World of Warcraft’s China Anniversary Will Hand Out an RTX 5080 and Millions in Prizes
NetEase's celebration begins August 6 with new Varian-themed annual passes, free mounts, bonus XP, server updates, and a Shanghai event in October.
World of Warcraft’s Chinese servers will celebrate their 21st anniversary with a packed event program beginning August 6. NetEase will offer new annual passes, free mounts, a 50% retail XP bonus, cash prizes worth ¥6 million, and a chance to win an ASUS RTX 5080 graphics card.
The Chinese version of World of Warcraft originally launched in 2005. The anniversary program will cover retail, Titan Reforged, and Mists of Pandaria Classic, with several activities running into September and a large offline celebration planned for Shanghai in October.
New ¥888 annual passes arrive August 6
The new Deluxe Collector’s Annual Pass will cost ¥888 and will be available in two versions. The Midnight edition will focus on retail players, while the Classic edition will provide rewards for Titan Reforged and Mists of Pandaria Classic.
The Midnight bundle includes a Varian-themed transmog set, the Varian’s Azure Dragon Throne toy, a level 80 character boost, four mounts, 500 Trader’s Tender per month, and 365 days of game time. The included mounts are Sunblaze Moth, Star Ox, Blazing Courser, and Bonbon-Kun.
The Classic bundle includes two Varian-themed toys, a level 80 Titan Reforged character boost, the Sha-Scarred Drake mount, two pets, and 365 days of game time. Players will be able to choose either version through the Battle.net Shop when the bundles go on sale.
Players who purchased the ¥720 365-day special offer after July 15 can pay an additional ¥168 to upgrade to either deluxe version. Those who bought both the 2025 and 2026 deluxe bundles can also claim compensation for certain duplicate mounts and pets between August 6 and October 31, 2026. The full rules are available in the official annual pass announcement.
Red envelopes will include cash and an RTX 5080
The Anniversary Fortune Card event will run from August 6 through September 11. Promotional material shows a total cash pool of ¥6 million, red envelopes worth ¥188, an ASUS RTX 5080 graphics card, and a Celebration Supplies bundle.
The event description says players can flip fortune cards and claim red packets. The available details indicate that players will receive prizes from the cash pool, while the RTX 5080 will be the top prize. The exact distribution rules were not provided in the announcement.
Free mounts and a retail XP bonus
The main anniversary hub will open on August 6. Players who log in during the event can claim rewards connected to several mounts, including the Felspire Hawk, Scion of Jijuan, Heavenly Onyx Cloud Serpent, and Voidfeather Dragonhawk.
Retail players will also receive the Winds of Wisdom 50% experience bonus. The buff is scheduled to run from August 6 at 07:00 through September 5 at 07:00.
Another activity will offer the Thundering Ridgeback Elekk after players take part in an Azeroth quiz and share it. The quiz is scheduled to open August 6, although the announcement did not provide the full reward process.
More mounts and collection rewards are planned
Players who follow the official WeCom account can receive a Sha Loot Box. The box has a 1.25% chance of containing one of four mounts or pets: the Sha-Warped Owl, Sha-Warped Riding Wolf, Sha-Warped Hippogryph Hatchling, or X-53 Touring Rocket.
The Azeroth Adventure Guide and Quicksand Treasure Vault will receive an update on August 13. The promotional material names the Dark Phoenix and Golden Cloud Serpent among the rewards, along with several Midnight Season 2 and Dragonflight-era collection items.
Chinese servers were unavailable from January 2023 until August 2024 during the contractual dispute between NetEase and Blizzard. The new vault appears designed to give players access to rewards from content that was unavailable during that period, though the announcement did not explain how each item will be obtained.
Chinese server updates will arrive across three versions
Several content updates are scheduled alongside the anniversary festivities:
- Titan Reforged Phase 5: Sunwell Plateau and Zul’Aman will open August 6, with the legendary bow also arriving.
- Mists of Pandaria Classic: The final chapter begins August 6 with the Siege of Orgrimmar.
- Midnight Patch 12.1: The Curse of Ula’tek will launch August 13, followed by the new season on August 20.
The Midnight timing lines up with Blizzard’s previously announced plans for the Curse of Ula’tek update, which will introduce new content before Season 2 begins.
Summer discounts and an October celebration in Shanghai
The China-only summer sale will run from August 14 through August 21. Retail mounts will receive discounts of up to 50%, Midnight bundles will be 40% off, and Classic mounts and pets will be 30% off.
NetEase will also hold the World of Warcraft X Party from October 16 through October 18 in Shanghai. The offline carnival will celebrate the Chinese version and share more information through official channels.
China’s anniversary plans cover everything from annual-pass rewards and collection items to major content launches. Tell us which part of the celebration you would want to see in other regions, and share your thoughts in the comments. You can also follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, and Instagram.
