- WoW Forever has no box price. It's included with a World of Warcraft Subscription or Game Time: $14.99 a month, or $12.99 a month on a 6- or 12-month offer (US, October 23, 2026, before tax).
- The upgrade packs are optional: $29.99 for the Skyborne race (Heroic), $59.99 with 30 days of Game Time and more cosmetics (Epic), and $79.99 with Warcraft III added (Collection).
- The beta ended October 21, so the Epic Pack's beta access no longer counts. Its real extra over Heroic is about $15 of cosmetics, once you count the Game Time.
- A first year costs $155.88 (12-month offer, no pack) to $244.88 (Collection plus 11 months at the monthly rate). You don't need the $49.99 Midnight expansion to play Forever.
- It launches November 4 at 3:00 p.m. PST. Starting today, $3.75 a day covers the Heroic Pack and your first month by launch.
World of Warcraft: Forever launches on November 4, and the most common question about it is a money one: is it free?
The short version: there’s nothing to buy if you already subscribe. Forever runs on the same subscription as Modern WoW and WoW Classic. What costs extra is the new Skyborne race, which sits in a set of optional packs from $29.99 to $79.99.
This guide prices every option from Blizzard’s own shop pages, adds up a first year for each kind of player, and gives you a simple plan to have the money ready by launch.
Hunter Vault is an independent, RPG-inspired budgeting app. It isn’t affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Blizzard Entertainment or Microsoft. Game names are used only to describe the costs this guide helps you plan for. Prices are US list prices checked on the Battle.net Shop on October 23, 2026, before tax, and can change.
Quick Answer: How Much Does WoW Forever Cost?
WoW Forever costs $14.99 a month to play, because it’s included with a World of Warcraft Subscription or Game Time and has no separate purchase. Longer plans bring that down to $12.99 a month. The optional upgrade packs cost $29.99 (Skyborne Heroic Pack), $59.99 (Skyborne Epic Pack) and $79.99 (Warcraft Forever Collection). A first year runs from $155.88 to $244.88, depending on the plan and pack you pick.
Is WoW Forever Free?
It isn’t free-to-play, but it is free for subscribers. The Battle.net Shop says, “Your WoW subscription or game time grants you access to WoW: Forever starting November 4.” The same subscription already covers Modern WoW and WoW Classic, so one payment covers all three.
Three details catch people out:
- You don’t need Midnight. Modern WoW’s newest content needs the $49.99 Midnight expansion. Forever doesn’t. The one link is Housing: the packs include Housing decor, and the shop says Housing needs Midnight, which is sold separately. Decor is also only usable in Modern WoW.
- The packs don’t include a subscription. The $29.99 Heroic Pack has no Game Time. The Epic Pack and the Collection include 30 days, and after that, Blizzard says, “gameplay outside the included 30-day period requires a Subscription or additional Game Time.”
- The only announced free access is an invite. Each pack comes with Invite-A-Friend Launch Codes. A code lets an eligible invitee play WoW Forever from November 4 to 11. We didn’t find a free trial for Forever on Blizzard’s pages.
If you’re weighing Forever against other MMOs, our buy-to-play vs free-to-play vs subscription comparison prices 14 games with the same formula. Its World of Warcraft total of $229.87 is for Modern WoW, because it includes the Midnight box. For Forever alone, you can leave that box out.
WoW Subscription Prices
Here’s what the subscription costs on the US Battle.net Shop as of October 23, 2026:
| Plan | Price | Per month | 12 months of play |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Month | $14.99 | $14.99 | $179.88 |
| 3 Months | $41.97 every 3 months | $13.99 | $167.88 |
| 6-Month Special Offer | $77.94 every 6 months | $12.99 | $155.88 |
| 12-Month Special Offer | $155.88 every 12 months | $12.99 | $155.88 |
The shop shows the monthly rate for each plan. The 3- and 6-month totals are that rate times the months. All plans renew automatically “once your latest Subscription billing cycle ends, or your current Game Time expires,” so a cancelled plan is the only one that stops.
The 6- and 12-month offers also come with in-game bonuses. The 12-month offer’s now include transmogs and a pet for WoW: Forever, delivered once Forever launches. They aren’t worth prepaying for on their own. Prepay only if you’ll really play for the whole period. If you stop after three months, the 12-month offer costs you $155.88 instead of $44.97.
