21 PDT with redemption instructions sent by email; name reservation covers up to three characters; and Blizzard hosts a World of Warcraft live Q&A on September 17, with questions being collected now.