After much waiting,World of Warcraftplayers have finally been given the release date for the upcomingWorld of Warcraft: Cataclysm Classicand the release schedule for all the major updates that will follow.
If you plan to travel back to experience the reshaping of Azeroth that first released back in December 2010, this guide has all the details you’ll need to know whenCataclysm Classicwill be released.
Updated Jun 08, 2025 by Erik Petrovich: As WoW Classic leaves Wrath of the Lich King behind and transitions to a newly overhauled Azeroth, players are eagerly anticipating the moment when the servers will switch over and signal the official start to Cataclysm Classic. Thanks to official Blizzard announcements, players know exactly what time Cata Classic launches. Be sure to get everything else done for the day before jumping in at the Cataclysm Classic release time, which might be earlier – or significantly later – than you expect, depending on your time zone.
WoW Cataclysm Classic Release Time
World of WarcraftClassicfans have been eagerly anticipating the launch ofCata Classic– the pre-patch has been live for just less than a month now, bridging the gap betweenWrath of the Lich King ClassicandCataclysm Classic, but players areready for the full expansion.
On June 04, 2025, theCata Classiclaunch time is set for 3 p.m. PDT/6 p.m. EDT in the United States, and atmidnight CEST on May 21(to prevent confusion, this is the night between May 20 and 21) inEurope.
TheCata Classicrelease time comes by way ofan official Blizzard announcementfrom back in the beginning of April, and there has not been a change to theCataclysm Classiclaunch time since.
As of the release ofCata Classicwe don’t know the exact time that future updates will be released, such as the Hour of Twilight patch that is set to conclude the expansion. But for now, players should know that theCata Classicrelease time is in the afternoon in the U.S. and at midnight in Europe as a concurrent global release.
World of Warcraft Cataclysm Classic: Pre-Patch and Full Release Features
TheCataclysmpre-patch went live on April 30.This patch will see the shattering of Azeroth and the reshaping of the world, with multiple zones and landscapes changing forever. It will also see the addition of the Goblin and Worgen races, the introduction of transmog collections, new race and class combinations, leveling updates from 1 to 60, updated systems, and changes to the core game.
Following that,the full release ofCataclysm Classicwill arrive on May 20, and with that comes all the major new content, including:
With this release, several quests, items, and achievements willno longer be in the gameor will change due to the reshaped world.
This includes several mounts and both the Loremaster of Eastern Kingdoms and Loremaster of Kalimdor achievements. More details, including the affected mounts and rewards, can be found inthe Blizzard blog post.
What Comes After the Launch of Cataclysm Classic
World of Warcraft Cataclysm Classicwill have a faster release cadence than when it was first released in 2010 and will see its content updates released more quickly. Following the launch, there will be at leastthree major updates toCataclysm Classic, which will see new raids, content, and changes come to the game. These major updates will include;
Beyond that, players will have to wait and see what comes next forClassic. There will likely be balance patches and “some changes” compared to the initial launch, in addition to these major patch updates. Naturally, many will likely assume that theMists of Pandariaexpansionis next up on the list to get the Classic treatment, but nothing has been announced or confirmed yet.
