World of Warcraft: Shadowlands gets a real release date this time

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
(Image credit: Blizzard)

The new World of Warcraft: Shadowlands release date is November 23, 2020 and it's a significant date. 

WoW: Shadowlands will officially come out on the 16th-anniversary of the launch of the blockbuster MMORPG. Blizzard was supposed to launch the new game this week, but delayed it earlier this month.

John Hight, the executive producer of World of Warcraft, made the announcement on the game's official Twitter feed on Thursday.

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November 23 is the 16th anniversary of the game's launch, as Engadget points out, so it's not hard to see why Blizzard chose it after delaying the game from it's original October 27 release date. 

It will certainly be a sentimental anniversary for the game's long-time fans, many of whom have stuck with the game from the very beginning 16 years ago.

Pre-launch Scourge invasion to begin November 10

In addition to the new World of Warcraft: Shadowlands release date, Hight also announced the pre-launch in-game event, which involves combatting "a flood of the Scourge" across Azeroth.

Blizzard also gave a date for the start of Shadowlands season one, December 8, when the first end-game raid content of the expansion, Castle Nathria, will become playable for those who purchase the expansion.

The Shadowland's pre-patch already went live earlier this month, so a healthy chunk of the groundwork for the game's new gameplay systems, such as the new character creator and level smush, has already taken place.

It might have been a long wait, but it looks like we'll all be crossing over into the Shadowlands in just a few weeks.

John Loeffler
Components Editor

John (He/Him) is the Components Editor here at TechRadar and he is also a programmer, gamer, activist, and Brooklyn College alum currently living in Brooklyn, NY. 


Named by the CTA as a CES 2020 Media Trailblazer for his science and technology reporting, John specializes in all areas of computer science, including industry news, hardware reviews, PC gaming, as well as general science writing and the social impact of the tech industry.


You can find him online on Threads @johnloeffler.


Currently playing: Baldur's Gate 3 (just like everyone else).