WoW Classic is not one game but a family of versions: Classic Era, Hardcore, Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary, Mists of Pandaria Classic and Season of Discovery. The good news is that you do not buy any of them separately. They all come with a single World of Warcraft subscription, although there is no Free Trial for Classic. Below you will find how the versions differ, what is live in each right now and how to find a Hardcore realm. Everything is current as of 20 October 2026.
What you need to play WoW Classic
Blizzard describes WoW Classic as a faithful recreation of the original World of Warcraft, with the original combat mechanics, character models and talent trees. An active subscription or game time is all you need. According to the Battle.net Shop, the subscription includes modern World of Warcraft, Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary, Mists of Pandaria Classic, Classic 20th Anniversary Edition (Classic Era with mega realms, Hardcore included) and Season of Discovery.
Prices and plan lengths are covered in our guide to the subscription price. One limit matters here: the Free Trial up to level 20 only applies to modern WoW. None of the Classic versions can be played for free.
WoW Classic versions compared
| Version | What it is | Current content (20 Oct 2026) | WoW Token |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic Era | Original WoW with PvE, PvP and Hardcore mega realms, a full content timeline reset and a clean slate economy | The original game (sold as Classic 20th Anniversary Edition) | No |
| Hardcore | Permadeath, the only rule is to survive, the goal is level 60 | Realms under the Classic Era and Anniversary tabs | No |
| Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary | The return of The Burning Crusade expansion | Black Temple is live, Zul’Aman arrives on 22 October 2026 | Not stated by Support |
| Mists of Pandaria Classic | Classic Progression with Pandaren and the Monk class | Siege of Orgrimmar raid | Yes, game time only |
| Season of Discovery | Classic with a twist, runes for classes | Reworked raids | No |
On the token: in WoW Classic Progression (Mists of Pandaria Classic) you can redeem it for game time only, not for Battle.net Balance. Classic Era, Hardcore and Season of Discovery have no token at all. How it works in modern WoW is explained in our WoW Token guide.
Classic Era: the original WoW
Classic Era is the purest form of Classic. It runs mega realms with PvE, PvP and Hardcore rules, its content timeline has been fully reset and the economy started from scratch. The Battle.net Shop calls it Classic 20th Anniversary Edition, while the Blizzard website calls it Classic Era. Same thing.
Hardcore: one life, level 60
Hardcore has one rule: survive. Death is permanent, or as Blizzard puts it, „dead means dead“. Your goal is to reach level 60.
Blizzard Support does not revive dead Hardcore characters. The team may make an exception after a DDoS attack, but there is no guarantee. Your character does not have to retire, though: both living and dead characters can be moved for free to designated Classic Era realms and played on. The transfer clears the character’s mailbox. Details are in Blizzard’s article on free character transfers.
How to find a Hardcore realm
Hardcore is not a separate install. Here are the steps from Blizzard Support:
- Install and launch WoW Classic.
- Click Change Realm.
- At the bottom of the screen, pick the tab for the version you want, for example Classic Era or Anniversary.
- In the realm list, look for Hardcore in the Type column.
Anniversary: Burning Crusade Classic
Anniversary realms currently run Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary. That means Blood Elves and Draenei, flying mounts, the Karazhan, Gruul’s Lair and Magtheridon raids, plus the Arena. Black Temple is live and Zul’Aman arrives on 22 October 2026.
Players who did not want to move on from Classic Anniversary to Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary could transfer their characters to Classic Era realms for free from 25 November. That option ended on 12 January 2026.
Mists of Pandaria Classic
Mists of Pandaria Classic is part of Classic Progression. It adds the Pandaren race, the Monk class and Challenge Mode dungeons. The Siege of Orgrimmar raid is currently live. It is included in the subscription and, unlike the other Classic versions listed by Support, it has the WoW Token, redeemable for game time only.
Season of Discovery
Season of Discovery is Classic „with a twist“. Runes (Rune Engraving) give classes abilities they never had in Classic, such as a Warlock tank. Raids are reworked too: Blackfathom Deeps is a 10-player raid and Molten Core a 20-player one. Blizzard keeps an overview of all versions on its WoW Classic page.
WoW Classic system requirements
Classic is much lighter than modern WoW. On Windows the minimum is Windows 10 64-bit, Intel Core i5-760 or AMD FX 8100, GeForce GT 440 1 GB, Radeon HD 5670 1 GB or Intel HD 4000, 4 GB RAM and 15 GB of storage. The recommended setup is a Core i7-4770 or FX 8310, GTX 960 4 GB or Radeon R9 280, 8 GB RAM and 70 GB on an SSD. On Mac you need at least macOS 10.15, with macOS 11 recommended. For Midnight and Forever, see our system requirements guide.
Classic or WoW: Forever?
On 4 November 2026 another version arrives: World of Warcraft: Forever. It is not another Classic flavour. Blizzard describes it as a new persistent version alongside modern and Classic WoW, set in a reimagined original Azeroth with new zones and improved visuals. Classic preserves the original game, Forever rebuilds it. The differences are covered in WoW Forever explained, and our news piece on Classic players shows who Blizzard is making it for.
Join our Discord to find Classic and modern WoW players for a group or a realm: Discord GamersTogether.
FAQ
No. WoW Classic is included with a World of Warcraft subscription or game time. One subscription unlocks Classic Era, Hardcore, Anniversary, Mists of Pandaria Classic and Season of Discovery.
No. The Free Trial up to level 20 only covers modern World of Warcraft. Blizzard does not offer it for any Classic version.
Death is permanent and Blizzard Support will not revive the character. You can, however, move the dead character for free to designated Classic Era realms and keep playing. The transfer clears its mailbox.
In WoW Classic, click Change Realm, pick the Classic Era or Anniversary tab at the bottom and look for Hardcore in the Type column of the realm list.
No. WoW: Forever is a new persistent version alongside modern and Classic WoW, set in a reimagined original Azeroth. It launches on 4 November 2026 and is also included with the subscription.
Information verified on 20 October 2026. More World of Warcraft help is waiting in our WoW guides.