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World of Warcraft launched in 2004, followed by 11 major retail expansions: The Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm, Mists of Pandaria, Warlords of Draenor, Legion, Battle for Azeroth, Shadowlands, Dragonflight, The War Within, and Midnight. The list below puts the base game and every released expansion in original release order, with launch dates, settings, major features, and story themes.
World of Warcraft expansions in release order
| Order | Game or expansion | Original release date | Main setting or theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base game | World of Warcraft | November 23, 2004 | Azeroth and the original MMORPG |
| 1 | The Burning Crusade | January 16, 2007 | Outland and the Burning Legion |
| 2 | Wrath of the Lich King | November 13, 2008 | Northrend and the Lich King |
| 3 | Cataclysm | December 7, 2010 | Deathwing and a reshaped Azeroth |
| 4 | Mists of Pandaria | September 25, 2012 | Pandaria, the pandaren, and the Sha |
| 5 | Warlords of Draenor | November 13, 2014 | Alternate Draenor and garrisons |
| 6 | Legion | August 30, 2016 | The Broken Isles and the Burning Legion |
| 7 | Battle for Azeroth | August 14, 2018 | The Alliance-Horde conflict, Kul Tiras, and Zandalar |
| 8 | Shadowlands | November 23, 2020 | The afterlife realms and Covenants |
| 9 | Dragonflight | November 28, 2022 | The Dragon Isles and dragonriding |
| 10 | The War Within | August 26, 2024 | Khaz Algar and the Worldsoul Saga |
| 11 | Midnight | March 2, 2026 | Quel’thalas, the Void, and player housing |
Note: World of Warcraft (2004) is the base game, not an expansion. This chronology covers major retail expansions only; it does not count patches, seasonal releases, Classic relaunches, anniversary versions, or other content updates as separate expansions.
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1. The Burning Crusade — January 16, 2007
The Burning Crusade was World of Warcraft’s first expansion. It sent players through the Dark Portal to Outland, the broken world that had once been Draenor, and increased the level cap from 60 to 70.
The expansion added the draenei and blood elf playable races and expanded the Warcraft story into a major conflict with the Burning Legion. It also introduced systems that became important parts of WoW’s long-term design, including flying mounts and Arenas.
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2. Wrath of the Lich King — November 13, 2008
Wrath of the Lich King moved the central story to Northrend, where players confronted Arthas, the Lich King. The expansion raised the level cap to 80 and added the death knight, WoW’s first hero class.
Its identity came from the combination of a highly focused villain, a frozen continent with distinct zones, and a storyline that brought one of Warcraft’s most important characters to the center of the game. The expansion’s release date was November 13, 2008.
3. Cataclysm — December 7, 2010
Cataclysm changed Azeroth itself. Deathwing’s return devastated and reshaped large parts of the original Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor, replacing much of the original leveling experience with redesigned zones and quests.
The level cap rose from 80 to 85. The expansion added the goblin and worgen races and made the destruction caused by Deathwing the defining backdrop for both its story and world design. Blizzard’s launch materials gave December 7, 2010 as the release date.
4. Mists of Pandaria — September 25, 2012
Mists of Pandaria introduced the continent of Pandaria, the pandaren race, and the monk class. The expansion explored Pandaria’s ancient history while using the continent as the setting for an increasingly intense Alliance-Horde conflict.
A major theme was the Sha, manifestations of negative emotions and corruption. Although its setting initially appeared separate from the central Warcraft conflict, the expansion ultimately connected Pandaria’s history to the escalating political and military struggle between the two factions. It launched on September 25, 2012.
5. Warlords of Draenor — November 13, 2014
Warlords of Draenor took players to an alternate version of Draenor, the world that later became Outland. Its story featured alternate-timeline versions of prominent orc leaders and raised the level cap to 100.
The expansion’s signature feature was the garrison: a personal base that players developed and used to manage followers and missions. Draenor’s alternate-history premise made the expansion distinct from a straightforward return to Outland, even though the two worlds are closely related in Warcraft’s setting. It released on November 13, 2014.
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6. Legion — August 30, 2016
Legion centered on the Burning Legion’s invasion of Azeroth and took players to the Broken Isles. The level cap increased to 110, and the expansion added the demon hunter class.
Its major systems included artifact weapons and class order halls, which gave each class a dedicated narrative and progression space. Legion also placed strong emphasis on exploring the Broken Isles and confronting the Legion across a campaign that connected several of Azeroth’s major heroes and factions. The original release date was August 30, 2016.
7. Battle for Azeroth — August 14, 2018
Battle for Azeroth returned the central conflict to the rivalry between the Alliance and Horde. Its principal settings were the Alliance region of Kul Tiras and the Horde region of Zandalar.
