World of Warcraft (WoW) is a 2004 massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) created and published by Blizzard Entertainment for Windows and macOS. The game is set in the Warcraft fantasy universe on the fictional planet Azeroth, about four years after the events of the earlier game, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. It was first announced in 2001 and released on November 23, 2004, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Warcraft series. Since its launch, World of Warcraft has received eleven major expansion packs: The Burning Crusade (2007), Wrath of the Lich King (2008), Cataclysm (2010), Mists of Pandaria (2012), Warlords of Draenor (2014), Legion (2016), Battle for Azeroth (2018), Shadowlands (2020), Dragonflight (2022), The War Within (2024), and Midnight (2026). An additional expansion, The Last Titan, was announced in 2023.

Inspired by other MMORPGs, such as EverQuest, World of Warcraft lets players create a character and explore an open world in third- or first-person view. Players can travel through the game world, fight monsters, complete tasks, and interact with other players or non-player characters (NPCs). The game encourages teamwork for quests, dungeons, and player versus player (PvP) battles, but it can also be played alone. Players improve their characters by earning experience points to increase their level, defeating enemies to get better equipment, and using in-game money to buy or sell items.

World of Warcraft became very popular when it was first released in 2004 and quickly became the most played MMORPG. It reached 12 million subscribers in 2010. By 2014, the game had over 100 million registered accounts, and by 2017, it had earned more than $9.23 billion in revenue, making it one of the most profitable video game series ever. Gaming experts have called it one of the greatest MMORPGs and video games of all time. The game has continued to receive updates and new content for over 20 years. In 2019, a version of the original game called World of Warcraft Classic was released, allowing players to experience the game as it was before any expansions were added. Later, some expansion content was also made available for the Classic version.

Gameplay

In World of Warcraft, players control a character within a game world, exploring, fighting monsters, completing tasks, and interacting with other players or non-player characters (NPCs). Like other MMORPGs, players must pay a subscription using a credit or debit card, prepaid game cards, or in-game tokens. Players without a subscription can use a trial account that allows characters to reach level 20 but limits some features.

To begin playing, players choose a server, called a "realm" in the game. Each realm is a separate version of the game world and falls into one of two categories:

• Normal – A realm where players focus on defeating monsters and completing quests. Player-versus-player (PvP) fights and roleplaying are optional.
• RP (Roleplay) – A realm where players act as their characters, with gameplay similar to a "Normal" realm but emphasizing roleplaying.

Before the "Battle for Azeroth" expansion, "Normal" and "RP" realms were split into PvE (player-versus-environment) and PvP (player-versus-player) categories. This system was later replaced by "War Mode," which lets players on any server choose whether to participate in PvP combat.

Realms are also grouped by language, with in-game support in the chosen language. Players can create new characters on any realm within their region or move existing characters between realms for a fee.

When creating a character, players choose between two factions: the Alliance or the Horde. Pandaren characters, added later, do not pick a faction until completing their starting zone. Characters from opposing factions can team up for most challenges, such as raids and dungeons. Since patch 10.1, characters can also join guilds from the opposite faction. Players select a race (e.g., orcs or trolls for the Horde, humans or dwarves for the Alliance) and a class (e.g., mages, warriors, or priests). Most classes are limited to specific races.

As characters grow, they gain new skills and abilities. Players can choose two main professions, such as crafting items (tailoring, blacksmithing) or gathering resources (mining, skinning), and learn three secondary skills: archaeology, cooking, and fishing. Characters can form or join guilds, which provide features like chat channels, guild banks, and repairs.

Much of the game involves completing quests given by NPCs. Quests reward experience points, items, and money, and help characters unlock new skills and areas. Quests often follow a chain, where each quest is triggered by completing the previous one. They may involve killing enemies, gathering resources, finding objects, or interacting with NPCs.

Players can play alone or team up for challenges. Many end-game tasks require groups, with characters taking specific roles. The game has a "rested bonus" system that gives extra experience points after time away from the game. If a character dies, it becomes a ghost near a graveyard and can be revived by others or by moving back to the death location. If a character is above level 10 and revives at a graveyard, their items may degrade and need repair.

World of Warcraft includes PvP options. Players on PvE servers can enable "War Mode" to fight opponents of the other faction. PvP can happen almost anywhere except starting zones, where players must activate the "PvP flag." Special areas, like battlegrounds, allow free-for-all combat. Battlegrounds have objectives, such as capturing flags or defeating enemies, and reward players with tokens and honor points used to buy gear.

