World of Warcraft remains to be going robust after 21 years for good reason–the sport is consistently introducing new content material and concepts to maintain the over-two-decade-old MMORPG feeling like new, and 2026 can be no exception.
Throughout a latest State of Azeroth 2026 presentation, Blizzard revealed a brand new player-housing targeted cinematic, the present state of the sport, and what the subsequent yr in Azeroth will appear like. It is a yr bolstered by a brand new enlargement launch and all the brand new adventures {that a} main replace entails. Midnight will introduce zones each new and reimagined for gamers to discover, whereas parts of the enlargement, like a brand new Void-themed Demon Hunter specialization and participant housing, are playable proper now as a part of the enlargement’s pre-patch.
Wanting forward, the yr can be crammed with content material updates each eight weeks, maintaining in step with Blizzard’s live-service technique that started in Dragonflight and has remained constant for the previous few years. Whereas lots of the updates, particularly the foremost content material patches, include what gamers have come to count on, there’s quite a lot of surprises. Amongst them are a brand new type of content material known as Labyrinths that Blizzard has described because the mega-dungeon equal of delves, in addition to teases we nonetheless do not know a lot about, like a brand new sport mode from the crew behind WoW’s Plunderstorm battle royale and enlargement remix occasions. Blizzard has additionally detailed what to anticipate from WoW Basic and is teasing one thing huge on that entrance, although followers will possible have to attend till BlizzCon to study extra.
Beneath, you will discover a breakdown of what to anticipate from WoW the yr in WoW. Needless to say later content material patch particulars are nonetheless imprecise, however do no less than give some thought of what to anticipate post-Midnight launch. Housing updates additionally haven’t got particular launch dates, however are within the works and anticipated to reach over the course of the yr. With that stated, let’s dive into what the subsequent yr of Azeroth appears like, and the way WoW remains to be the most effective MMORPGs to play in 2026.
Midnight Pre-Patch
Accessible now, the Midnight pre-patch introduced lots of the under-the-hood adjustments for the upcoming enlargement, amongst them a stat and stage squish, expertise tree changes, and vital adjustments to what add-ons can and may’t do. Going hand-in-hand with the add-on adjustments is the addition of in-game injury meters and boss alerts, with Blizzard lastly wanting so as to add a lot of the utility gamers as soon as relied on through add-ons to the bottom sport.
The pre-patch moreover added new customization options for participant housing and month-to-month neighborhood occasions known as Endeavours, an overhaul to transmog, and a brand new ranged-damage Demon Hunter specialization known as Devourer. For these trying to study the PvP ropes, a brand new Coaching Grounds characteristic lets gamers face off towards bot opponents in numerous battlegrounds. Midnight’s Twilight Ascension pre-patch occasion, in the meantime, is an effective way to stage up new characters or gear out some current ones forward of the enlargement’s launch. The occasion will run till Midnight’s launch.
Midnight’s Launch
WoW’s eleventh enlargement, Midnight, arrives March 2, however those that preorder the sport’s Epic Version get three-day early entry. Midnight will elevate the MMO’s stage cap to 90 and introduce 4 zones for gamers to explore–two brand-new and two dramatically reimagined from The Burning Campaign. Gamers will embark on a brand new story marketing campaign to cease Xal’atath’s Void invasion of Azeroth.
The enlargement comes with all the brand new content material gamers have come to affiliate with main WoW updates. There can be eight new dungeons to overcome, in addition to 11 delves and a brand new delve companion, Valeera Sanguinar. A brand new open-world system known as Prey will see gamers looking down (or being hunted by) highly effective foes, which ought to add some new taste to questing. A brand new social hub, the Arcantina, will function a spot for gamers to take a seat again, loosen up, and work together with numerous WoW NPCs. There’s additionally a brand new playable allied race, the Haranir, to unlock. Final however not least, a brand new battleground and out of doors Conflict-mode PvP zone known as Slayer’s Rise is coming as properly.
Midnight Season 1 will begin March 17 and introduce two new raids for gamers to conquer–the six-boss raid Voidspire and the single-boss Dreamspire raid. The season additionally marks the beginning of the subsequent a number of months of Mythic+, which is able to characteristic 4 new Midnight dungeons in addition to 4 returning dungeons from earlier expansions. Just a few weeks after the beginning of Season 1, a two-boss raid, March on Quel’Danas, will unlock.
