World of Warcraft Review: How much does it cost to play it?

Dragonflight Announce Cinematic Trailer World of Warcraft

World of Warcraft (WoW) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) released in 2004 by Blizzard Entertainment. Set in the Warcraft fantasy universe, World of Warcraft takes place within the world of Azeroth, approximately four years after the events of the previous game in the series, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. The game was announced in 2001, and was released for the 10th anniversary of the Warcraft franchise on November 23, 2004. Since launch, World of Warcraft has had eight major expansion packs: The Burning Crusade (2007), Wrath of the Lich King (2008), Cataclysm (2010), Mists of Pandaria (2012), Warlords of Draenor (2014), Legion (2016), Battle for Azeroth (2018), and Shadowlands (2020), with a ninth, Dragonflight, currently in development.

How much does it cost to play World of Warcraft?

World of Warcraft has had its ups and downs but 18 years later it’s still going strong. Blizzard Entertainment continues to expand upon the genre-defining MMO in the form of expansions and regular updates.

The latest expansion, Shadowlands, explores the hidden realm of the departed, a world between worlds whose delicate balance preserves life and death itself. All in all, there have been eight expansions over the years.

For new and returning players, the game comes at a cost. The base edition of the game costs $39.99 and includes all eight expansions. You can also buy a heroic ($59.99) and epic ($79.99) version of the game with some extra perks.

As for a subscription, you’ll have to pay monthly to play the game. In the U.S, a single month will cost you $14.99. This differs per region. You can buy three months for $41.97 and six months for $77.94. If you’re absolutely sure you’re going to play the game month in and month out, go for the three or six-month options. This should save you a few extra bucks.

Subscribing to World of Warcraft Classic will also give you access to Classic and Burning Crusade Classic. For the game’s most dedicated players, these expansions bring back fond memories of the past.

How Many People Are Playing World Of Warcraft?

World of Warcraft, first released in 2004, was made in the beginning of the MMO era and boasted the highest subscriber count for an MMORPG. Even though World of Warcraft launched so long ago, the game still boasts millions of players. There are many World of Warcraft veterans that have been playing for years, and regular content updates (such as the Shadowlands expansion last year) constantly bring new players into the virtual world. Some people may be wondering, just how many people are still playing World of Warcraft and what is the current WoW subscriber count?

There’s no definite answer readily available because Blizzard is the only one with access to the official WoW sub count. The last time the company released information about its player base was in 2015. Back then, World of Warcraft had an outstanding 5.6 million subscribers across the globe. However, now that five years have passed, it is difficult to guess the WoW subscriber count now. A lot has happened since then – including new World of Warcraft expansions, the release of WoW Classic, and a string of Activision-Blizzard controversies.

Because Blizzard does not release World of Warcraft’s subscriber count to the public, people will have to rely on third-party statistics that may not be entirely accurate. Statista suggests that World of Warcraft’s player count was around 4.88 million in 2020 (when Shadowlands was released). The latest WoW subscriber count for 2021 shows a bit of dip with 4.74 players total. This may be due to no new major content in the game or because of Activision-Blizzard’s ongoing lawsuits. However, the data suggests that it is going down at a rate of roughly 140,000 players per year since about 2016, so this may just be part of the trend.

How to pay for a WoW subscription?

Subscriptions can be paid in several ways, too. You can pre-pay for up to six months of game time which equates to fewer dollars per month than the monthly subscription. You can also purchase physical 60-day game time cards at some retailers for $29.99. And as a small note: If you cancel your subscription, you’ll be able to play until it runs out.

The last way people pay for game time is through WoW Tokens. These are in-game items that are sold for gold via the Auction House. You don’t need an active subscription to buy a token — it can be done from the character-selection screen — but you do need the right amount of gold. This varies every day. You can check the current prices via sites like WoW Token Info. Once you buy one, you can use it for 30 days of game time or trade it for $15 of Blizzard Balance. Likewise, if you buy a token from the Blizzard Store, you can sell it for in-game gold. The tokens are a very popular way for people to maintain their subscription to the game because it doesn’t take a lot of time to grind out the gold needed for one.

Overall, it’s a pretty simple system. You pay for a subscription and you get access to both games. If you want the latest content in the current game, you buy the expansion. All the other stuff like Appearance Changes, Character Transfers, and Faction Changes are sorted out via paid options on the Blizzard Store. If you just want to play the game, it’s pretty easy to do so.

What is World of Warcraft Classic?

Though the two versions share some similarities, World of Warcraft Classic is a decidedly more hardcore, slower, and (some players say) much more epic version of World of Warcraft. It’s automatically included in your subscription fee, too: You won’t have to pay anything extra to try it out if you’re new.

accessible with its up-to-date game systems and graphics, but Classic feels more like a grand, nostalgic, grindy adventure, albeit at a lower resolution.

One of the biggest differences to consider with WoW Classic is that the servers are structured differently. In Classic, there are PvP and PvE servers. Once you start a character on one of them, they’ll be stuck there unless you pay for a character transfer. Consider carefully whether you want to get involved in open-world PvP before playing on a PvP server. It’ll mean you’ll often get attacked, which can be really frustrating when you just want a relaxing evening of questing. On the other hand, that extra element of danger can make the world more fun and offers more opportunities for social interaction with other players.

On modern World of Warcraft servers, you can toggle between PvP and PvE in any capitol city by turning War Mode on or off. You receive additional talents, a bonus to the experience you gain as you kill things and additional rewards from max-level World Quests if you have War Mode on.

The other big difference is that classes are fundamentally different in WoW Classic. The whole skill and combat system is much more old-school, and you can’t change between different ‘specs’ as easily. Still, our advice remains the same: In either game, pick a race and class based on what you think is coolest.

Can you play World of Warcraft for free?

World of Warcraft is always FREE to play up to level 20, but in order to play high level characters you’ll need a subscription.

Is World of Warcraft still worth playing?

It’s as good a time as any to jump back in, and if you’re a new player looking to take the plunge, there’s still over 15 years worth of content to explore. Whether World of Warcraft can fully recover from the events of 2021—both in-game and on a corporate level—remains to be seen.

How much does WoW cost in total?

Players can choose either a one-month World of Warcraft subscription for $14.99/month, a three-month World of Warcraft subscription for $13.99/month, or a six-month World of Warcraft subscription for $12.99/month.

Is World of Warcraft PC only?

In short, no, World of Warcraft is not available on console. While Blizzard’s other titles, including the likes of Overwatch and Diablo, are available on all platforms, WoW remains a PC exclusive.