How long does the WoW Forever stress test last?
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How long? | A few hours |
| Exact end time? | Not announced; may end earlier or run later as needed |
| Which servers? | The production realms that will be used at launch |
| Progress kept? | No — complete wipe of characters, names and guilds afterwards |
| And then? | The beta comes back online shortly after the test ends |
What time does the WoW Forever stress test start?
Europe realms open first, at 19:00 CEST (17:00 UTC) on October 21. Americas and Oceania open at 2:00 p.m. PDT (21:00 UTC). Korea opens at 6:00 a.m. KST on October 22 and Taiwan at 5:00 a.m. CST on October 22 — both are still 21:00 UTC on October 21. The full table with more time zones is on the home page.
Because the window is only a few hours long and there is no published end time, the practical answer is: install early and log in at the start for your region. The join steps take a few minutes once the client is downloaded.
The wipe, explained
When the window closes, Blizzard removes everything made on the stress test realms: characters, names and guilds are completely removed. The wipe makes room for name reservations, which open on October 27, 2026 — see name reservation dates and early access.
Right after the wipe, the WoW Forever beta comes back online. October 21 is the last full day of beta testing; the launch follows on November 4, 2026. Details: beta end date and release timeline.
Do not grind for keeps. Treat the test as a preview: Blizzard wants you to create characters, quest, trade, chat and group up so the servers are loaded — everything is deleted afterwards.