You can play World of Warcraft for free through the official Free Trial, all the way up to level 20. A Battle.net account and an internet connection are all you need, no subscription or purchase required. The trial only covers modern WoW, though, and comes with a long list of limits: no guilds, no trading or Auction House and no WoW Classic. Below you will find how to start, what you can and cannot do and how to move to the full game. Everything is based on Blizzard Support as of 20 October 2026.
What the World of Warcraft Free Trial is
The Free Trial is the official free version of modern World of Warcraft. Blizzard Support also refers to trial accounts as „starter accounts“. Characters from level 1 to 20 do not need a subscription. Anything beyond level 20 requires a subscription or game time.
The trial also applies to existing accounts. When your subscription runs out, your account is not locked, it reverts to Free Trial status with all of its limits. There is no free version of WoW Classic, so Classic Era, Hardcore, Anniversary and Mists of Pandaria Classic are all off limits in the trial. More on Classic in our overview of WoW Classic versions.
How to start playing for free
- Create a Battle.net account if you do not have one yet.
- Download the Battle.net app from download.battle.net and install World of Warcraft through it.
- Launch the game and create a character in modern WoW.
New characters start in Exile’s Reach, a starting area built around the fate of a lost expedition. From there you continue into Dragonflight content. Everything playable up to level 20 is available, including dungeons and quests for a level 20 character. Blizzard’s official info is on the Free Trial page.
The trial is a good chance to try several classes and races. Which roles each class can fill is summed up in our guide to classes and roles. Before you download, check that your PC meets the system requirements.
What you can and cannot do in the Free Trial
The list follows Blizzard’s support article World of Warcraft Free Trial Limitations.
| You can | You cannot |
|---|---|
| Create characters in modern WoW | Play WoW Classic (Era, Hardcore, Anniversary, Mists of Pandaria) |
| Level up to 20 | Take a character past level 20 |
| Hold up to 1,000 gold per character | Play the latest expansion’s content |
| Chat in /say and /party | Use other chat channels or chat emotes |
| Use the Random Dungeon Finder | Form a party |
| Whisper friends added by character name | Whisper non-friends or use Real ID |
| Visit public houses (Housing) | Buy a house |
| Use Battle.net voice chat | Use in-game voice chat |
| Trade, send mail or use the Auction House | |
| Anything guild related | |
| Pet Battles, Warband Bank, paid services (transfers, faction change) |
One chat detail: characters 10 or more levels above you cannot see your /say messages. And RealID friends cannot whisper you, only friends added by character name can.
When your subscription ends
Once your subscription or game time expires, the account automatically reverts to Free Trial status. Until you pay again, every limit from the table above applies and you cannot play characters above level 20.
Moving to the full game
If the game hooks you, buy a subscription or game time. Game time can also come from a WoW Token, but you cannot buy one until your account has paid for and used at least one month of game time with real money. A subscription unlocks:
- levels above 20, all the way to 90,
- higher dungeons and raids,
- guilds and unrestricted chat,
- the Auction House and trading.
The latest expansion, Midnight, is for characters above level 80 and is sold separately. Prices and what the subscription includes are in our guide to the subscription price.
Limits do not lift immediately after paying
According to Blizzard Support, trial restrictions are removed once the order is complete, which can take up to 24 hours. If the limits are still there after 24 hours and the order shows Complete, a password reset should fix it. Support does not remove the restrictions manually.
Recruit A Friend
If you have friends who already play WoW, you can become their recruit through Recruit A Friend. Blizzard has the details on the programme page.
Join our Discord to find players for your first twenty levels in a group: Discord GamersTogether.
FAQ
Partly. The Free Trial lets you play modern WoW for free up to level 20. Higher levels, guilds, trading and WoW Classic need a subscription or game time.
Level 20. A subscription then unlocks levels up to 90.
No. The Free Trial only covers modern World of Warcraft. Classic Era, Hardcore, Anniversary and Mists of Pandaria Classic are not included.
Up to 1,000 gold per character. You cannot trade, send mail or use the Auction House in the trial.
The limits are lifted once the order is complete, which takes up to 24 hours. If they remain after that and the order shows Complete, reset your account password.
Information verified on 20 October 2026. More World of Warcraft help is in our WoW guides.