Blizzard Officially Reveals 'WoW Classic Plus' as World of Warcraft Forever

After months of rumors, speculation, and leaks, Blizzard Entertainment confirmed that World of Warcraft Classic Plus — the community's speculative name for a new spin on a classic, "vanilla" version of the enduring Warcraft MMO — is real. The official name for the project is World of Warcraft Forever, and it's coming very, very soon, Blizzard announced at BlizzCon 2026's opening ceremony. Holly Longdale, executive producer and vice president for World of Warcraft, introduced World of Warcraft Forever as a version of the game that's "friendly, familiar, and new." Forever will focus on the world as the main character, "a place dedicated to community and making sure it's nurtured," Longdale said. World of Warcraft Forever will be "easy to get into and play, and deep enough to stay forever," Longdale said, adding that "There's no rush here: It's the journey that counts, not the destination." World of Warcraft Forever is not necessarily the original MMO immortalized in amber, but it is intended to follow the core principles of World of Warcraft Classic and exist in a "time bubble" set during the first year of the original World of Warcraft. Forever will maintain a level cap of 60 for the MMO variant's foreseeable future. But Blizzard is planning to add new content to WoW Forever, all of which will exist within the rules of the time bubble and adhere to the design philosophy of this version of the game. Blizzard says that new content being designed for World of Warcraft Forever will include: Three new zones Multiple overhauled existing zones Over 1,000 new quests A new Battleground for PvP, Darkspear Islands Nine new dungeons New professions and reputations Updated world visuals Two new raids, at max level, for groups of 10 and 20 players Skyborne Elves, a new race whose home resides in one of WoW Forever's new zones That new content, Blizzard says, is not just being designed with level-60 players in mind, but will deliver new experiences for players throughout the level bracket. When is World of Warcraft Forever coming out? World of Warcraft Forever is already playable on the BlizzCon 2026 show floor, and a beta is starting for the MMO arrives next week on Sept. 17. The wait for the full game won't be much longer: World of Warcraft Forever officially launches on Nov. 4. World of Warcraft launched in 2004. Since then, the game has grown massively, with 11 expansions and numerous game-changing updates. The current expansion, Midnight, is getting its own update titled Eclipse, which Blizzard detailed further at BlizzCon. And while many World of Warcraft players have kept current with the game and stuck with Blizzard for more than two decades, a large portion of the community craves the simpler early days of WoW. Blizzard delivered something for those fans in 2019, with the release of World of Warcraft Classic, which turned back the clock for a "vanilla" gameplay experience. But like the original game, Classic has itself moved forward in time, with Classic versions of expansions The Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm, and Mists of Pandaria. Soon, World of Warcraft fans will be able to turn the clock back once more — seemingly permanently this time — and enjoy the classic MMO experience forever.