World of Warcraft takes place in a 3D version of the Warcraft universe, featuring fantasy, steampunk, and science fiction elements like dragons, elves, steam-powered machines, and alien worlds. The game world originally included the continents of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms, with later expansions adding Outland, Draenor, Northrend, and Pandaria. As players explore, they uncover new areas and stories.

Plot

Thrall's Horde aimed to settle in Durotar. To grow stronger, they invited the Forsaken to join the orcs, tauren, and trolls. At the same time, dwarves, gnomes, and night elves pledged their support to the Alliance, led by the human kingdom of Stormwind. After King Varian Wrynn of Stormwind disappeared, Highlord Bolvar Fordragon became the Regent. However, his leadership was disrupted because the black dragon Onyxia controlled his mind, pretending to be a human noblewoman. As heroes uncovered Onyxia's actions, the ancient elemental lord Ragnaros returned and threatened both the Horde and the Alliance. Heroes from the Horde and Alliance defeated Onyxia and sent Ragnaros back to the Elemental Plane.

Inside Blackrock Mountain, the black dragon Nefarian performed dangerous experiments using the blood of other dragons. Wanting to take control of the area, he gathered the remaining Dark Horde, a group of orcs, trolls, and other races that had embraced dark, demonic power. These corrupted forces fought against Ragnaros and the Dark Iron dwarves for control of the mountain. Nefarian created twisted chromatic dragons and other strange creatures to build an army strong enough to rule Azeroth and continue the legacy of his father, Deathwing the Destroyer. Heroes from the Horde and Alliance defeated Nefarian.

Long ago, in the ruined temple of Atal'Hakkar, priests of the Blood God Hakkar the Soulflayer tried to summon the god's powerful spirit into the world. However, the Atal'ai priesthood learned that Hakkar could only be summoned in the ancient capital of the Gurubashi tribe, Zul'Gurub. Reborn in this jungle fortress, Hakkar took control of the Gurubashi tribe and the trolls' champions who worshiped animal gods. The Soulflayer's influence was stopped when the Zandalari tribe brought heroes to attack Zul'Gurub.

The great desert fortress of Ahn'Qiraj, hidden behind the Scarab Wall, was once home to the qiraji, a fierce insectoid race that attacked Kalimdor long ago. However, an even greater threat existed inside Ahn'Qiraj: the Old God C'Thun, an ancient evil that has plagued Azeroth for ages. C'Thun drove the qiraji into madness, forcing the Alliance and Horde to prepare for a major battle. A combined force of Alliance and Horde soldiers, called the Might of Kalimdor, led by the orc Varok Saurfang, opened the gates of Ahn'Qiraj. The heroes attacked the fortress and temples, defeating C'Thun.

In his rush to spread the plague of undeath across Azeroth, the Lich King gave his powerful servant, Kel'Thuzad, the flying citadel of Naxxramas as a base for the Scourge. Attacks by the Scarlet Crusade and Argent Dawn weakened Naxxramas's defenses, allowing heroes to invade and defeat Kel'Thuzad. However, a traitor in the Argent Dawn took Kel'Thuzad's cursed remains and fled to Northrend, where the lich could be brought back to life.

Development

After releasing StarCraft in 1998, Blizzard began working on its next game. At first, this project was called Nomad and was based on a tabletop game called Necromunda, which takes place in a world after a disaster. During the first year of development, Nomad lacked a clear direction. At the same time, many Blizzard employees were playing EverQuest, an online game released in 1999. Interest in Nomad decreased as Blizzard considered making its own online game based on the Warcraft series. In a vote, all but one leader of the Nomad project agreed to switch focus. By the end of 1999, work on Nomad stopped, and World of Warcraft began development.

World of Warcraft was first announced in September 2001 at a trade show called ECTS. The game was released in 2004 and took about 4 to 5 years to develop, including testing. The 3D graphics in World of Warcraft use a special graphics engine first used in Warcraft III. The game allows players to explore freely, with optional quests that help characters grow and move across different areas to avoid overcrowding. Players can customize their appearance, controls, and install extra features called add-ons.

World of Warcraft works on both Mac and Windows computers. A single disc is used to install the game, so players don’t need separate discs for each operating system. Players can join the game regardless of their computer type. While there is no official version for other platforms, the game can be played on Linux and FreeBSD using tools like Wine and CrossOver. Blizzard has not released a version for Linux, but a report in 2011 suggested an internal version might exist.

