You can play WoW Forever with a controller and on Mac. Not on console, and on Steam Deck only on your own. The controller is official and is one of Forever's new features: it's the first WoW that Blizzard has designed with it in mind. In the beta it still calls itself "Alpha".
In short
| Platform | Does it work? | What you need to know |
|---|---|---|
| Windows PC | Yes | The installer requires Windows 10 or later |
| Mac | Yes | There's been a Mac client since the beta; still with bugs on some Apple Silicon |
| Controller | Yes, official | In the beta, under "Gamepad (Alpha)" |
| Steam Deck | No official support | Beta players have got it working; not guaranteed |
| Console | No | Nothing announced |
| Steam | No | Not in the plans |
Controller
At BlizzCon, Blizzard announced full controller support and Wowhead reported it this way: it's the first WoW designed for controllers from the start. Tim Jones explained to Screen Rant why: coming home and playing without sitting back down at the desk. The scheme combines buttons and d-pad, along the lines of Final Fantasy XIV.
How to enable it in the beta: in the game options, under "Gamepad (Alpha)", tick "Enable Gamepad UI (Alpha)". Some players say it doesn't respond well until they restart the game after enabling it.
What Blizzard has added during the beta:
- September 22-23 (build 69977): fixes for navigating with a controller on character selection and for using quest items.
- September 24: per-class dropdown menus on the action bar (druid forms, hunter and warlock pets, paladin auras, warrior stances), an optional compact bar and the d-pad assigned to each group member (the patch).
- October 1: the controller reaches stables, raid frames and macros (the level 30 patch).
What still fails: Blizzard hasn't published a list of compatible controllers or a final scheme. With the controller enabled, some hunters don't get Beast Training at the trainer (how pets learn abilities). If you use macros, they work with a controller since October 1: our macros by class.
Heads up: the public WoW requirements sheet still says only keyboard and mouse are supported. That's the one for current WoW, not Forever.
Mac
Forever has had a Mac client since the beta, and Blizzard has devoted fixes to it: build 69977 (September 22-23) corrected graphical and stability bugs on Mac, and the September 24 one fixed the water.
Even so, on the official forum there are Apple Silicon players who still see black textures, stutter when moving or freezes on entering the world. Blizzard hasn't included them in its known issues list. If you play on Mac, check the graphics settings guide: lowering Secondary Lighting is the first thing to try.
Steam Deck
Blizzard doesn't officially support the Steam Deck (nor SteamOS or Linux). What exists are beta players who have got it working by installing Battle.net themselves and using Forever's controller interface. It's a community experiment, not a guarantee: if something stops working, Blizzard won't fix it.
What works in its favor: since Forever already has a controller interface, on the Steam Deck you don't need to set up a keyboard layout over the buttons, as was the case with the WoW of old.
Console and Steam
- Console: asked by Screen Rant, Tim Jones answered that they had nothing to announce.
- Steam: at the roundtable covered by Warcraft Tavern, Ion Hazzikostas said it's not in the plans for now, though he didn't rule it out forever.
Frequently asked questions
Can you play WoW Forever with a controller?
Yes. The controller is official: in the beta you enable it in the options, under "Gamepad (Alpha)", with "Enable Gamepad UI (Alpha)".
Is WoW Forever coming to console?
Nothing has been announced. Tim Jones told Screen Rant they had nothing to announce about consoles.
Does WoW Forever work on Mac?
Yes. There's been a Mac client since the beta and Blizzard has published Mac fixes. Some players with Apple Silicon still see graphical bugs.
Can you play WoW Forever on Steam Deck?
No official support. Beta players have got it working by installing Battle.net themselves, and the controller interface helps, but Blizzard doesn't guarantee it.
Is WoW Forever on Steam?
No. Ion Hazzikostas said Steam is not in the plans for now.
