WoW Subscription Price in 2026: Monthly, 6-Month Plans and the WoW Token
The WoW subscription price in the US is $14.99 for one month, $41.97 for three months and $77.94 for six months, the same monthly rate Blizzard has charged since 2004. The subscription covers modern World of Warcraft, every Classic version and, from November 4, 2026, World of Warcraft: Forever. The current expansion, Midnight, is a separate purchase.
What is the WoW subscription price per month?
Three plan lengths, one price per month that drops as you commit longer. Blizzard bills in local currency, so the table below is the US shop; the structure is the same everywhere, only the numbers change.
| Plan | Total (USD) | Per month | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | $14.99 | $14.99 | Renews every 30 days |
| 3 months | $41.97 | $13.99 | Billed every 90 days |
| 6 months | $77.94 | $12.99 | Billed every 180 days, usually with a bonus mount |
| 12 months | Shown in the Battle.net Shop | Lowest rate | Added in 2026, with extra mounts and transmog |
The 12-month plan is new this year. Is a year up front worth it? Only if the bonuses matter to you, because the access is identical. Blizzard’s own announcement lists what it covers: modern World of Warcraft (currently Midnight), World of Warcraft: Forever when it launches on November 4, and WoW Classic progression, which right now means Mists of Pandaria Classic. It also throws in the Ashen Dreadglider and Giant Grrloc mounts for modern WoW, a Cerulean Drake for Classic, and a tabard, backpack and Azurky pet for Forever, delivered by October 31, 2026 and redeemable until April 30, 2027.
Prepaid Game Time exists too, sold as a 60-day block without auto-renew. Same access, no recurring charge, just a fixed end date. If you buy Game Time and later add a subscription, Blizzard doesn’t bill the subscription until the prepaid time runs out, which is handy if someone gifts you a card.
What does the WoW subscription include?
Put simply, one payment opens every version of the game that is live right now. That means:
- Modern World of Warcraft with the expansions before the current one. The Midnight Base edition itself lists The War Within among its contents, so a returning player who buys Midnight is covered on both.
- WoW Classic progression servers, currently on Mists of Pandaria Classic.
- Classic Era and Hardcore servers, and the Anniversary servers, including the TBC Anniversary servers our TBC Anniversary timeline covers.
- World of Warcraft: Forever from November 4, 2026. Blizzard states that “access will be included with your World of Warcraft Subscription or Game Time”, so there is no separate box price for it.
What you don’t get is the newest expansion. Honestly, this trips up more returning players than the price itself: the subscription keeps running, but Midnight zones stay locked until you buy the expansion. Without paying the WoW subscription price at all you’re on the free trial, which stops at level 20.
Do you also have to buy Midnight?
Yes, if you want the current content. Midnight went live on March 2, 2026 (early access from February 26) and sells in three editions on the Battle.net Shop: Base at $49.99, Heroic at $69.99 and Epic at $89.99. The Base edition includes a level 80 character boost, 500 Trader’s Tender and early access to housing. Heroic adds the Lightwing Dragonhawk mount, the Lightstrider Raiment transmog set and 1,000 Trader’s Tender. Epic adds 2,000 Trader’s Tender, two more mounts, a second transmog set, pets and 30 days of Game Time.
That last line matters for the math. Epic costs $40 more than Base and returns $14.99 of it as Game Time, so the real premium for the cosmetics is about $25. Thing is, the boost alone is why many returning players buy any edition at all. Our WoW release date list shows how far back the included expansions go if you’re wondering what your subscription already paid for.
Can you pay for WoW with gold instead of money?
Yes, through the WoW Token. Another player buys a Token for $20 in the US shop (€20 in Europe, £15 in the UK, A$25 in Australia) and lists it on the Auction House. You buy it for gold at a price that moves with supply and demand, the same for everyone in your region at that moment, and redeem it for 30 days of Game Time or for $15 of Battle.net Balance. Each Token sells once and becomes soulbound after purchase, so there is no flipping.
The catch is where Tokens work. Blizzard’s support page lists them as available in modern World of Warcraft and in WoW Classic progression, and not in Classic Era, Hardcore or Season of Discovery. The Anniversary servers are also outside the Token system. So where does that leave a TBC Anniversary character? Paying the WoW subscription price in real money, no matter how much gold it has. Battle.net Balance redemption is modern-only on top of that. If you do farm for Tokens, our best WoW professions guide is the gold half of that plan.