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8. Shadowlands — November 23, 2020
Shadowlands took players beyond the world of the living and into the afterlife realms of the Shadowlands. It introduced Covenants, which connected players to major afterlife factions, and Torghast, a repeatable tower-based system.
Rather than simply raising the previous level cap, Shadowlands used a level squish: the cap became 60, down from Battle for Azeroth’s 120. The expansion’s final launch date was November 23, 2020, after it was delayed from its originally announced October release window.
9. Dragonflight — November 28, 2022
Dragonflight introduced the Dragon Isles, the ancestral homeland of Azeroth’s dragons. It also added the dracthyr Evoker, a race-and-class combination, and raised the level cap to 70.
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10. The War Within — August 26, 2024
The War Within began the three-expansion Worldsoul Saga. It moved the story beneath Azeroth’s surface to Khaz Algar and introduced the Earthen allied race.
Its notable features included Delves, Hero Talents, Warbands, and Dynamic Flying. The worldwide launch took place on August 26, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. PDT. Because later retail expansions build on the Worldsoul Saga, The War Within is both the tenth expansion in release order and the saga’s opening chapter.
11. Midnight — March 2, 2026
Midnight is the eleventh major retail expansion and the second chapter of the Worldsoul Saga. Its story follows Xal’atath’s invasion of Quel’thalas and the threat of the Voidstorm.
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The expansion revisits and reimagines areas including Eversong Woods and Zul’Aman, while also adding Harandar and the Voidstorm. Its major additions include player housing, the Haranir allied race, and the Devourer demon hunter specialization.
Blizzard’s official launch announcement states that Midnight launched worldwide on March 2, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. PST. That makes it the current expansion in this chronology as of the research date.
What comes before the expansions?
The original World of Warcraft launched on November 23, 2004. It introduced the persistent online version of Azeroth, the Alliance-Horde faction structure, the original playable races and classes, and the level-60 game that The Burning Crusade later expanded.
It is useful to list the base game separately because “every WoW expansion” technically begins with The Burning Crusade. The 2004 release is the starting point of the timeline, not an expansion numbered zero.
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The list above is the correct order for understanding how World of Warcraft developed over time. It is not necessarily a complete modern leveling route. Blizzard has repeatedly changed the leveling experience, compressed levels, redesigned older zones, and added systems that let players access previous eras differently from the way they were originally played.
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For historical context, use the release order. For experiencing the story on a current retail character, the available in-game leveling and campaign choices may not reproduce every expansion’s original progression path. Classic releases also preserve or revisit earlier versions of the game, but they are separate products or progression versions rather than additional retail expansions.
Which WoW expansion came first?
The Burning Crusade was the first World of Warcraft expansion. It released on January 16, 2007, more than two years after the original World of Warcraft launched in November 2004.
Are Classic versions new expansions?
No. WoW Classic relaunches, seasonal versions, anniversary editions, and progression releases revisit or repackage existing World of Warcraft content. They should not be counted as new major retail expansions in the chronological list.
What about The Last Titan?
The Last Titan is an announced future chapter of the Worldsoul Saga, not a released expansion in this list. It should be added only after its release and an authoritative launch date are confirmed.
Why do some websites show a different release date?
Regional launch times and time-zone conversions can make an expansion appear to have released one day earlier or later. The dates here use the commonly cited original English-language retail dates, with Blizzard’s official launch announcements preferred where available. For Battle for Azeroth and later expansions, a synchronized worldwide launch means a local calendar date may differ even though players are referring to the same global release.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many World of Warcraft expansions are there?
There are 11 major released retail expansions as of Midnight: The Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm, Mists of Pandaria, Warlords of Draenor, Legion, Battle for Azeroth, Shadowlands, Dragonflight, The War Within, and Midnight.
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Is World of Warcraft included in the expansion count?
No. World of Warcraft launched in 2004 as the base game. The Burning Crusade, released in 2007, was the first expansion.
What is the newest WoW expansion?
Midnight is the newest expansion in this chronology. It launched worldwide on March 2, 2026, and is the second chapter of the Worldsoul Saga.
Should I play WoW expansions in release order?
Release order is best for understanding the game’s historical development and story progression. However, the modern retail leveling system has been redesigned over time, so current in-game access may not reproduce each expansion’s original leveling experience.
The Bottom Line
World of Warcraft’s expansion timeline begins with The Burning Crusade in 2007 and currently ends with Midnight in 2026. The original 2004 World of Warcraft is the separate base game, while Classic versions, patches, and future announcements such as The Last Titan do not add to the released retail expansion count.
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