WoW: Forever looks like Classic, but it doesn't run like it. Blizzard rebuilt the lighting, the shadows, the fog and the water, and the old "runs on a toaster" promise is gone: some graphics cards that run today's World of Warcraft won't start Forever at all.
Here's what you need, which cards are cut off, and what beta players have seen.
WoW: Forever system requirements
The beta lists these specs, as summarised by PC Games Hardware on October 20. Both tiers need Windows 10 64-bit or macOS 12.
- Processor: minimum a 4-core CPU at 3.0 GHz or more; recommended 8 performance cores with a 5.2 GHz boost (Core Ultra 200S or Ryzen 9000 class).
- Graphics card: minimum a GeForce GTX 10 series or Radeon RX 5000 series with 4 GB; recommended a GeForce RTX 40, Radeon RX 7000 or Intel Arc B-Series with 8 GB.
- Memory: 8 GB minimum, 16 GB recommended.
- Storage: an SSD with 128 GB free, for both tiers.
Which graphics cards are no longer supported
Blizzard explained the cut-off in its GPU requirements post. The new look relies on a compute-shader feature that only arrived in GPUs around 2012, so your card must be from one of these generations or newer:
- NVIDIA: Maxwell (2014) - the GTX 750 and 750 Ti and the GTX 900 series.
- AMD: Graphics Core Next 1 (2012) - for example the Radeon HD 7850.
- Intel: Skylake (2015) - for example HD Graphics 530.
Cards that are out include the GeForce GTX 760, 770 and 780, the GTX 800M laptop chips, the Radeon HD 6950 and Intel HD Graphics 6000. Blizzard's summary:
In general, this requirement means that your graphics card needs to be from a newer generation.— Blizzard, World of Warcraft: Forever GPU Requirements
Passing that check only means the game will start. Blizzard adds that "these GPUs are still well below the minimum requirements for the game" - a GTX 970 boots, but the minimum is a GTX 10 series card. It also says "the vast majority of World of Warcraft players are already using compatible hardware."
How to check your graphics card
On Windows, open Settings, then System, Display and Advanced display - the card's name is listed there. You can also open Device Manager and expand Display adapters. Compare the name with the lists above.
Why Forever needs more: the new lighting
According to PC Games Hardware, Forever replaces most of the original fixed lighting with a global illumination system built on Blizzard's own raytracer. That changes sunlight and shadows - mountains and buildings now cast them - and adds volumetric fog with light shafts, a longer draw distance and new water shaders, with a classic and a modern water option.
This isn't the DXR raytracing of new games: Blizzard's version runs on cards without raytracing hardware, down to the GTX 10 series. Raytraced shadows were switched off in the beta on October 1, and no DLSS, FSR 4 or XeSS support has been announced.
How it runs in the beta
Beta players have found it heavy. PC Games Hardware reports that "Secondary Lighting" and ambient occlusion (SSAO) cost the most, and one tester with a GTX 1080 measured 40 to 45% lower frame rates than in today's WoW, with the graphics card at 98 to 100% load.