How to join the World of Warcraft: Forever beta, which starts on September 17

World of Warcraft: Forever is bringing new and expanded content and gameplay to Classic Azeroth when it launches worldwide on November 4, 2026 as part of your regular World of Warcraft subscription, no additional purchase necessary! If you just can’t wait for November, there’s an opportunity to get in early because the WoW: Forever beta testing begins on September 17, 2026 and will run through October 21, 2026.

There are two ways to join the WoW: Forever beta. The first way is to sign up on the WoW: Forever web page under the opt-in button. When you click the button, you will be forwarded to another page with a big “Request Beta Access button” that will then ask you to provide the Battle.net sign in credentials linked to your World of Warcraft account.

This will give you a chance to get beta access; it’s not a guarantee. Once you sign up, you’ll have to wait and see if you’ve been chosen: Look for an email welcoming you to the beta, or check Forever beta client in the Battle.net launcher, which should show available if you have access to the beta. Past betas have typically added players in waves, so don’t be discouraged if you aren’t immediately chosen.

The second way to get into the WoW: Forever beta is to pre-purchase either the Skyborne Epic Pack ($59.99 USD) or the Warcraft Forever Collection ($79.99 USD) from the Battle.net shop. Both bundles include guaranteed access to the beta for the entire duration, the Skyborne as a playable race at launch, early name reservation in Forever starting October 27, 30 days of game time, and a variety of mounts, cosmetics, and housing decor for retail WoW. Once you complete your purchase, you’ll receive an e-mail regarding beta access. Even though you’ll need to buy one of the packs in order to play Skyborne at launch, it’s not clear if the Skyborne will be locked for beta players who get access just by opting in without purchasing one of the pre-packs, so that’s something to keep in mind.

If you get beta access, you’ll be able to play WoW: Forever up to level 30 which is the hard cap for the beta. This means that you’ll be able to explore all level appropriate content, zones, quests, and gameplay systems through their relative skill level up to that level 30 point.

Ultimately, your beta character will more than likely not carry over to the games launch, so be prepared to do it all again once November 4 rolls around.