Play WoW for free – Can you play Blizzard’s MMORPG “for free”?

There are different ways to play World of Warcraft for free. We’ll tell you how well the different variants work.

Even after almost 20 years, World of Warcraft is still one of the biggest MMORPGs in the world. Some people still have the urge to immerse themselves in Blizzard’s MMORPG. But the monthly subscription costs seem old-fashioned and out of date to many. This raises the question: Can you test World of Warcraft or even play it for free?

Both are possible. We answer the most important questions about playing World of Warcraft for free.

The trailer for the WoW expansion “The War Within”:

Play WoW “free” with the Starter Account

Like almost all major MMORPGs, World of Warcraft also offers a trial version (“Free Trial”), which is sometimes also called a “Starter Account”. This version is basically free and you only have to create a Battle.net account, download the Battle.net client and then install World of Warcraft.

You can then create dozens of different characters, try out all the classes, complete quests and explore the game world.

However, a trial version has a number of restrictions:

These restrictions are quite drastic, but are intended to protect players from “spam bots” and the like that would interfere with the gaming experience with starter accounts.

The fact is, however, that a large part of the social components that make an MMORPG an MMORPG are only available to a very limited extent or not at all with a starter account.

Is the World of Warcraft trial worth it? World of Warcraft has a relatively conservative playtest that only covers a very small portion of the game. Up until level 20, many classes feel similar and you can barely get a feel for how the class will feel later in the game.

However, the test version is useful if you want to get a taste of the game’s graphics, the basic combat system or the various gameplay elements.

If this impression is not enough for you, it might be worth getting a one-month subscription to experience the “full” features of World of Warcraft in more detail. However, please note that it can take up to 24 hours after you have purchased the subscription for the trial account restrictions to be lifted. However, this is usually much quicker.

By the way: If you have a subscription and it expires, your account will be downgraded to the settings of a test account. You will then only be able to play characters under level 20 and the same restrictions (for chat, for example) apply as for other test accounts. After you take out a new subscription, you will have access to all characters again.

Play World of Warcraft for free with the WoW token

There is another way you can really play World of Warcraft “for free” and use all the features the game offers. Within World of Warcraft there is an option to earn playing time with in-game gold: the WoW Token.

At its core, the WoW token is basically a legal version of selling gold in the game.

It works like this: If you have little gold in the game and don’t want to buy it, you can buy a “WoW token” for 20 euros in the in-game shop. This is then sold to other players for gold in the game’s auction house.

Thrifty people can take advantage of this and use their in-game gold to buy a WoW token from the auction house.

You can then redeem the WoW token. Either for 30 days of play time on your WoW account (basically a monthly subscription) or 13 euros as credit for your Battle.net account. With this credit you can, for example, buy the latest WoW expansion or other games on Battle.net.

Or in other words: If you have a lot of gold in the game, you can avoid the subscription costs for World of Warcraft and play completely free of charge.

Is the WoW brand worth it? Earning the World of Warcraft subscription costs by farming in-game gold seems, in theory, to be a lucrative solution when things aren’t looking so good financially. However, you have to be aware that this option is only really an option if at least one of the following factors is met:

These factors are probably only available to a fraction of all players. For most people, it is not realistic to cover the subscription costs by playing. At the same time, you should have fun with the method you choose. Otherwise, €13 a month is probably a better investment.

“Free Weekend” – Free weekends with full access

A third option to play World of Warcraft for free is only available at certain times. Every now and then, World of Warcraft launches a “Free Weekend” promotion. The entire game is made available for a period of 3-4 days and all accounts can temporarily access all features.

However, these weekends are usually limited to 1 or 2 dates per year, which are often announced at very short notice.

These dates are particularly suitable if you have taken a long break from World of Warcraft and want to get a taste of the current content again. However, you must be well informed about the date and have the time. This is therefore not suitable for spontaneous “testing”. If you want to know more about getting started in World of Warcraft, we have our beginner’s guide to WoW here.