Midnight Revealed: World of Warcraft Returns to Quel’Thalas as Void Armies Besiege the Sunwell — Coming 2026

Blizzard has officially revealed World of Warcraft’s 11th expansion, Midnight, during Gamescom Opening Night Live with a new cinematic trailer. The preview shows a return to Quel’Thalas, the Sunwell under threat, and a Void invasion that pushes into Silvermoon. In addition, Blizzard confirmed more Gamescom coverage and set a 2026 release window.

- What the cinematic shows and where the story goes.

How Midnight connects to past WoW content and the Wordsoul Saga.
Gamescom plans, developer panels, and the announced player housing demo.
Official release timing.

Cinematic and setting

The cinematic trailer focuses on a Void assault on Quel’Thalas and the Sunwell, a powerful source of magic. Quel’Thalas first appeared in The Burning Crusade expansion as a Horde-only starting area and capital city, and it was the site of the Sunwell raid. Now, according to the trailer, Xal’atath’s ravenous void armies descend upon Silvermoon as part of the invasion.

Story and saga context

Midnight is billed as the second installment of the Wordsoul Saga, a trilogy of expansions. The saga is led by returning Blizzard veteran Chris Metzen, who is credited as the originator of the Warcraft universe. The first part of the trilogy, The War Within, launched in August 2024.

Gamescom coverage and new features

Blizzard will be diving deep on Midnight at Gamescom over the next few days. Developer panels are scheduled to cover locations, lore, and new gameplay systems. In addition, there will be a hands-on demo of the previously announced player housing feature. The panels will be available to watch online after they’ve taken place, and there will be a cosplay contest during the event.