One global launch instant
The official pre-purchase announcement gives November 4 at 3:00 p.m. PST. PST is UTC−8 at that date, so the equivalent UTC instant is 23:00 on November 4. This launch time is separate from the October regional stress-test openings.
Examples for the same launch instant: London 23:00 on November 4, Paris 00:00 on November 5, Taipei 07:00 on November 5, Seoul and Tokyo 08:00 on November 5. These conversions use the daylight-saving rules applicable to that date.
Access at launch is different from test access
The public stress test can be joined without a subscription, Game Time, invitation or beta access. Normal play after launch requires a WoW subscription or Game Time according to Blizzard’s release information.
Do not buy an upgrade pack on the assumption that a guide has checked your account or that a particular name is guaranteed. Read the current official benefit list and regional product terms yourself.
Before November 4
Early name reservation is announced for October 27 to November 3 for the eligible Heroic, Epic and Collection products. The exact reservation opening hour is not established in our current evidence.
Stress-test characters, names and guilds are wiped. Use the stress test to explore and help exercise the hardware, not to build permanent launch progress.
Preparing for launch
Keep Battle.net updated and review the current installation and system-requirement information. The actual client gives the current download size and version options; this page does not invent a fixed installation footprint.
Dates can change. The linked official release source takes precedence over a saved reminder or cached search result. Our October countdown is deliberately not reused as a launch timer.
Official sources
- Blizzard — WoW Forever Stress Test October 21
- Blizzard — stress-test installation announcement
- Blizzard — Forever launch and early name reservation
Sources checked: UTC. Page updated: .