How to get into the WoW Forever beta
September 26, 2026 · Updated September 30, 2026
Two routes in. Opt in on your Blizzard account and wait to be selected, which costs nothing, or buy one of the digital bundles that carries beta access with it, which gets you in at once.
The free route
Opt in through your Blizzard account's beta preferences. Selection is by invitation from that pool, and no purchase is involved.
Nothing about opting in guarantees a place, and Blizzard has not published how many invitations go out or on what basis. The honest summary is that opting in is the price of being eligible.
The paid route
Two digital bundles include beta access: the Skyborne Epic Pack and the Warcraft Forever Collection. Access attaches to the account on purchase, with a short delay before the client shows it, on the order of half an hour.
Buying a bundle for beta access alone is worth weighing against the beta's end date below. The access ends when the beta does.
The Server Slam
Blizzard has said a public "Server Slam" access window is planned, with dates to follow. That window is the route in for anyone with no invitation and no bundle, so it is the thing to watch if you would rather not pay.
What you get access to
| Beta window | 17 September to 21 October 2026 |
| Level cap | 20 at the start, raised to 30 later in the beta |
| New race and zone | Skyborne, starting on Zephras Isle |
| Dungeons | Hall of Thanes, levels 13 to 18, and Ruins of Lordaeron, levels 15 to 20 |
| Still to open | Additional zones, more dungeons, and the new battleground |
| Launch | 4 November 2026 |
Battlegrounds sit in that "still to open" row, so there is nothing to queue for yet, which is covered in How to queue for a battleground in WoW Forever.
What the announcement does not say
Blizzard's beta post does not address whether beta characters, gold or reputation carry over to the live game on 4 November. Several sites state that none of it transfers. That may well be right, and the official post does not say it, so treat the claim as unconfirmed until Blizzard puts it in writing.
Plan around the shorter assumption. A beta character is for testing the game, and anything you would be sorry to lose belongs on a live realm after launch.
Sources
Blizzard, The World of Warcraft: Forever Beta Now Live, for the access routes, the beta contents, the level cap and the Server Slam
WoW Forever beta discussion forum, for what is enabled at any given moment
Checked 26 September 2026