The Optional Upgrade Packs: Heroic, Epic and Collection
| Pack | US price | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Skyborne Heroic Pack | $29.99 | The Skyborne race and Zephras Isle starting experience, Early Name Reservation, the Cerulean Prideclaw ground mount, a transmog set, a toy, the Veteran Adventurer’s Rucksack, Skyborne Housing decor, 1 Invite-A-Friend code |
| Skyborne Epic Pack | $59.99 | Everything in Heroic, plus 30 days of Game Time, beta access (now over), a bear mount and matching transmog, tabards, pets and 2 more Invite-A-Friend codes |
| Warcraft Forever Collection | $79.99 | Everything in Epic, plus Warcraft III: Reforged, the Warcraft III Reforged: Forsaken Kingdom campaign and figurine Housing decor. On sale through January 11, 2027 |
Sources: Battle.net Shop and Blizzard’s pre-purchase announcement of September 12, 2026. A Collector’s Edition is sold separately through the Blizzard Gear Store while supplies last. Blizzard’s pages don’t list its price, so it isn’t in our totals.
You don’t need any pack to play. The Skyborne race is the main thing locked behind them: the shop says access to the race or its Zephras Isle questline “requires purchase of Skyborne Heroic Pack or higher edition.” Some benefits apply only to the WoW account you bought the pack for.
Which pack is worth it?
Price each step up against what it really adds:
- Heroic ($29.99) is the pack for the race. If you don’t care about playing Skyborne or reserving a name, skip it and just subscribe.
- Epic over Heroic (+$30.00) buys 30 days of Game Time, worth $14.99 at the monthly rate. So if you’d pay for your first month anyway, the rest of the step costs $15.01. For that you get a bear mount, a transmog set, tabards, pets and two extra Invite-A-Friend codes. The beta access that headlined the Epic Pack ended on October 21, so don’t count it.
- Collection over Epic (+$20.00) adds Warcraft III: Reforged and the Forsaken Kingdom campaign. Bought separately, those cost $49.99 as a combo, so this is a good deal if you’ll play the campaign. If you won’t, it’s $20 for figurine decor you can only place in Modern WoW Housing.
One timing note: Early Name Reservation runs October 27 to November 3, and any pack includes it. Buying a pack to reserve a name moves the charge earlier. It doesn’t make the pack cheaper.
What WoW Forever Really Costs in Year One
Here’s a first year for each kind of player, from US list prices on October 23, 2026, before tax. With the Epic Pack and the Collection, the included 30 days count as month one, so they need 11 paid months.
| Year one path | How it adds up | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription only, 12-Month Special Offer | $155.88 | $155.88 |
| Subscription only, paid monthly | 12 × $14.99 | $179.88 |
| Heroic Pack + 12-Month Special Offer | $29.99 + $155.88 | $185.87 |
| Heroic Pack + paid monthly | $29.99 + 12 × $14.99 | $209.87 |
| Epic Pack + 11 months paid monthly | $59.99 + 11 × $14.99 | $224.88 |
| Warcraft Forever Collection + 11 months paid monthly | $79.99 + 11 × $14.99 | $244.88 |
Most players will land on one of two lines. A curious player who wants to see the new Azeroth pays $14.99 for a month and decides. A player who wants the Skyborne race and plans to stay pays $29.99 plus a subscription, so the year comes to $185.87 to $209.87.
The bigger cost is usually the months you forget to cancel. A $14.99 renewal is easy to miss, so check it with the subscription audit calculator along with everything else you pay for monthly. Our gaming subscription budget guide helps you set a limit for all of them together.
Paying With Gold: The WoW Token
If you already play Modern WoW and have gold, the WoW Token can cover your Forever subscription. The Battle.net Shop sells a token for $20.00. Players who buy one sell it on the in-game Auction House for gold. If you buy a token with gold, you can redeem it for 30 days of Game Time or for Battle.net Balance.
Game Time from a token is ordinary Game Time, and Game Time grants access to Forever. What Blizzard hasn’t said is whether WoW: Forever will have a WoW Token of its own. Tokens already can’t move between Modern WoW and WoW Classic Progression. So for now, plan to use gold from Modern WoW, not gold you earn in Forever.
