WoW Classic Plus: is it WoW Forever, when does it come out and what is in it?

Is WoW Forever the WoW Classic Plus?

Yes, in the sense players give the words: WoW Forever is what the long-rumored Classic+ became. Polygon ran the headline "Blizzard Officially Reveals 'WoW Classic Plus' as World of Warcraft Forever" on September 12, 2026, and Blizzard Watch calls it "Blizzard's take on the long-rumored Classic+". Blizzard itself does not use the term on its official Forever page, read on November 1, 2026: the only name there is World of Warcraft: Forever.

So a search for Classic Plus, Classic+ or WoW Classic Plus leads to the same game. Warcraft Tavern summed up the announcement on September 12, 2026 in one line: "yes, Classic+ is coming". TheGamer wrote the same day that WoW Classic Plus was officially announced at BlizzCon.

What is WoW Classic Plus?

WoW Classic Plus, or Classic+, is the name long used for a version of Classic with new content rather than a replay of the old game. Wikipedia says the project "was initially associated with rumors of a 'Classic Plus' version of World of Warcraft" before Blizzard confirmed it as Forever at BlizzCon 2026. The words now point to one game, with Classic's world and level 60, and new content on the modern client.

Everything about the game itself, from the new content to the roadmap, is in our WoW Forever release guide.

When does WoW Classic Plus come out?

WoW Forever launches worldwide on November 4, 2026 at 3 p.m. PST, 23:00 UTC, Blizzard's launch article of October 29 says: 6 p.m. in New York, 11 p.m. in London, midnight on November 5 in Paris and Berlin. Blizzard Support's schedule makes the game unavailable from 10 a.m. PST until that hour. The first raids open on December 9, 2026.

The hour for your city is in our release time guide.

What does WoW Classic Plus add to Classic?

Blizzard sums up the launch content as "three new zones, over 1,000 new quests, nine new dungeons, two new raids, the new Skyborne race". The game keeps Classic's world and level 60, with no flying mounts and no level scaling, on the modern client. Blizzard's article of October 29 also lists six new race and class combinations, such as the human hunter, the orc mage and the undead paladin.

• Talents: reworked trees, in our talent calculator.
• Zones and leveling: the new regions and the route from 1 to 60, on the world map.
• Dungeons and raids: the new instances, their levels and bosses.
• Professions: new recipes and every profession, with costs.

Does WoW Classic Plus replace Classic Era?

No. Blizzard calls Forever a "new, third World of Warcraft experience alongside Modern and Classic", and it adds that it is "not a mode, a season, or a new version of Classic". Classic Era keeps the original content next to it. It is also a fresh start: no character transfer from Classic Era or Retail has been announced as of October 31, 2026, so everyone makes a new character.

The differences, point by point: WoW Forever vs Classic Era vs Retail.

How much does WoW Classic Plus cost?

Nothing on top of World of Warcraft, but it is not free: WoW Forever is included with a subscription or game time, Blizzard's article of October 29 says. Blizzard Customer Support confirmed on September 18, 2026 that "any subscription option will work", including game time from a WoW Token bought with gold in modern WoW. You can play all of it without a pack, except the Skyborne race and its starting quests.

Prices and the content of each pack: is WoW Forever free?.

How do you get ready for WoW Classic Plus?

Install it from the Battle.net app: select WoW: Forever, choose it in the Game Version menu, click Install, then Play once the progress bar says the game is ready, Blizzard's article of October 29, 2026 explains. Blizzard Support asks for 128 GB free on an SSD. You need an active subscription or game time. Your first login asks for a preset, Classic or Enhanced, then you choose a ruleset, a faction and a class.

• Which class should you play?
• Alliance or Horde?
• Rulesets and regions, since Forever has no realm list to pick from.
• The launch checklist and your first hour.