World of Warcraft Forever is finally here, and the gates to this alternate version of Azeroth open at 3 PM PST / 6 PM EST. All the signs from the beta are pointing to Forever being one of the biggest launches in Warcraft history, with so many people testing the game that developers claimed it put up "the craziest numbers" they've seen in 17 years.

Even after expanding the level cap in the beta, it was still capped at level 30, and most people – outside of some promotions – had to buy an expensive Skyborne pack to get in. Once the live servers go up, the only barrier to playing WoW Forever is going to be an active WoW subscription or a friend code. (And there are going to be a lot of friend codes out there.)

But while WoW Forever promises to be a huge launch and a return to form for many WoW fans, the real test is going to be how well the servers hold up. I've been playing Blizzard's games my entire life, and it's pretty much a given that something is going to go wrong when Blizzard flicks the switch to open up the game. Even last week, when Blizzard opened its name reservation system, European players couldn't get in for hours, and American players were greeted with long server queues and disconnects. So, I expect the full launch to be, well, spicy.

But I'm going to be in the trenches, trying to get in myself and keeping an eye on the community to find all the cool stuff people are talking about, and gathering all of that here. So, whether you're stuck at work while the servers go up, or you're inevitably frustrated by the servers buckling under the weight of millions of MMO fans, stay tuned for all the fun. Live updates are below.

All times are in EST

8:15 pm: Even a couple hours in, it seems like World of Warcraft Forever is the smoothest Blizzard launch in years. Even after the pain that the servers felt when name reservations went live last week, everything seems pretty buttoned up. I'm seeing fewer and fewer people having problems getting into the game, and the issues now seem limited to folks getting frustrated at faction limits and the sheer amount of people competing for mobs.

I'm going to keep my eyes open for anything else going on, but for most people, you should be able to just log in and get lost in Azeroth. And, that's honestly the highest praise I could give to a massive live game launch like this.

7:43 pm: I'm finally on the way to Brill, and as soon as I got past the gate, I rounded a corner, and got blown away by some incredible lighting. Blizzard really did knock the graphics upgrades out of the park with WoW Forever. If you have powerful enough hardware, trust me, max the game out, at least for a little bit.

7:37 pm: Some more problems are starting to appear. In the forums, there's a thread suggesting that there are AMD driver problems that are causing driver timeouts. Let me know down below if you've been running into driver issues.

Apparently the problem is a black screen, followed by a hard system reboot. And it looks like this bug has persisted through the beta, according to the player who posted the thread. But this might be a problem on AMD's end, rather than Blizzard. The game is running without issue for me on an Nvidia card.

7:22 pm: There are still people stuck at the ruleset menu, and Blizzard hasn't provided an update on that bug yet. But at least people seem to have a sense of humor about it.

7:08 pm: Blizzard is aware of problems with payment processing, so if you're struggling with actually subscribing to the game to play, they're working on it.

@RAM2191 As soon as possible! Website issues are due to the amount of traffic, keep trying as you can, maybe even wait just a few minutes. ^CC

7:00 pm: We're an hour into the launch and the servers feel great. No real lag, and I haven't been disconnected yet. I've also seen some reports of new Horde characters being disabled due to the high demand on PvP servers. So much for people not wanting to play monsters.

Just speaking anecdotally, but there were so many Undead players that I had to group up with four other people to finish one of the first quests. But, that's exactly what Forever's devs want you to do.

6:36 pm: Just killed enough zombies to finish the first quest, there are just so many people in Tirisfal right now. But, while the launch seems to have gone smoothly for most people, I've started seeing some players that are having trouble getting online. Some people are also reporting that the characters they reserved aren't there anymore.

6:30 pm: IGN's review in progress from Len Hafer just went live! There's obviously no verdict yet, but it seems good so far.

6:23 pm: If you're still getting gray rulesets bug, it seems like most people have been able to fix it by closing the game and re-entering the queue. I know it sucks to have to sit in line again, but it seems like the queues are going pretty quick so far. But, of course, that could change.

6:13 pm: Wait, I'm in! Looks like the server is at least working for me, and there's a veritable army of Undead here in Tirisfal Glades. Even in the forums, people seem pleasantly surprised by how quick the server queue went. But there are still some people who are getting kicked offline as soon as they get to the character select screen.

