For those unable to install Classic Warcraft 3 on Battle.net

General Discussion
1

It would appear there is a bug?..Blizzard removed? the option to install classic Warcraft 3 on the Battle.net PC APP despite owning ROC and FT. What ‘fixed’ it for me was:

  1. Log out of BNET
  2. Log in Offline and click the Warcraft 3 page.
  3. Option comes up to install Original (providing you registered the keys).
  4. Once installed go back online and enjoy.

Hope that helps anyone having the same issue.

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2

Nothing’s been removed. But to make things easier, here’s a permanent link to exactly where you will find your classic game keys if you added them to your account at some point in the past:

https://account.battle.net/games#classic-game-accounts

You will find both Wacraft III and Diablo II here if you have them (Though the original version of Diablo II is still both playable and sold on battle.net)

If you have played the Reforged version of the game without reforged features enabled, then you should absolutely find something here because you need a classic war3 key on your account to play non-reforged W3R.

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3

Yes it is a bug. If you own classic and not Reforged the BattleNet application does not allow you to install Warcraft III when online despite you having a licence to play it. The work around, as you mentioned, is to open the application in offline mode and install from there.

last I checked the BattleNet application allows you to install any game when in offline mode, even ones you might not own. However in order to play the game you will need to login during which time the licence check is performed and the game will refuse to be playable without a licence. This works for StarCraft II, Diablo III, e.t.c.

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5

Technically the game is not the same. The second time you would be buying access to enhanced graphics which is technically something new. If it is worth it is up to the customer.

6

Still not working without this workaround mentioned by Mortis.
Actually starting to look like anon66975693 is indeed correct and it is not a bug but intended to fool people to buy the game again.
It wont take a company of ANY size over 3 months to fix this issue.
I mean, even if it did, they should have this workaround mentioned in their trouble shooting, which they dont.

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7

Nice, it worked perfectly, thanks for that!

8

Thanks! I was able to install it only thanks to this post. There is no info anywhere else it would seem.

9

There is some official info in the tech support threads about it, but other than that, yes, there’s no support article or anything else about it. Opening the bnet app without logging in will allow you to install the games regardless of ownership, so it’s the only way around the issue of not being able to install the game without having bought Reforged.

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10

Lifesaver, thanks mate!

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11

wow what a scumbag company trying to get people to buy their dei remaster

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12

It’s a limitation of the system not being able to read CD keys in Battlenet.

But you’re not interested in facts/reality here as evidenced by your political gibe you threw in for good measure.

13

Except… you don’t have to buy Reforged to play the current version. You only have to buy it if you want the extras like the new graphics and hero skins.

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14

I have the opposite problem now, i cant get acess to reforged version with my reign of chaos cd key, he only lets me download VANILLA. How do i get the 30GB version to play onloine with my reign of chaos key?

15

Unfortunately the ROC key is kinda dead in the water at the moment. Only players with a Frozen Throne key get access to regular Reforged (Actual Reforged graphics still require a purchase of Reforged separately)

EDIT: Disregard what I said.

17

Uh, the last I checked, it was the RoC key that was required to install, not the TFT key. The TFT key won’t work at all. This is because everyone gets TFT for free now.

18

You need to install the game via the battle.net app, rather than your discs or a standalone war3 installer. If you have difficulty, try these steps:

  • log out of the battle. net app
  • at the battle.net log in prompt, click the icon that looks like a gear and select “continue without logging in” from the menu.
  • You can now install any blizzard games regardless of ownership. Install war3 from the app.
  • Log back in.
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19

I may be stupid.

20

Lets necro this discussion since it’s still happening in 2025.
The work around still functions the same and you still can’t really download it elsewhere.
The installer Blizzard has on it’s “Classic WC3” gets filtered by most antivirus software and is hella complicated even if you’re able to run the file. (and that’s from someone with a degree in computer science)
Can’t tell me Blizzard doesn’t know this or doesn’t do this intentionally.

21

Funny thought to install the old game and saw this post. Interesting it was never resolved.

22

It was resolved?

if you want a pre-reforged verison of the game, it can be found anywhere on the internet. If you want to play the game as it is currently using your ROC CD Key that is attached to your account, you need to install it from the battle.net app while not logged in, and then you will be able to play after logging in.

The battle.net app only checks for ownership of Reforged and not the RoC CD Key, that’s why it only shows the Buy button if it’s not installed. Opening the app without logging in allows you to install any battle.net game regardless of ownership. Once the game is installed, it will see that you have the CD key and allows you to play.

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