In the United States, Canada, and Europe, World of Warcraft is sold in stores as a boxed game. The package includes 30 days of free gameplay. To continue playing, players must buy more time using a credit card or prepaid card. The shortest time they can buy is 30 days with a credit card or 60 days with a prepaid card. Players can also buy 3 or 6 months of gameplay at a discount. In some countries, stores sell a trial version of the game on DVD, which includes 20 levels of gameplay. After that, players must buy a subscription to continue.

In Brazil, World of Warcraft was released on December 6, 2011, through BattleNet. The first three expansions are available in Brazilian Portuguese, with full translations and voice acting.

In South Korea, players do not need a physical copy or CD key to start the game. Instead, they must buy time credits online. Players can purchase time based on minutes or days. For minutes, options include 5 or 30 hours. For days, options include 7 days, 1 month, or 3 months. Since no physical copies are required, all players can access expansion content on the day it is released.

When World of Warcraft first launched in China, players could buy tokens to play at Internet cafes. The game was very popular because many Chinese players had already played it on servers in North America and Europe.

In China, the game has changes to make it more family-friendly. Skeletons are given flesh, and dead bodies are turned into neat graves. These changes were made by the regional licensee, The9, to promote a healthy online environment. Despite these changes, the Chinese government does not ban such content, and other games include similar elements. NetEase took over the license from The9 in 2009 and launched the Wrath of the Lich King expansion in 2010. However, servers were closed in 2023 due to a contract dispute. In 2024, NetEase announced that World of Warcraft would return to China, with a livestream in June 2024 outlining the release of the Wrath of the Lich King classic version and the The War Within expansion.

The World of Warcraft launcher, called the "Blizzard Launcher," helps players start the game and update it. It was first included in version 1.8.3. Players could skip the launcher in version 2.1.0. Features include news updates, access to support websites, test versions of the game, and updates to the game’s security system. In version 3.0.8, players could change game settings from the launcher. Starting with version 4.0.1, players could play the game while downloading non-essential files, which requires a fast internet connection.

Patch 1.9.3 added support for Macs with Intel processors, making the game work on newer Mac computers. This changed the minimum Mac OS X version to 10.3.9. Macs with older PowerPC processors no longer work since version 4.0.1.

As new content is added, system requirements may change. In version 1.12.0, the game required 512 MB of RAM instead of 256 MB. Support for Windows 98 ended, but the game continued to work until version 2.2.3. Before Mists of Pandaria in 2012, support for Windows 2000 was dropped. Windows XP and Vista support ended in 2017, and 32-bit support was removed.

Starting with version 4.3, players could try a 64-bit version of the game, which was later automatically installed by default.

Since World IPv6 Day, the game and most servers support IPv6, a newer type of internet connection.

Eleven expansions have been released: The Burning Crusade (January 2007), Wrath of the Lich King (November 2008), Cataclysm (December 2010), Mists of Pandaria (September 2012), Warlords of Draenor (November 2014), Legion (August 2016), Battle for Azeroth (August 2018), Shadowlands (November 2020), Dragonflight (November 2022), The War Within (June 2024), and World of Warcraft Classic: Wrath of the Lich King (Summer 2024).

Reception

World of Warcraft received very positive reviews when it was first released, after many people were excited about it before it came out. Even though the game uses ideas from the role-playing genre, it introduced new ways to make the game more fun. For example, when a player's character dies, they can recover quickly and continue playing, unlike in some older games where dying had serious consequences. Combat also had fewer pauses between battles because all character types could recover from damage and return to fighting soon. Reviewers said these changes made the game easier for players who only had time to play for short periods, while still offering deep gameplay for more experienced players. A feature called the "rested bonus" helped players gain experience faster, letting them catch up with friends who had played longer.

Quests were an important part of the game, often used to tell stories or guide players through the world. There were many quests in each area, and players liked the rewards for completing them. The variety of quests meant players didn't have to do the same tasks over and over to level up. However, some quests required players to collect items from dead creatures, which was unpopular because the chance of finding these items was low, making the tasks feel repetitive. In areas with many new players, there were not enough creatures to kill, or players had to wait their turn to complete a quest. Some critics said the game didn't have enough quests that required teamwork, making it seem like it was made for solo play. Others said some group quests were hard for new players and took a long time to finish. A few quests had problems when the game first launched, making them impossible to complete.

Characters in the game were well-designed, with each class being useful and interesting, and each race looking and feeling different. Players liked how they could choose skills and professions to develop their characters. While there were not many options for customizing a character's appearance, the details of the character models were praised.