Patch 12.05
The primary Midnight content material patch brings two predominant occasions for gamers to take part in. For PvE enjoyers, the .05 patch will proceed Midnight’s story with “Void assault” world occasions. On the PvP facet, the replace will introduce a brand new PvP prop-hunt occasion that can see gamers rework into decor in an effort to cover whereas an opposing crew makes an attempt to smell them out.
Patch 12.07
Blizzard goes all-in on further raids exterior its regular, main seasonal updates, with patch 12.07 set to introduce a single-boss raid. No different particulars are presently identified about what the raid will entail (Blizzard is maintaining a lot of the main points near its chest to keep away from story spoilers), however stated it desires to experiment with a extra frequent raid cadence and smaller raid codecs. The patch will moreover “escalate” Void assaults, although precisely what meaning stays unknown. In what’s rapidly turning into a convention, the patch may even deliver again the Turbulent Timeways Timewalking occasion.
Patch 12.1
The additional out the patch, the less particulars we’ve got, however patch 12.1 will embody a lot of what gamers count on from a significant replace, together with a big new out of doors zone, a continuation of the enlargement’s story, a further raid, dungeon, and delve, and, after all, a refresh for the Mythic+ season. Exterior new content material, the replace may even deliver UI enhancements, new housing options, and an overhaul to WoW’s in-game pal system, although Blizzard has but to share further particulars on what that can appear like.
BlizzCon 2026
Blizzard’s largely annual fan conference is again after what could have been a virtually two-year hiatus. This yr’s BlizzCon is September 12-13 (a change from its common November timeframe), and whereas Blizzard is not spoiling all its surprises, count on extra details about the ultimate enlargement within the Worldsoul Saga–The Final Titan–what’s subsequent for WoW Basic, and extra. Blizzard stated the crew can be sharing the way it views the “subsequent 20 years” of WoW, so there ought to actually be some main information and bulletins from the present.
Patch 12.1.5
The primary post-BlizzCon content material replace of the yr, patch 12.1.5 may also be essentially the most thrilling, as it can introduce a brand new type of content material known as Labyrinths. These are primarily extra-large delves impressed by mega dungeons that may be accomplished both in a single sitting or in chunks over a time period. In step with Blizzard’s new raid technique, the patch may even add yet one more single-boss raid.
12.1.7
WoW’s .7 patches are rapidly turning into ones to look ahead to, and patch 12.1.7 will not be any completely different. That is as a result of along with new story content material and the return of the Turbulent Timeways occasion, the patch is about to introduce a mysterious new “standalone mode.” What the mode can be is anyones guess, nevertheless it’s coming from the identical crew behind Plunderstorm and its latest enlargement Remix modes, immediately making this a patch value maintaining a tally of.
WoW Basic
Whereas all of the updates above are for the trendy, “retail” model of WoW, there’s a lot happening on the planet of WoW Basic, with Blizzard presently working a number of old-school variations of the MMORPG. Mists of Pandaria Basic will obtain its Escalation, Siege of Orgrimmar, and Timeless Isle patch updates later this yr, with the sport’s Anniversary Realms set to progress to The Burning Campaign on February 5 earlier than going by that enlargement’s numerous updates.
As for the large new factor from the WoW Basic crew, Blizzard actually appears poised to make some information on that entrance. The WoW showcase makes a degree of getting govt producer Holly Longdale shut to creating a significant announcement, solely to be interrupted on the final second. Will or not it’s the long-rumored and sometimes requested for Basic+? That is still to be seen, however count on an announcement of what is subsequent at BlizzCon.
Housing Updates
Gamers have wasted no time making all types of spectacular housing creations, and housing is a significant new pillar of the sport going ahead. Blizzard appears to be busy absorbing suggestions and implementing new options on that entrance. Whereas there is not a precise timeline on when new housing options can be coming, Blizzard did dedicate a piece of the showcase to it, outlining a few of the upcoming additions gamers can count on. Future housing updates Blizzard is prioritizing embody pet and mount integration, extra superior ornament instruments like the power to mass choose in addition to copy/paste housing objects, and the ability to import and export housing creations.
WoW Ambassador Program And Charity Pet Pack
On the neighborhood font, Blizzard revealed plans for a WoW Ambassador program that can search to attach gamers with comparable objectives, playstyles, and pursuits within the title of “fostering inclusivity.” As in earlier years, Blizzard will as soon as once more provide a Charity Pet Pack, this time within the type of a canine named Roofus and pet-themed housing decor. Proceeds from the pack will assist Habitat for Humanity.