6:10 pm: Blizzard is aware of the problem with 'Rulesets' not being available, and BlizzardCS has reported it to the devs. Hopefully it's a quick fix. But even though it seems like people are going to have to wait a while to get in, it is kind of nostalgic to sit here waiting for the server queue. And I don't seem to be the only one who thinks so.

Is it wrong that I kinda like launches like this https://t.co/Ibjayw6N25

6:05 pm: I'm back in the queue, but this time with 2,135 people ahead of me. I just went to the forums to check if other people are having problems, and the forums are down. Let me know down below if you're able to get in.

6:00 pm: And here we go, World of Warcraft Forever is live, and I was immediately greeted by a login queue. But only with 128 people ahead of me. Not bad! Lets see if I get in. Well, I got in, but all the rulesets are 'temporarily unavailable.' Cool.

5:50 pm: Servers are up in 10 minutes, or at least they're supposed to be. But with the level of excitement that people have for WoWF, I wouldn't be surprised if the servers struggle for a little bit. But no matter what happens, remember, you will get in eventually.

IF YOURE IN LINE AT THE WOW FOREVER LOG IN SCREEN STAY IN LINE DONT LEAVE THEY LEGALLY HAVE TO LET YOU IN THE SERVERS PER THE CONSTITUTION KNOW YOUR RIGHTS 🇺🇸 🇺🇸

5:36 pm: The first legendary weapon in World of Warcraft Forever is a healing weapon called Taldramir, The Whispering Wood. It's cool enough that Blizzard is showing love to healers, but apparently it also had it made in real life, too. I'm getting ready for the launch by logging into retail just one more time before Forever kicks off in earnest.

And, of course, the first thing I see is someone in trade chat saying "alright kids see you in a couple months or years depending on how good Forever is"

A legendary stream deserves a new Legendary Weapon 💥

Introducing Taldramir, the Whispering Wood, forged in partnership with @WetaWorkshop 🔨 https://t.co/D3orhPhcM0

5:15 pm: We're 45 minutes out, but people already seem excited to get in.

Today I am playing World of Warcraft Forever. Tomorrow I am playing World of Warcraft forever. The next day I am playing World of Warcraft Forever. The day after that I am playing World of Warcraft Forever. The day after that I am playing World of Warcraft Forever. Forever.

Congratulations to the entire @Warcraft team and best of luck on a great WoW Forever launch!

Also wishing a speedy recovery to everyone who suddenly came down with the flu this morning 😔👀

5:00 pm: The servers are scheduled to go online in about an hour, and just in the last couple of days there's been a lot happening for WoW Forever. For instance, in response to the patch notes that went out Monday night, the Shaman class discord shut down in protest of the changes, something that happened with ret Paladins last year in Midnight.

Still, the biggest question on my mind ahead of the launch is 'how will the servers handle the load?' Even in the best case scenario, I expect some pretty beefy server queues that we'll have to sit through. And, as a reminder, there are new Nvidia graphics drivers, so if you're on a Team Green card, take this hour before launch to update your drivers.

Data compiled by analytics firm Sensor Tower estimates that GTA 6 has already raked in more than $750 million in preorders across both PlayStation 5 and Xbox.

GTA 6 launches in just two short weeks. It’s one of the most highly anticipated video game releases of all time and possibly the biggest pop culture phenomenon of this decade.

The hype for this particular entry is off the charts, and fans of Rockstar’s open-world action-adventure franchise are putting their money where their mouths are. According to data aggregated by Sensor Tower, Rockstar has already made three-quarters of the way to a billion dollars in preorders alone.

As of November 3, an estimated 7.71 million units have been sold, translating to a whopping $751 million in profits. The split between consoles is also notable; the amount of preorders on PlayStation is significantly higher than those on Xbox, with a 74% - 26% split.

This means that, on PlayStation, roughly $559 million in revenue was accrued; on Xbox, $192 million was made. Rockstar is making out like bandits, and the game hasn’t even come out yet.