The game world was highly praised for its visuals. Players could travel across large areas without seeing a loading screen, which showed the game was well-designed. The environment was described as beautiful, with each area looking unique but blending smoothly into the next. Critics said the world combined elements of cartoon art, fantasy, and realism. The game ran well on many computer systems, though some said the graphics were simple and that a lighting effect could make things look blurry. Players enjoyed being able to fly over large areas, which made the game feel immersive. The user interface was described as easy to use, with helpful tips for new players.

The game's audio was also praised, especially the background music. Different areas had music that matched their style, helping players feel more connected to the game world. The sounds and voices of characters and non-player characters (NPCs) added personality to the game.

World of Warcraft won many awards when it was first released, including Editor's Choice awards. It was also named the best game in its genre by several media outlets. The game's graphics and music were praised in these awards, with its cartoonish style and sound design being highlighted. It won the Best Mac OS X Entertainment Product award at the 2005 Apple Design Awards. Computer Games Magazine called it the best computer game of 2004 and gave it awards for art direction, music, and interface design.

World of Warcraft won several awards at the 2005 Spike TV Video Game Awards, including Best PC Game, Best Multiplayer Game, Best RPG, and Most Addictive Game. At the 8th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, it was named Massively Multiplayer/Persistent World Game of the Year and was nominated for other top awards. In 2008, it was honored at the 59th Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards for improving the MMORPG genre. GameSpot named it the best massively multiplayer game of 2004 and nominated it for graphics awards. In 2009, Game Informer ranked it 11th on its list of "The Top 200 Games of All Time." In 2015, it was listed third on USgamer's "The 15 Best Games Since 2000" and inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame.

World of Warcraft was the best-selling PC game in 2005 and 2006. In the United States, it sold 1.4 million copies ($68.1 million) by August 2006. It was the third best-selling computer game in the U.S. between 2000 and 2006. By January 2008, it had more than 10 million subscribers worldwide, with over 2 million in Europe, 2.5 million in North America, and 5.5 million in Asia. At its peak in 2010, the game had 12 million subscribers. As of November 2014, it had over 10 million active subscribers. In 2014, Blizzard announced that 100 million accounts had been created for the game. In 2015, it had 7.1 million active subscriptions, but by September, that number dropped to 5.5 million, the lowest since 2005.

In China, World of Warcraft was shut down in 2009, which could have affected Activision Blizzard's earnings. In 2008, the game had 62% of the MMORPG subscription market. It has earned $9.23 billion in revenue, making it one of the highest-grossing video games ever. In 2012, Blizzard started tournaments for World of Warcraft and StarCraft II called the Battle.net World Championship Series.

Security concerns

In September 2006, reports showed that fake websites pretending to offer advice about the game World of Warcraft actually contained harmful software. Computers that were not protected could become infected through web browsers, allowing a program to collect and send back user account details. Blizzard's support teams saw a large increase in requests during this time, as many users were affected. Some users reported that phone support was temporarily unavailable because of the high number of calls and long wait times.

In April 2007, attacks changed to use new methods involving animated cursors, with several websites involved. A security research group called Symantec reported that a stolen World of Warcraft account was worth about $10 on the black market, compared to $6 to $12 for a stolen computer (as of March 2007). In February 2008, fake emails were sent to users, asking them to confirm their account details using a false version of the World of Warcraft account management page. In June 2008, Blizzard introduced the Blizzard Authenticator, a tool that could be used as a physical device or a mobile app. This tool adds an extra layer of security by requiring users to enter a temporary password, which changes every few minutes, when logging in.

Blizzard uses a system called Warden in the Windows version of the game to detect unauthorized software, such as programs that automate gameplay. This system has caused some debate about its legality. Warden uses methods similar to antivirus software to check other programs and files on a user's computer. However, it sends some of this information back to Blizzard, which some people say is similar to spyware. For example, Warden records the titles of all open windows on a user's computer while the game is running. Many players supported Warden if it helped reduce cheating. Blizzard's use of Warden was included in the game's Terms of Agreement.

Warden was mentioned in March 2008 during a legal case against MDY Industries. The lawsuit was filed in Arizona federal court and included Michael Donnelly as a defendant. Donnelly created MMO Glider, a program that automatically performs tasks in the game. Blizzard claimed that MMO Glider violated its copyright and license agreement, arguing that it harmed the game experience for other players by unfair advantages, disrupting the game's social and economic systems. Donnelly said he sold 100,000 copies of the $25 software.

