Roadmap
WoW Forever launch time and roadmap
Last checked ·By the Forever Status team·How we source
What time did WoW Forever launch?
WoW Forever launched on November 4, 2026 at 3:00 pm PST, which is 23:00 UTC, as one global moment for every region.
- Launch: Nov 4, 2026, 23:00 UTC
- Raids: Dec 9, 2026 (10, 20 and 40-player)
- Hardcore: winter 2026/27, date unconfirmed
- Spring and summer 2027 content updates announced
Your clock
Launch and raid unlock in your time zone
Time zones
Launch moment around the world
| Zone | Date | Local time | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific (PST, UTC-8) | Wed, Nov 4 | 3:00 pm | Blizzard's own reference time |
| Mountain (MST, UTC-7) | Wed, Nov 4 | 4:00 pm | |
| Central US (CST, UTC-6) | Wed, Nov 4 | 5:00 pm | |
| Eastern (EST, UTC-5) | Wed, Nov 4 | 6:00 pm | |
| Brasilia (BRT, UTC-3) | Wed, Nov 4 | 8:00 pm | |
| UK (GMT = UTC) | Wed, Nov 4 | 11:00 pm | UK is back on GMT since Oct 25 |
| Central Europe (CET, UTC+1) | Thu, Nov 5 | 12:00 am (midnight) | EU summer time ended Oct 25 |
| Eastern Europe (EET, UTC+2) | Thu, Nov 5 | 1:00 am | |
| India (IST, UTC+5:30) | Thu, Nov 5 | 4:30 am | |
| China / Taiwan (CST, UTC+8) | Thu, Nov 5 | 7:00 am | Taiwan is a Forever region |
| Korea (KST, UTC+9) | Thu, Nov 5 | 8:00 am | Korea is a Forever region |
| Sydney (AEDT, UTC+11) | Thu, Nov 5 | 10:00 am | Australia is in the Americas & Oceania region |
Offsets use the standard time in force on November 4, 2026: US daylight saving ended November 1 and EU summer time ended October 25. Sydney is on daylight time (UTC+11).
Timeline
From beta to the first raids
| When | What | Status | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 17, 2026 | Beta opens | Done | Pack buyers only, capped at level 30 |
| Oct 21, 2026 | Stress test | Done | 21:00 to 01:00 UTC |
| Oct 22, 2026 | Beta ends | Done | End event at 10 am PDT |
| Oct 27, 2026 | Early name reservation | Done | 20:00 UTC, 3 names per account |
| Nov 4, 2026 | Launch | Live | 23:00 UTC, Normal, PvP, Roleplay and Roleplay PvP (Korea and Taiwan: Normal and PvP) |
| Dec 9, 2026 | Raids unlock | Announced | Barrow Deeps (10), Hyjal Summit (20), Onyxia's Lair (40). Hour of day Unconfirmed |
| Winter 2026/27 | Hardcore ruleset | Announced | Exact date Unconfirmed |
| Spring 2027 | Content update | Announced | 2 raids, 2 dungeons, a new area, a legendary questline and a PvP season refresh. Date Unconfirmed |
| Summer 2027 | Content update | Announced | A revamped iconic raid plus a new raid, 2 dungeons, a PvP refresh, professions and Legacy updates. Date Unconfirmed |
Beta and roadmap dates come from the community wiki and a press roadmap; the launch time is Blizzard's own announcement.
FAQ
What time did WoW Forever launch?＋
November 4, 2026 at 3:00 pm PST, which is 23:00 UTC. Blizzard announced it as a single global moment, so Europe got midnight and Korea and Taiwan got the morning of November 5.
Did every region launch at the same time?＋
Yes, as far as the announcement goes: one moment, no per-region staggering found. The regions are still separate game worlds, so Americas, Europe, Korea and Taiwan players do not share a realm. Check each region's live state.
When do the raids open?＋
December 9, 2026 for all three: Barrow Deeps (10-player), Hyjal Summit (20-player) and Onyxia's Lair (40-player). The date comes from press roadmaps built on Blizzard's plan; the exact hour of day has not been published.
When does Hardcore come to Forever?＋
Blizzard says winter 2026/27 without a date. We list it as unconfirmed until a date appears. The Hardcore ruleset is the only one missing from the launch list of Normal, PvP, Roleplay and Roleplay PvP.
Is the launch-day time the same as server maintenance time?＋
No. Launch was a one-off. Weekly maintenance follows the normal WoW window for each region: Tuesday mornings Pacific in the Americas, Wednesday mornings in Europe. See the status board for what is online right now.
What came before launch?＋
A paid-pack beta from September 17 to October 22 (level cap 30 in the beta), a stress test on October 21 and early name reservation from October 27. The timeline table has the times.
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