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World of Warcraft: Forever opens a free stress test to everyone, now moved to October 21

By PPRGaming · October 17, 2026

Official World of Warcraft: Forever key art: the Forever logo over a wide green valley with a traveler and a bear in the foreground
Image: Blizzard Entertainment

Anyone with a Battle.net account can play World of Warcraft: Forever next week. Blizzard says on its news site that the Forever Stress Test is open to everyone, and that no subscription, Game Time, invitation or beta access is needed.

New date: The test was first set for October 19, but Blizzard has pushed it to Wednesday, October 21. The start times didn’t change:

  • North America: 2:00 p.m. PDT (5:00 p.m. ET)
  • Europe: 19:00 CEST
  • Korea: 06:00 KST on October 22
  • Taiwan: 05:00 CST on October 22

Blizzard hasn’t said how long it will last and notes that the window “may end earlier or run later as needed.” The regular beta goes offline shortly before the test starts and comes back after it ends.

How to get in: Open the Battle.net app, pick World of Warcraft, and in the Game Version menu above the Play button choose World of Warcraft: Forever Stress Test under In Development, then Install. When the test goes live, hit Play, pick a test realm and make a new character. Grab the download early so you aren’t watching a progress bar while the servers are open.

What happens after: Every character, name and guild made during the test gets wiped. Early name reservations run from October 27 to November 3 for players who pre-purchased the Skyborne Heroic Pack, Skyborne Epic Pack or the limited-time Warcraft Forever Collection, first come, first served. Forever then launches worldwide on November 4, and PCGamesN notes it will be included with a standard WoW subscription.

PPR take: A free, no-strings stress test is the easiest way for lapsed players to see whether Forever is worth coming back for. It’s also a real test for Blizzard: Wowhead’s announcement asks players to “help us pack the server,” and after a rough first day of beta, a crowded October 21 will show whether launch day is ready.

Sources