Blizzard raises WoW: Forever beta cap again as demand climbs
Blizzard has raised the player limit for the World of Warcraft: Forever beta again after demand kept climbing over the weekend. The change adds more room on the test servers ahead of the full launch scheduled for 4 November 2026. Eurogamer
The news came from Holly Longdale, the executive producer of World of Warcraft at Blizzard. Writing on her personal X account, she said: "So... we had to increase the WoW: Forever Beta population cap again. The wild ride continues."
Demand kept rising. Longtime World of Warcraft: Classic developer Josh Greenfield said the Forever beta had produced the "craziest numbers" he had seen in 17 years at Blizzard and almost eight years working on Classic.
A population cap sets how many players can be on a server at one time. When that limit is reached, extra players must wait. Raising it lets more people play together during busy periods.
The beta, an early test version released before the finished game, is not free to enter. Access requires purchase of the Skyborne Epic pack, priced at £51.99 / US$59.99 / €59.99.
Forever is due to open fully on 4 November 2026, with entry afterwards through a monthly subscription, a recurring fee to keep playing. Blizzard has listed a global launch time of 3:00 p.m. PST on that date. Blizzard
Those test servers include new material for players to try. The Skyborne, also called the shen'dorei or hidden people, join as a new playable race. Their starting experience takes place on Zephras Isle and covers levels 1 to 12, and players choose at character creation whether to join the Horde or the Alliance, the game's two main factions.
Another feature in testing is the Legacy System, an account-wide progression system. It rewards completing challenges with Legacy Points, unlocks perks tied to individual characters and offers cosmetic rewards, items that change appearance rather than power.
The latest cap rise follows a busy first stretch for the test. Fans flooded into the beta after it was made available, according to earlier reporting. IGN Blizzard has since said it increased regional connections, reworked how databases handle the load and fixed a map bug. Warcraft on Facebook
What makes this stand out is the timing. Paid entry is still in place. The full release is still more than a month away. Blizzard is already adding space for a second time.