On July 6, 2010, Blizzard announced that user accounts on its game forums would display real names linked to those accounts. This change followed an agreement with Facebook, which allowed users to share their real names with friends. Adding this feature to the forums caused concern among fans of Blizzard's games.

In response, Blizzard released a new statement on July 9, 2010, saying that the Real ID feature would not be added to the official forums.

Community and study of player interaction

In addition to playing the game and discussing it on forums created by Blizzard, World of Warcraft players often join the virtual community in creative ways, such as creating fan artwork and writing stories in a comic style.

Blizzard faced criticism in January 2006 for banning guilds from advertising preferences related to sexual orientation. This happened after some players were warned for "harassment" after supporting a group that promoted a gay-straight alliance. Later, Blizzard changed its decision and stopped issuing warnings to players who supported LGBT-friendly guilds.

On October 7, 2010, World of Warcraft reached more than 12 million players. By May 2011, the number of players had dropped by 10%, from 11.4 million to 10.3 million. Blizzard’s CEO, Mike Morhaime, said the decline was likely due to fewer players in Eastern markets. In 2012, a senior producer named John Lagrave told Eurogamer that the drop in subscriptions might also be linked to the release of BioWare’s Star Wars: The Old Republic.

World of Warcraft has been studied by academics because of its popularity and long history. Early research focused on how players work together, especially in groups called guilds, and was led by experts in fields like game studies, anthropology, psychology, and communications. One well-known study is My Life as a Night Elf Priest by Bonnie Nardi. Over time, researchers from other areas, such as economics, design, and philosophy, also began studying the game.

Like other MMORPGs, companies have sold virtual gold and related services. This practice, called gold farming, involves earning in-game money for real money. In 2004, U.S. players faced competition from Chinese players who were paid to create in-game resources to sell online. At the time, the game had no translation tools for in-game chat, so players who spoke different languages rarely communicated. Media scholar Lisa Nakamura noted that some players believed certain in-game activities, like gold farming, were associated with Chinese players, leading to unfair treatment.

After Blizzard offered free trial accounts, players noticed more spam from bots advertising services. A study found that spam was especially common in European game areas, where gold was 14 times more expensive to buy than in the United States.

In response, Blizzard added tools to reduce spam, such as limiting private messages and allowing players to report spam. Trial accounts could not use public chat, trade items, or access the Auction House or mail system.

In May 2007, Blizzard sued a company called in Game Dollar LLC for advertising services in the game. In February 2008, the company agreed to stop using the game’s chat to promote its services. In June 2007, a player named Antonio Hernandez filed a lawsuit against IGE for interfering with the game’s intended use.

As players advance in World of Warcraft and complete difficult challenges, some rewards are tied to their characters and cannot be traded. This led to a market for selling accounts with powerful characters. The highest recorded sale was £5,000 in September 2007 for a character with rare items. However, Blizzard banned the account five days after the sale.

Buying or selling gold in the game has caused controversy. In 2008, Blizzard reported that many gold sales came from hacked accounts. Some players found their accounts stolen after paying for leveling services, with their items taken and sold for virtual gold. In April 2015, Blizzard introduced a way for players to sell in-game gold for real money by purchasing a $20 token that could be traded for gold.

In December 2015, Blizzard sold a battle pet named Brightpaw for $10, with all money going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This raised over $1.7 million. In December 2016, another battle pet, Mischief, was sold for $10, raising $2.5 million for the same cause. In September 2017, a pet named Shadow the fox was sold for $10, with proceeds going to the Red Cross for disaster relief.

The Corrupted Blood plague was one of the first events to affect all servers. When the Zul’Gurub dungeon opened in Patch 1.7, players faced a boss that gave them a debuff called "Corrupted Blood," which slowly damaged their health. The disease spread to other players simply by being near infected players. It escaped the dungeon through pets or minions and quickly spread to major cities, killing low-level players. Blizzard fixed the issue by limiting the plague to the dungeon.

The Corrupted Blood event closely mirrored real-world disease outbreaks. Scientists now study how games like World of Warcraft can model human behavior during epidemics. Players’ reactions to the plague helped researchers understand how diseases spread in populations.

