For months, World of Warcraft fans have been speculating that something is about to happen to WoW Classic. Blizzard Entertainment has now put those theories to bed and announced World of Warcraft: Forever - an all-new version of the MMORPG that lives alongside Classic and Vanilla. The best part? It comes out in seven weeks, on November 4.
Executive producer Holly Longdale revealed the game at tonight's BlizzCon 2026 Opening Ceremony presentation, describing it as "a new beginning that never ends" and is set around the same time as WoW's Year One. Longdale even called it Classic Plus casually, if that makes it easier to understand.
A World of Warcraft: Forever beta begins this Thursday, September 17. The game is apparently "friendly [and] familiar" for both newcomers and oldheads alike, and it's aiming to return to what made WoW so iconic two decades ago. "There's no rush here," according to Longdale. "It's the journey that counts."
The upcoming MMO sounds seriously huge, so let's quickly list off everything it's promising. Four new zones including Mount Hyjal and Zephras Isle, which is intended to be a starting area of sorts. Zones from the original game that have now been expanded. New dungeons and new raids that accommodate 10-players or 20-players. New skills and talents, a new playable race called the Skyborne, over 1,000 quests, toggles for SD and HD character models, updated visuals, and so much more. Phew!
World of Warcraft fans were eating good even before the company got around to announcing Forever. BlizzCon's Opening Ceremony also revealed that WoW: The Last Titan is coming out next year, with Midnight: Eclipse giving us enough to chew on until then.
