If you're thinking about dipping your toes into Azeroth for the first time, or coming back after a years-long break, one of the first questions you're probably asking is how much money is World of Warcraft to play on a regular basis. I've been playing WoW on and off since Wrath of the Lich King, and I still remember buying the expansion box at my local GameStop for $60 on top of my monthly subscription, so I know how confusing the pricing model can feel for new players. A lot of new players get tripped up by the mix of mandatory and optional costs, so I put together this full breakdown to help you plan your budget before you make your first character.
How Much Money Is World of Warcraft for Mandatory Play Costs?
The good news is that WoW's mandatory costs are far lower now than they were 10 years ago, and you can even try the game for free with no commitment. The Starter Edition lets you play up to level 20 with no time limit, so you can test out different classes and get a feel for the gameplay before you spend any money. If you decide you want to progress past level 20 or access older expansion content, the only mandatory cost is a monthly subscription.
Subscription pricing varies depending on how long of a plan you buy. Month-to-month subscriptions cost $14.99 per month, 6-month plans cost $13.99 per month (billed $83.94 every 6 months), and 12-month plans cost $12.99 per month (billed $155.88 annually). You do not need to purchase old expansions separately anymore – all content from Vanilla WoW up to the expansion before the current latest release is included with your active subscription.
The only other mandatory cost if you want to play current endgame content is the latest expansion, which releases roughly every two years. Standard editions of new expansions cost $49.99, and give you full access to all new zones, raids, dungeons, and the raised level cap. You don't have to buy the expansion the day it comes out if you're not in a rush to play endgame, either – prices often drop 20-30% a few months after launch.
Optional Costs That Can Add Up Over Time
If you're wondering how much money is World of Warcraft when you add in optional purchases, it can vary wildly from player to player. None of these costs are required to access core gameplay, so you can pick and choose what's worth it for you. None of the optional shop purchases give you a gameplay advantage – they are all purely cosmetic or convenience-focused, so you won't fall behind other players if you skip them entirely.
The most common optional purchases fall into the following categories:
- Individual cosmetic mounts, pets, and transmog sets: $9.99 to $24.99 each
- Character services (transfer, faction change, race change, name change): $10 to $25 per service
- Deluxe expansion editions with bonus cosmetics and in-game items: $69.99 to $89.99
- 6-month subscription bonus bundles with exclusive mounts and pets: included at no extra cost with 180-day subscription plans
One of the best features of WoW's payment model is the WoW Token, which lets you trade between real money and in-game gold. You can buy a token for $20 from the official shop and sell it on the in-game auction house for gold, or buy a token from other players with gold and redeem it for 30 days of free subscription time. You can even earn free game time by farming gold and buying WoW Tokens from the in-game auction house, if you don't mind putting in the playtime to earn gold.
Average Annual Cost for Different Types of WoW Players
To make it easier to budget, let's break down average annual costs for the most common player types. These numbers are based on real spending data from WoW player surveys and official Blizzard pricing, so they're a good baseline to work from.
Casual free-to-play players spend $0 per year, sticking only to the Starter Edition to play low-level content with friends. Casual paid players who only buy the standard expansion every two years and a 12-month subscription spend roughly $180 per year, which works out to $15 per month. That's cheaper than most streaming service subscriptions, and you can easily get 40+ hours of playtime per month out of it if you play regularly.
Mid-tier players who buy a few cosmetics a year and opt for deluxe expansions every two years spend between $250 and $350 per year. Hardcore players who buy lots of cosmetics, use character services regularly, and attend in-person events can spend $500+ per year, but that's very much a choice, not a requirement. The majority of regular WoW players spend less than $200 a year on the game, which is far cheaper than most other live service games that pressure you to buy battle passes and loot boxes every month.
I have a friend who's been playing for 8 years and hasn't paid for a subscription in 5, he just farms old raid transmogs and sells them on the auction house for enough gold to buy a token every month. His only cost is $25 per year on average for the latest expansion, which is an incredible deal for the amount of time he spends playing.
Tips to Cut Down Your WoW Costs Without Sacrificing Fun
If you want to play WoW on a tight budget, there are tons of easy ways to cut costs without missing out on any core content. The first and easiest tip is to buy longer subscription blocks if you know you're going to play regularly – the 12-month plan is 20% cheaper than paying month-to-month, which saves you almost $30 a year right off the bat.
Skip the deluxe expansion editions unless you really love the bonus cosmetics that come with them. The standard edition gives you 100% of the same gameplay content, so you're not missing anything important by paying $20 less for the base version. If you do want the deluxe cosmetics, wait a few months after launch – Blizzard often puts deluxe edition upgrades on sale for 50% off a few months after the expansion releases.
Take advantage of WoW Tokens if you have extra playtime to spare. Even if you only have a couple of extra hours a week, you can farm daily quests, run old raids for sellable transmog, or flip low-cost items on the auction house to earn enough gold for a token every month. It takes a little bit of practice to learn the best gold farming methods, but there are tons of free guides in the game community to help you get started.
Wait for holiday sales if you want to buy cosmetics from the in-game shop. Blizzard runs 30-50% off sales on shop items multiple times a year, usually around Christmas, summer, and big expansion launch events. You never have to spend extra money to keep up with other players or access all core gameplay content, so you can tailor your spending entirely to your own budget and preferences.
At the end of the day, how much money is World of Warcraft is entirely up to how you want to play. You can stick to the free Starter Edition forever if you just want to mess around with low-level characters, or spend hundreds of dollars a year on cosmetics if that's what you enjoy. I've played both ways over the years – I went three years straight only paying for the annual subscription and standard expansions, and then spent a little extra on a couple of mounts during holiday sales when they were half off. There's no right or wrong way to spend money on the game, as long as you're sticking to your budget and having fun. If you're still on the fence, try the free Starter Edition first to see if you like the game before you commit to any paid costs.
