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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →For a first-time playthrough of Warcraft’s main strategy story, follow release order: Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, its expansion Beyond the Dark Portal, Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, and its expansion The Frozen Throne. Continue with World of Warcraft and its expansions if you want to follow the ongoing MMO era. This is a release-order guide, not a complete in-universe chronology.
Warcraft games in release order
The clearest path through the core strategy games is to play each release and its expansion before moving to the next main entry:
- Warcraft: Orcs & Humans — the first game in the series. Blizzard’s official timeline dates its release to November 1994. Blizzard’s Warcraft timeline.
- Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness — the second principal real-time strategy game.
- Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal — the expansion to Tides of Darkness; play it before moving on to Warcraft III.
- Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos — the next main strategy game.
- Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne — the expansion to Reign of Chaos.
- World of Warcraft — the series’ continuing massively multiplayer online role-playing game era. Play its expansions in their release order if you want to follow the evolving MMO storyline.
Blizzard’s anniversary announcement groups the remastered first two games and the three core strategy games together, and identifies Reign of Chaos and The Frozen Throne as the original Warcraft III games. Blizzard’s 30th-anniversary announcement.
Release order is not the same as story chronology
Release order tells you how audiences encountered the games and is the most straightforward way to follow the core series. It should not be labeled a definitive chronology of every event in Warcraft lore. Later games and expansions can revisit earlier events, and there is no complete, official in-universe order here for every game and expansion.
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Blizzard’s timeline identifies Warcraft: Orcs & Humans as the opening chapter, but that does not make the release-order list a comprehensive lore timeline. Blizzard’s official timeline.
Where World of Warcraft and its expansions fit
After the strategy games, move to World of Warcraft and then its expansions in release order. This is a useful way to experience the MMO’s evolving story, but the game is not one fixed version: Blizzard currently distinguishes retail play from several Classic modes, and available content changes over time. Check Blizzard’s World of Warcraft news and updates for current releases and mode details.
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The War Within and Midnight
The War Within is the first chapter of the Worldsoul Saga; Midnight is its second chapter and follows it. Blizzard: The War Within and Blizzard: Midnight.
Those two titles establish the order of the saga’s first chapters, not a complete ordered list of every World of Warcraft expansion. If you want the entire MMO expansion sequence, verify the current official game history and release information rather than treating the strategy-game list above as a full franchise chronology.
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- Azeroth Awaits! Join millions of players and enter a world of myth, magic, and endless adventure.
- With a single game time purchase you can access World of Warcraft and WoW Classic, including 20th Anniversary Edition, Cataclysm Classic, Season of Discovery, and Hardcore Realms.
- Embark on your epic adventure in Azeroth for 60 days with this pre-paid game timecard.
- Simply enter your code at battle.net/code then assign this game time to any new or existing World of Warcraft account to keep the adventures going. No game purchase required.
- Includes access to World of Warcraft and WOW Classic. The most recent modern WOW expansion is sold separately.
Do Hearthstone and Warcraft Rumble belong in the play order?
Not in the core strategy-to-MMO path. Hearthstone and Warcraft Rumble are additional games set in the broader Warcraft franchise, but they are not required steps in the main RTS-to-World of Warcraft playthrough. Blizzard lists them alongside the Warcraft and WoW games in its franchise coverage. Blizzard’s 30th-anniversary announcement.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which editions should you play?
Blizzard announced remastered versions of Warcraft I and Warcraft II, as well as a Battle Chest bringing together all three RTS games. Its earlier rerelease announcement describes enhanced versions of the first two games for modern operating systems and distinguishes those from the unchanged Battle.net-compatible versions, including differences in multiplayer support. The same announcement says Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and The Frozen Throne were available digitally with Warcraft III: Reforged through Battle.net. Blizzard’s anniversary release details and Blizzard’s GOG rerelease announcement.
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These are details from Blizzard’s announcements, not a guarantee of what is currently sold in every region or supported on every system. Before buying or installing, check the live store listing for the exact edition, platform, multiplayer features, and bundle contents.
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