World of Warcraft: Forever
2026 video game
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World of Warcraft: Forever is an upcoming massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. It is a new version of World of Warcraft designed around the game's original 2004 setting and gameplay, while introducing new content and storylines not present in the original game. Blizzard has described it as a new branch of World of Warcraft that will operate alongside the modern version of the game and World of Warcraft: Classic.[1]
| World of Warcraft Forever | |
|---|---|
| |
| Developer | Blizzard Entertainment |
| Publisher | Blizzard Entertainment |
| Series | Warcraft |
| Platforms | |
| Release | November 4, 2026 |
| Genre | MMORPG |
| Mode | Multiplayer |
Forever is chronologically set during the first year of World of Warcraft, taking place within a separate continuity from the modern version of the game. Unlike Classic, which recreates the original game as it was, Forever expands upon the original version of Azeroth by adding new zones, quests, dungeons, raids, races, abilities, and race-class combinations, while retaining the level cap at 60. The game is intended to explore areas and stories that were not developed during the original progression of World of Warcraft.
Blizzard announced World of Warcraft: Forever at BlizzCon 2026 on September 12, 2026. The beta version began on September 17, 2026, with the full game scheduled for release on November 4, 2026. Access to Forever is included with an existing World of Warcraft subscription or game time, while optional digital upgrade packs provide additional content and cosmetic items.
Gameplay
World of Warcraft: Forever uses the original version of Azeroth as its foundation but expands the world with new content. The game retains a level cap of 60 rather than progressing to higher levels through conventional expansions. Blizzard has said that progression will instead focus on new activities, stories, abilities, equipment, and other systems while keeping players within the original level range.[2]
The game adds three new zones and substantially expands or changes several existing areas of the original world. Blizzard also plans to add more than 1,000 quests, nine dungeons, and two raids. The additional content is intended to cover parts of Azeroth that were left undeveloped in the original game and stories that take place alongside the events of the original World of Warcraft storyline.[3]
A new playable race, the Skyborne Elves, is introduced in Forever. The game also features additional race and class combinations that were unavailable in the original version of World of Warcraft, including Forsaken Paladins and Dwarf Shamans.
Development
Blizzard began seriously pursuing the concept behind World of Warcraft: Forever in the first half of the 2020s. According to Blizzard developers, members of the development team had discussed creating a new version of the original game as early as 2020. The team's work on World of Warcraft Classic and experiments such as World of Warcraft: Season of Discovery helped inform the development of the project. Blizzard decided to pursue the concept as a full project around 2024.[4]
The project was initially associated with rumors of a "Classic Plus" version of World of Warcraft. Blizzard later confirmed the project under the name World of Warcraft: Forever at BlizzCon 2026. Executive producer Holly Longdale described the game as a new beginning for World of Warcraft that would preserve the original game's setting while allowing Blizzard to tell new stories within it.[5]
Rather than replacing either the modern version of World of Warcraft or World of Warcraft Classic, Forever is designed to exist alongside both games. Blizzard has described the project as a permanent version of the game focused on expanding the original Azeroth rather than progressing through the same expansion timeline as the main game.[6][7]