The token’s gold price moves with the market, so check it on the Auction House before you plan around it.
Launch Time in Your Time Zone
Blizzard says Forever “launches globally on November 4, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. PST.” (The announcement’s intro says PDT, but US clocks fall back on November 1, so 3:00 p.m. Pacific on November 4 is PST.)
| Where | Local launch time |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles (PST) | 3:00 p.m., Wednesday, November 4 |
| New York (EST) | 6:00 p.m., Wednesday, November 4 |
| UTC | 11:00 p.m., Wednesday, November 4 |
| London (GMT) | 11:00 p.m., Wednesday, November 4 |
| Berlin and Paris (CET) | 12:00 a.m., Thursday, November 5 |
| Manila (PHT) | 7:00 a.m., Thursday, November 5 |
| Sydney (AEDT) | 10:00 a.m., Thursday, November 5 |
It’s on Windows and Mac only. You need a Battle.net account and the Battle.net desktop app, and the game isn’t sold on Steam or on consoles.
How Much to Save Before November 4
From today, October 23, to launch day is 12 days, about two weekly paydays.
| Goal | Total | Per day (12 days) | Per week (2 weeks) |
|---|---|---|---|
| First month only | $14.99 | $1.25 | $7.50 |
| Heroic Pack + first month | $44.98 | $3.75 | $22.49 |
| Epic Pack (includes 30 days) | $59.99 | $5.00 | $30.00 |
| Warcraft Forever Collection (includes 30 days) | $79.99 | $6.67 | $40.00 |
| Heroic Pack + 12-Month Special Offer | $185.87 | $15.49 | $92.94 |
Amounts are rounded up to the cent, so you land on or just above the total. Add your local sales tax on top.
This is a sinking fund: money set aside for a known cost with a known date. What a sinking fund is explains the idea, and the sinking fund calculator works out the weekly figure for any other amount or date.
Decide whether you want the race
The Skyborne race is the only reason to buy a pack before launch. If you just want to play, a $14.99 month gets you in on November 4. You can add a pack later, and the Collection stays on sale until January 11, 2027.
Start with one month, not twelve
The 12-month offer saves $24.00 a year, but only if you play all year. Pay for one month at launch. If you’re still playing in December, switch to a longer plan then.
Give the money its own place
Move each week’s amount somewhere separate, like a savings account or a labelled envelope, on payday. Money left in your main account tends to get spent before launch day.
Put the renewal on your calendar
Whatever plan you pick, note the renewal date the day you subscribe. Subscriptions renew automatically, and a forgotten month costs the same as a played one.
If $45 is more than you usually spend on games in a month, set a number that fits before launch week. How much to spend on games per month helps you set it, and No-Spend November for gamers shows how to fit a planned launch purchase into a low-spend month.
Prices Outside the US
On the European Battle.net Shop, the packs cost €29.99, €59.99 and €79.99, checked October 23, 2026. Subscription prices and taxes differ by region, so check the shop for your account’s region before you budget. The US prices in this guide don’t include sales tax.
After Launch: Track What WoW Forever Really Costs You
The subscription is predictable. The in-game shop is the part that drifts. Modern WoW’s shop already sells mounts, transmog, pets, character services and the WoW Token, and Forever shares the same Battle.net account.
Check your Battle.net purchase history once a month, right before your renewal date. Add each month’s total to the gaming spending calculator to see your monthly and yearly spend side by side.
Where Hunter Vault Fits
Hunter Vault is our own app, so take this as a recommendation from the people who build it. It’s a manual budgeting app with an RPG layer of quests, XP, ranks and streaks. It never connects to your bank or your Battle.net account. You log what you spend yourself, or import a bank CSV, which is free and parsed on your device.
For an MMO subscription, a simple setup works:
- The subscription as a recurring cost. Log your WoW plan as a recurring transaction, so the renewal date is never a surprise. The free plan includes 3.
- A savings goal for launch day. A savings goal has a target, a deadline and a monthly contribution. Set it to your pack and first month, due November 4. The free plan includes 2 savings goals.
- A games category. Give gaming its own category (the free plan includes up to 8). With Hunter Elite, a $15.99 one-time purchase, you can add a subcategory per game.
- Know what’s free to spend. Safe to Spend subtracts bills, debt, savings and a buffer from your balance. You see what’s left before you open the shop.
