Blizzard Reveals World of Warcraft Forever, the ‘Classic Plus’ Experience Fans Have Longed For

After months of speculation and leaks, Blizzard Entertainment has officially unveiled World of Warcraft Forever, the community’s eagerly anticipated take on a new iteration of the classic “vanilla” version of the iconic Warcraft MMO. This announcement came during the opening ceremony of BlizzCon 2026.

Holly Longdale, the executive producer and vice president for World of Warcraft, described World of Warcraft Forever as a game that is “friendly, familiar, and new.” The focus will be on the world itself as the main character, emphasizing a space dedicated to community and its nurturing.

Longdale emphasized that World of Warcraft Forever will be “easy to get into and play, yet deep enough to keep players engaged for the long haul,” adding, “There’s no rush here: It’s the journey that counts, not the destination.”

While World of Warcraft Forever won’t be a strict replica of the original MMO, it aims to uphold the core principles of World of Warcraft Classic, existing in a “time bubble” set during the first year of the original game. The level cap will remain at 60 for the foreseeable future, but Blizzard plans to introduce new content that adheres to the time bubble’s rules and design philosophy.

Blizzard has indicated that the new content for World of Warcraft Forever will cater not only to level-60 players but will also provide fresh experiences for players across various levels.

Players can already experience World of Warcraft Forever on the BlizzCon 2026 show floor, with a beta set to launch next week on September 17. The full game is scheduled to officially release on November 4.

Since its launch in 2004, World of Warcraft has expanded significantly, featuring 11 expansions and numerous transformative updates. The current expansion, Midnight, is set to receive an update called Eclipse, which was further detailed at BlizzCon. While many players have kept pace with the game over the years, a substantial segment of the community longs for the simpler, early days of WoW. In response, Blizzard released World of Warcraft Classic in 2019, offering a nostalgic “vanilla” gameplay experience. However, Classic has also progressed, with versions of expansions like The Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm, and Mists of Pandaria.

Soon, World of Warcraft fans will have the chance to relive the classic MMO experience once again—this time seemingly for good. However, the introduction of housing and a crackdown on mods has created some imbalance, leaving players feeling anxious ahead of the Midnight expansion.