For reference, GTA 5 made $800 million in its first 24 hours, and reached $1 billion in three days, making it the fastest entertainment product to reach $1 billion in history. It's possible that GTA 6 blows past this record, given what we're already seeing, but only time will tell once November 19 actually gets here.

These numbers are huge, and it’s likely due to fans purchasing the $100 Ultimate Edition of the game rather than its standard version. Strauss Zelnick, the CEO of Rockstar's parent company Take-Two Interactive, said as much in an August interview with CNBC, where he theorized this trend was “a reflection of the fact that the most avid consumers are the ones who are preordering now."

The Standard Edition of GTA 6 isn’t a whole lot cheaper. At $80, the base game also costs players a pretty penny — something that Zelnick told IGN was a reflection of the game’s value and actually a “bargain.”

“We aim always to deliver vastly more value than what we charge,” he said. “And we think that price point allows us to do just that. And then of course we have a premium opportunity for people who want to avail themselves of that. And even that one, again, we think is priced in a way so as to deliver much more value than what we're charging,” he told us.

“The truth is that the real cost of a AAA video game is a whole lot lower today than it was 20 years ago. Pricing has not kept pace with inflation. And our goal is to continue to over-deliver for our consumers, because how you feel about any experience is the intersection of the experience itself and what you pay for it. So to say that we expect that Grand Theft Auto 6 will be an incredible bargain as experiences go is a gross understatement, because Rockstar Games is known for over-delivering.”

GTA 6 releases on November 19, 2026 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox X|S. For more interesting stats about the game, check out IGN’s report on how many players intend to take off work on release day, or see the concerning amount of fans who would give up their pets for a month for the chance to play it a week early.

Maya Hawke has been cast in a "key" role for Legendary’s live-action Magic: The Gathering movie, which is also planned to have a television series.

Magic: The Gathering’s live-action adaptation seems to have finally found its footing, with Deadline reporting that Stranger Things star Maya Hawke is the first actor to be officially cast in the film. Sources told the outlet that Hawke’s role is a "key" one, and that the project will have an "ensemble" feel. The same insiders said producers were focused on making sure she got the first offer to join.

It seems that Legendary and Hasbro have big plans in mind, as the iconic trading card game franchise is also set to receive a television universe. Canadian actor/director Matt Johnson is set to direct and write the film, alongside co-writers Aidan Fitzgerald and Noah Gardner.

Matt Johnson is best known for BlackBerry, a comedy-drama about the BlackBerry phone, and Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, a sci-fi-ish comedy movie based on a web series he co-created. His filmography is a bit sparse, but given his comedy chops — along with Deadline’s report of an "ensemble cast" — it seems like the Magic: The Gathering movie could have a similar tone and feel to Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.

This is the latest news from this movie to surface after it was first confirmed in 2025 when Hasbro and Legendary announced their partnership and intentions to make an MTG movie. In July 2026, Vulture confirmed Matt Johnson’s involvement in the project, with storyboard artists, costume designers, and location scouts from Dune also reportedly lending their talents to the film.

Magic: The Gathering has faced decades of difficulty in its attempts to snag a screen adaptation. Its struggle first began in 2008, when Hasbro struck a deal with Universal to make movies based on several of its big brands, including MTG. Unfortunately, this project died a slow and painful death and, by 2012, it was ultimately canceled.

20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios) then snagged the film rights to Hasbro’s card game in 2014, which again sat in limbo until card designer Mark Rosewater confirmed the project was dead in 2022. This was especially painful, as several big names were attached to Fox’s MTG movie; Simon Kinberg (X-Men: Days of Future Past) was set to supervise, and Bryan Cogma — a writer for Game of Thrones — was also brought in to write the film.

Netflix also tried to snag a piece of the pie in the early 2020s with a live-action movie and an animated series that, unsurprisingly, also went nowhere. Now, Legendary and Hasbro are working hand-in-hand to finally bring MTG’s vibrant universe from cards to screens.

This is the latest big adaptation news to come from Legendary after the release of its Street Fighter movie this October, which proved to be a mixed bag among fans and critics but managed to secure top spot in the box office during its opening weekend.

Image Credits: Michael Buckner/WWD via Getty Images