Budgeting never requires a subscription. The Hunter Vault for gamers page walks through the full setup, and the app is on iOS and Android.
Final Takeaway
WoW Forever doesn’t have a price tag of its own. It costs whatever your World of Warcraft subscription costs, $14.99 a month or $12.99 on a longer plan. The packs are optional, and the Skyborne race is the main thing they sell.
Decide on the race first, start with one month, and put the renewal date on your calendar. Then November 4 is just launch day, not the start of a subscription you forgot about.
This is general educational content, not financial advice. Set entertainment spending after your essentials and savings, and pick amounts that fit your income and situation.
Sources
- World of Warcraft: Forever product page and upgrade editions (Battle.net Shop, US, checked October 23, 2026): https://us.shop.battle.net/en-us/product/world-of-warcraft-forever
- World of Warcraft: Forever upgrade editions (Battle.net Shop, Europe, checked October 23, 2026): https://eu.shop.battle.net/en-gb/product/world-of-warcraft-forever
- World of Warcraft subscription plans (Battle.net Shop, US, checked October 23, 2026): https://us.shop.battle.net/en-us/product/world-of-warcraft-subscription
- WoW Token (Battle.net Shop, US, checked October 23, 2026): https://us.shop.battle.net/en-us/product/world-of-warcraft-token
- Warcraft III: Reforged and Forsaken Kingdom (Battle.net Shop, US, checked October 23, 2026): https://us.shop.battle.net/en-us/product/warcraft-3-reforged
- Carve a New Path with World of Warcraft: Forever (Blizzard, September 12, 2026): https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/news/24302093
- Pre-Purchase World of Warcraft: Forever Upgrades and Begin Your Next Journey in Azeroth (Blizzard, September 12, 2026): https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/news/24301508
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does WoW Forever cost?
World of Warcraft: Forever has no separate price. It's included with a World of Warcraft Subscription or Game Time, which costs $14.99 for one month, $13.99 a month on the 3-month plan and $12.99 a month on the 6- or 12-month offers (US prices before tax, October 23, 2026). Optional upgrade packs cost $29.99 (Skyborne Heroic Pack), $59.99 (Skyborne Epic Pack) and $79.99 (Warcraft Forever Collection).
Is WoW Forever free?
No, it isn't free-to-play. But if you already pay for a WoW subscription or Game Time, Forever costs nothing extra: Blizzard says your subscription or Game Time grants access from November 4. The only free access Blizzard has announced is an Invite-A-Friend Launch Code, which lets an eligible invitee play from November 4 to 11.
Do I need a separate subscription for WoW Forever?
No. One World of Warcraft Subscription or Game Time covers WoW: Forever, Modern WoW and WoW Classic. You also don't need the Midnight expansion to play Forever. Midnight is only needed for Modern WoW's newest content and for Housing.
What does the $29.99 Skyborne Heroic Pack include?
The new Skyborne race and its Zephras Isle starting experience, Early Name Reservation from October 27 to November 3, a ground mount, a transmog set, a toy, a bag, Skyborne Housing decor and one Invite-A-Friend Launch Code. It doesn't include Game Time, so you still need a subscription to play.
Is the Skyborne Epic Pack worth it?
Only if you want the extra cosmetics. It costs $30 more than the Heroic Pack and adds 30 days of Game Time, worth $14.99 at the monthly rate, plus a bear mount, a transmog set, tabards, pets and two more Invite-A-Friend codes. Its beta access no longer helps, because the beta ended October 21. If you'd pay for your first month anyway, the cosmetics cost you about $15.
When does WoW Forever launch?
November 4, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. Pacific (PST). That's 6:00 p.m. Eastern and 11:00 p.m. UTC on November 4, and 7:00 a.m. on November 5 in Manila.
Is WoW Forever on Steam or consoles?
No. Blizzard lists Windows and Mac, and the game needs a Battle.net account and the Battle.net desktop app. It isn't on Steam.
Can I pay for WoW Forever with gold?
Indirectly. In Modern WoW, a WoW Token bought with gold on the Auction House can be redeemed for 30 days of Game Time, and Game Time grants access to Forever. Blizzard hasn't said whether WoW: Forever will have its own WoW Token.