Legacy

World of Warcraft changed the way MMORPG games were played. Some of its ideas were not new, but together they created a new model for the genre, focusing more on a theme park style than a simulation. The game’s world had a mix of serious stories and well-developed characters, but its main goal was to entertain. Players earned experience points by completing quests, which made gameplay feel like a list of tasks and encouraged moving around the game world instead of staying in one place. The use of instanced dungeons allowed groups to play together without others interrupting them, creating different areas for group challenges, large-scale challenges, and leveling up. The game’s original talent system, which let players choose upgrades for their characters, was later used in other games, such as Star Wars: The Old Republic. World of Warcraft also set rules for "raid" activities, where players had to follow specific strategies. These strategies led to new gameplay features being added later.

Although not the first MMORPG to keep players busy for hundreds of hours, World of Warcraft was the most successful one during its time. In 2019, Vice reported that many people knew someone who said they were "addicted" to the game. For some players, the game became a major distraction, taking priority over basic needs and relationships. The game’s many quests gave some players a sense of purpose or a way to cope with feelings of emptiness, even though spending so much time on the game did not improve their real-life happiness. The game inspired a group called Wowaholics Anonymous, which helps players quit playing. It also helped some players find in-person relationships.

In 2008, the first restaurant themed around World of Warcraft opened in Beijing. In 2011, an amusement park called World Joyland Play Valley, inspired by the game, opened in China.

Before working for Breitbart News and joining the Trump campaign and administration, Steve Bannon found an audience among World of Warcraft players. He was involved with a company that employed "gold farmers" who sold in-game currency for real money, which introduced him to a group of players he described as "rootless, white males" with "monster power" before the rise of Reddit. He later used this experience to build Breitbart into a far-right news and entertainment website by hiring Milo Yiannopoulos to reach disaffected gamers.

Vitalik Buterin, who later co-founded the cryptocurrency Ethereum, was inspired to explore decentralized technologies after a 2010 update in World of Warcraft changed his character’s preferred spell. Requests from players also led Microsoft to change how hotkeys work in their Windows operating system.

To celebrate the game’s 20th anniversary in 2024, Blizzard partnered with the University of Washington, temporarily renaming the university’s college football team "University of Warcraft."

World of Warcraft has inspired artists to create satirical works and acknowledge its influence in popular culture. For example, the Emmy Award-winning South Park episode "Make Love, Not Warcraft" mocked the game. The game has also been used to advertise unrelated products, such as Toyota trucks.

In late 2007, television commercials for the game began airing with pop culture celebrities like Mr. T, William Shatner, and Verne Troyer discussing the strengths of their in-game character classes. Similar commercials featuring Guillermo Toledo in Spain, Jean-Claude Van Damme in France, Ozzy Osbourne, and Steve Van Zandt were also shown. A later commercial in 2011 featured Chuck Norris and played on the "Chuck Norris facts" internet trend.

World of Warcraft has inspired three board games: World of Warcraft: The Board Game (with expansions), World of Warcraft: The Adventure Game, and a version of Trivial Pursuit. There is also a trading card game and a collectible miniatures game, now produced by Cryptozoic Entertainment. In 2012, Megabloks released a line of building block toys based on the game. In 2014, Hearthstone, a free-to-play digital card game based on the Warcraft universe, was released.

In November 2007, DC Comics published the first issue of a World of Warcraft comic under their WildStorm imprint.

In 2015, Blizzard released Heroes of the Storm, a crossover multiplayer game where players can control over 35 heroes from the Warcraft universe, such as Arthas, Gul’dan, and Sylvanas. The game includes a battleground named Alterac Pass and has introduced Warcraft-themed skins during events like "Echoes of Alterac" in 2018. Soundtracks from World of Warcraft, such as "Obsidian Sanctum" and "Stormwind theme," are used as background music in the game.

To celebrate Hearthstone’s release, Blizzard gave players a special mount called Hearthsteed, which can be earned by winning three games in Arena or Play mode. This promotion encouraged World of Warcraft players to try Hearthstone and marked the first major crossover between Blizzard games.

Players who buy the Warlords of Draenor Collector’s or Digital Deluxe Edition receive an Orc-themed card back in Hearthstone. Heroes of the Storm players who reach level 20 get the Grave Golem battle pet in World of Warcraft, and players who reach level 100 in World of Warcraft get the Ironside Dire Wolf mount in Heroes of the Storm. Starting March 11, 2016, players who level a character to 20 in World of Warcraft (using the free starter edition) earn the alternate Paladin hero Lady Liadrin in Hearthstone.

Players who buy Overwatch Origins, Game of the Year, or Collector’s Edition receive the Baby Winston battle pet in World of Warcraft.