World of Warcraft: Forever will launch with full controller support, a first for the various versions of Blizzard’s longrunning PC-exclusive MMORPG. According to Blizzard, the option to play on controller is the “first leg of a journey” to make WoW playable “on whatever you want.”
Speaking to GamesRadar, WoW executive producer and vice president Holly Longdale said Blizzard’s goal is to eventually have WoW playable “wherever you want, and, at some point, on whatever you want.”
The first step on that road, however, is ensuring controller support works really well. Blizzard is using the launch of Forever on November 4, the latest version of its MMO that reimagines the game’s classic world and gameplay with new content and features, as a starting point.
“Looking at where things are going when we hear about Project Helix [the codename for Xbox’s next console], et cetera, I think platforms will be a bit more ubiquitous,” Longdale said.
She continued: “I think just doing some of the work we’re doing on gamepad [support] is going to give players a lot of flexibility that I think goes beyond consoles.”
Having gone hands-on with Forever’s controller support during BlizzCon 2026, I can say it works surprisingly well for a game that has been played almost exclusively with mouse and keyboard for 22 years. While modern WoW has added some barebones controller options in recent years, Forever’s implementation is far superior, working seamlessly without the need for player-made addons like ConsolePort to make it usable.
You have a surprisingly number of keybinds available at your fingertips (28, to be exact), making combat and interacting with quest NPCs a breeze. Inventory management and navigating menus is a little more cumbersome, but it does feel like a decent tradeoff for being able to play on a controller or a handheld, like the Xbox ROG Ally X.
When WoW might be playable on something other than a PC remains to be seen, though Blizzard has made clear that if it were making a console version, it wouldn’t exactly be a secret.
But that doesn’t mean WoW on consoles is still years away. Xbox’s next console, Project Helix, is rumored to be a hybrid device capable of playing console and PC games, meaning WoW would likely be playable on it. According to a recent report, Project Helix is aiming for a 2028 release, may include a handheld component, and could possibly cost between $1,200 and $1,800 if Microsoft doesn’t subsidize it.
In the meantime, Blizzard is plenty busy getting ready for Forever’s launch, including reworking racial abilities and making improvements to the game’s divisive layering system. If you bought the MMO’s new optional playable race, the Skyborne, you can technically make your WoW: Forever character right now ahead of launch day. WoW: Forever launches November 4.
