To buy WoW Retail, download World of Warcraft from the official Battle.net store or the Battle.net app — the base game is free and includes all content up to the latest expansion. The current expansion, The War Within, is a separate one-time purchase (about $50 for the base edition), and playing past level 20 requires a $14.99/month subscription or paid game time. Everything installs through Battle.net.

  • Where: Battle.net store (shop.battle.net) or the Battle.net desktop app — the only legit source.
  • Base game: Free. Covers all older expansions and lets you level to 70.
  • Current expansion: The War Within, roughly $49.99 base / higher for Epic editions with cosmetics and early perks.
  • Subscription: $14.99/month (cheaper on 3- or 6-month plans). Needed past level 20.
  • Game Time: One-off 30-day or 60-day cards if you don't want auto-renew.
  • WoW Token: Buy with gold in-game to cover sub time — a legal alternative to cash.

Is WoW Retail free to play?

Partly. The base game costs nothing and lets you explore up to level 20 with no time limit — a real free trial, not a demo. To keep leveling, run current content, or raid, you need an active subscription and the newest expansion.

So "free" gets you a proper taste of the world, classes, and combat. Committing to endgame means paying the monthly sub, which unlocks every retail zone your account owns.

Do I need to buy every WoW expansion?

No. Blizzard bundles all older expansions into the free base game, so you only ever buy the newest one. Right now that's The War Within. When the next expansion launches, the current one folds into the base game and becomes free with a subscription.

That means a brand-new player pays once for the latest expansion and then just the monthly sub — no stacking up years of back-catalog purchases.

How much does WoW Retail cost per month?

The standard subscription is $14.99 per month. Longer plans drop the effective price: the 6-month option works out cheaper per month. If you'd rather not pay cash, you can buy a WoW Token from the Auction House using in-game gold to add 30 days of game time.

Add the one-time expansion cost on top for a new account, but recurring spend is just the sub.

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