Is the WoW subscription price different outside the US?
Yes, and in 2026 the gap widened. Blizzard sets prices per region in local currency, and on June 22, 2026 it raised subscription prices in several markets at once: the United Kingdom, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Georgia, plus Brazil, Mexico and Chile. News coverage at the time put the largest increases at around 37 percent, and anyone who renewed before June 22 kept the old price until their next billing date. The US price did not move. Fifteen dollars a month in 2026 buys the same thing it bought in 2004, which, for what it’s worth, almost no other subscription can say.
Australia got a separate change: on June 26, 2026 Blizzard adjusted AUD prices for some WoW services, but that announcement states the subscription itself was not affected. If you’re outside the US, the only reliable number is the one on your own Battle.net Shop page, in your currency, before tax.
Which plan gives the best WoW subscription price?
It depends on how you actually play, not on the per-month figure. Does the 6-month discount even matter? Real talk: the 6-month plan only saves you $12 over six monthly payments, so the mount is the real argument for it, not the discount.
Monthly fits a player who shows up for a raid tier or a Classic phase and leaves. Pay the monthly WoW subscription price of $14.99, clear what you came for, cancel, come back next patch. Six or twelve months fits anyone who logs in most weeks anyway (if you’ve played through two expansions, you know which group you’re in). The Token route suits players with a gold income on a modern or progression character and no interest in buying a Token with cash themselves.
One more case, since we see it often. A fresh account that skips the level 1 to 70 stretch still needs the subscription from day one, because the free trial caps at 20. The TBC Anniversary character we sell comes with an active subscription, but that only covers the time already paid for; after it ends, the same $14.99 applies. Budget for it from month two.
How does WoW subscription billing work?
Every plan auto-renews at the end of its term unless you cancel. Cancelling doesn’t cut you off: the time you’ve paid for keeps running until the end date, and you can resubscribe at any point with the same characters waiting. Blizzard lets you pause the next payment from Account Management as well, which is the cleanest way to take a break without losing track of the renewal date.
Two edge cases worth knowing. Game Time from an Epic edition (Midnight, or the Skyborne Epic Pack for Forever) is 30 days that stacks on top of whatever subscription you have, not a replacement for it. And a WoW Token consumed from the character select screen adds Game Time to any WoW game account on the same Battle.net account, so a Token bought on one account can fund the sub on another, as long as both sit under one login.
Look, the WoW subscription price is one of the few things in this game that has not changed in two decades, at least in dollars. What changes is what sits on top of it: the expansion every two years, the optional Token, the regional pricing. Pick the plan length that matches your schedule, buy Midnight only when you plan to play the current zones, and keep an eye on June announcements if you pay in anything other than US dollars.
FAQ
How much is a WoW subscription per month?
$14.99 per month in the US. The 3-month plan works out to $13.99 per month ($41.97 total) and the 6-month plan to $12.99 per month ($77.94 total). Prices in other regions are set in local currency.
Is World of Warcraft free to play?
Only up to level 20. The free trial lets you play modern WoW to level 20 with no time limit; a subscription or Game Time removes the cap and opens WoW Classic as well.
Does the WoW subscription price include Midnight?
No. Midnight is a separate purchase at $49.99 (Base), $69.99 (Heroic) or $89.99 (Epic). The subscription includes the earlier expansions, and the Midnight Base edition lists The War Within in its contents.
Can you buy WoW game time with gold?
Yes, with a WoW Token bought on the Auction House in modern WoW or WoW Classic progression. It redeems for 30 days of Game Time. Tokens are not available on Classic Era, Hardcore or Anniversary servers.
Does the WoW subscription price cover Classic too?
Yes. One subscription covers modern WoW, Classic progression (Mists of Pandaria Classic), Classic Era and Hardcore, and the Anniversary servers, plus World of Warcraft: Forever from November 4, 2026.
What happens when you cancel a WoW subscription?
Your paid time keeps running until the end of the current term, then the account drops back to the level 20 trial. Characters are not deleted, and you can resubscribe at any time.
