Open the Battle.net desktop app, click World of Warcraft, and change the Game Version drop-down to "World of Warcraft: Forever Beta" under In Development, then press Install. The entry only shows up if your account has beta access: instant access comes with the Skyborne Epic Pack or the Warcraft Forever Collection, and Blizzard is also sending invitation waves to opted-in accounts. The beta runs September 17 – October 21, 2026.

Step by step

  1. Make sure you have beta access: buy the Skyborne Epic Pack or Warcraft Forever Collection on the Battle.net shop, or opt in on the official beta page and wait for an invitation wave. The Heroic Pack does not include beta access.
  2. Fully close and reopen the Battle.net app so a new license is picked up.
  3. In the left-hand game list, click World of Warcraft.
  4. Above the Play/Install button, open the Game Version drop-down. Scroll to the In Development group and select "World of Warcraft: Forever Beta".
  5. Click Install, pick a drive, and let the download finish. This is a separate client from Modern and Classic, so budget disk space for a full extra install.
  6. Click Play, log in and create a character. In week 1 you can roll a Skyborne on Zephras Isle or any classic race; the level cap starts at 20 and rises to 30 later in the test.

Skyborne Start: Zephras Isle 1–12The new Skyborne starting experience completed on your character.from 15 EURGet it done

Quick facts

  • Beta window: September 17 – October 21, 2026.
  • Level cap: 20 at the start, raised to 30 later.
  • Week 1 content: Skyborne and Zephras Isle, all zones up to level 20, Hall of Thanes (13–18) and Ruins of Lordaeron (15–20). More zones, dungeons and the Darkspear Islands battleground open in later phases.
  • GPU requirement: the card must support RGBA16F UAV in compute shaders — AMD GCN 1 (2012), NVIDIA Maxwell (2014), Intel Skylake (2015) or newer. A Radeon HD 7850, GTX 750 Ti / GTX 9xx or Intel HD 530 will launch it (below minimum spec, but it runs); a Radeon HD 6950, GTX 760–780, GTX 8xxM or Intel HD 6000 will not.
  • Server Slam: a short window where servers open to everyone is planned for later in the beta, details still pending.

Why is the Forever Beta missing from my Game Version list?

Almost always it is a license problem, not an installer problem. The beta license is attached only to Skyborne Epic Pack and Warcraft Forever Collection purchases, or to accounts picked in an invitation wave. If you bought the Heroic Pack, you have name reservation and the Skyborne race for launch but no beta seat.

If you do qualify and the entry still does not show, log out of the Battle.net app entirely, log back in, and check that you are looking at the same Battle.net account that made the purchase. Region also matters: pick the region where your pack was bought in the drop-down next to Game Version.

Do I need a WoW subscription to play the beta?

Access is tied to the pack or invite, not to a monthly sub. The Epic Pack and the Collection both bundle 30 days of game time that starts on November 4, 2026, so that time is reserved for launch, not spent on the beta. The finished game will be included with any active subscription or Game Time — no separate purchase.

Does beta progress carry over to launch?

No. The beta is a test build with a level 20–30 cap and a rolling set of open zones; characters live only inside the test. Real characters start with Early Name Reservation on October 27 – November 3 (up to three per account with any upgrade pack), and everyone starts fresh at 3 p.m. Pacific on November 4.

What should I test first once the client is installed?

Week 1 is built around the new opening: a Skyborne on Zephras Isle from 1 to 12, then the two low-level dungeons. Try a Forsaken Paladin or Dwarf Shaman if you want to see the new class combos, and put a campfire down outside a city to check the Camping buffs. Known issues on day one include a barber-chair LUA error, disabled friends list, a minimap that can slip off-screen and a Waylaid Crate stack bug — none of them block leveling.

If you would rather skip the grind when the real thing lands, PewPewShop takes pre-orders for Forever until November 4 — vetted human players for leveling 1–30 from EUR 13, the full Launch-Ready Pack (1–60 + pre-raid gear + 500g) from EUR 219, and dungeon or reputation help by the hour — all coaching and play-together, no bots, and a long zero-ban record.