How Much Does WoW Cost Now? (2026 Prices)

Playing World of Warcraft costs $14.99 per month for a subscription, dropping to about $12.99/month if you pay for the 6-month bundle up front. A single subscription covers both retail WoW and WoW Classic. The current expansion, The War Within, is a separate one-time purchase from roughly $49.99, while every older expansion is already bundled in free.

WoW pricing at a glance

So a brand-new player usually pays the expansion once (~$49.99) plus the monthly sub. A returning player who already owns past expansions just needs the sub — around $13–$15 a month to play everything except the newest expansion.

Is WoW free to play?

Partly. The free Starter Edition lets you play up to level 20 with no time limit, which is enough to test the game. To level past that, run current content, or raid, you need an active subscription. There's no permanent free-to-play tier for the full game.

Do I have to buy every expansion?

No. Blizzard folds older expansions into the base game, so your subscription already includes everything up to the previous expansion. You only ever pay separately for the latest expansion. Once the next one launches, today's current expansion becomes free too.

What's the cheapest way to pay for WoW?

The 6-month plan gives the lowest per-month rate at around $12.99. If you have plenty of in-game gold, you can also buy a WoW Token from the Auction House and redeem it for 30 days of game time — meaning you effectively play for gold instead of cash, no card required.

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