Thousands of fans queued for hours in the cold Central London streets for the midnight launch of World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria.

The latest expansion to the hugely popular massively multiplayer online role playing game adds a new playable race, a new character class and a new area for players to explore.

Some fans at the front of the queue had been camping for a week to be the first to get their hands on the game.

Their patience was rewarded with a sneak peek at the new Pandaren race and games of Warcraft trivia inside Café de Paris in London’s Piccadilly Circus.

Those stuck out in the cold were treated to a procession of stilt walkers, martial artists and Chinese dragons, which attracted a large crowd as it paraded through Chinatown.