WoW: Forever Stress Test ran on Oct 21: recap and next dates

Update, October 17: Blizzard moved the Stress Test from October 19 to Wednesday, October 21. Start times stay the same. (Blizzard)

Update, October 22, 2026: the Stress Test ran on Wednesday, October 21, and its characters are wiped. Next dates: the beta ends October 23 at 10 a.m. PDT, name reservations open October 27 for pack owners, and the game launches November 4 (Blizzard).

Blizzard opened World of Warcraft: Forever to everyone for a few hours on Wednesday, October 21. The official server Stress Test needs no subscription, no Game Time, no invite and no beta access. If you have a Battle.net account, you can log in and play.

Stress Test start times

• North America: October 21, 2:00 p.m. PDT
• Europe: October 21, 19:00 CEST
• Korea: October 22, 06:00 KST
• Taiwan: October 22, 05:00 CST

Blizzard has not given an end time. The window “may end earlier or run later as needed”, so treat it as a few hours, not a full day. The beta goes offline shortly before the test starts and should come back shortly after it ends.

How to join the WoW: Forever Stress Test

1. Update your graphics drivers.
2. Open the Battle.net desktop app and let it update.
3. Pick World of Warcraft in the game list.
4. In the Game Version menu above the Play button, choose World of Warcraft: Forever Stress Test under In Development, then Install.
5. When the test starts, hit Play and pick an available test realm.
6. Create a new test character and log in.

If Blizzard runs another open test before launch, install early. The download is the slow part, and you don’t want to spend the first hour of a short test watching a progress bar.

Do characters carry over?

No. Blizzard wipes all characters, names and guilds from the Stress Test servers when it ends. Don’t burn your favorite name here expecting to keep it. Use the test to check performance on your PC, try a class you’re unsure about, and see how crowded starting zones feel.

What comes next

• October 21: Stress Test, open to everyone.
• October 27 to November 3: Early Name Reservation for players who pre-purchased the Skyborne Heroic Pack, Skyborne Epic Pack or the limited-time Warcraft Forever Collection. Names are first come, first served.
• November 4: global launch.

Still deciding what to roll? Our WoW: Forever class and race guide covers every combo, and the launch guide has launch times, subscription and bundles. If you want to play before the 21st, the beta guide explains how to get in before October 21.

Sources

• Join the World of Warcraft: Forever Stress Test, Blizzard Entertainment (October 15, 2026).
• @Warcraft on X (October 15, 2026).