Note: this lead was originally published on October 20, 2026 by Wowhead, relaying Blizzard's blue post.
The countdown is on. Blizzard has confirmed via blue post that the WoW: Forever Beta, originally set to close on October 21, is extended by two days — the new shutdown time is Friday, October 23 at 10:00 AM PDT (1:00 AM on October 24, Beijing time).
The farewell line in the post is a good one: "We plan to close the WoW Forever Beta … forever at 10:00 a.m. PDT on Friday, October 23. Thank you very much for joining us. We'll see you there!"
The timeline for these final days
- Today (October 21): the stress test runs in regional windows (see our follow-up report). The test uses separate regional hardware, and the Beta reopens afterwards — all stress test characters, including names, are deleted;
- October 23, 10:00 AM PDT: the Beta closes for good;
- Wowhead expects one more build may land in the extension window — if you want to squeeze in last-round verification, watch the changelog.
If you haven't tried the Beta yet: join today's zero-barrier stress test, and the Beta still reopens before the 23rd — you can catch both.
Source: Wowhead (blue post relayed, official), originally published October 20, 2026: Blizzard Announces Closing Date and Extension for WoW: Forever Beta.
Further reading: the launch timeline in the roadmap, and launch preparation in the checklist and FAQ.