by Buran

September 8, 2023

How to Play World of Warcraft on Xbox

2 min read 6 comments 11 likes

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World of Warcraft seems like an ideal choice for an Xbox game. The console is a good fit for its often laid-back and gradual gameplay. While this title always had a rocky relationship with the consoles, there is promising news in regards to its Xbox compatibility. So the question right now is: “Can World of Warcraft be played on Xbox?” And if not, is there something similar to serve as an alternative?

Can you Play WoW on Xbox?

The game isn’t officially on any console at the moment, but there is good progress regarding the matter. Right now, the only gaming station that has it in any form is Steam Deck, even if it’s not official. Many players have asked, “Why is WoW only on PC?” And the answer is that negotiations for a PlayStation or Xbox adaptation were not deemed particularly viable in the past. Nevertheless, the winds of change may soon usher in a different era. 

Microsoft, the parent company of Xbox, is set to finalize its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the owner of WoW, in October 2023.  There hasn’t been an official announcement, but it’s likely that some fusion of both companies’ products is in sight. It’s not illogical, and there aren’t many technological obstacles for this port. As such, it’s expected that you’ll be able to play World of Warcraft not just through Battle.net, but also Game Pass.

The game already has official gamepad support. It was added to the game as part of the Dragonflight expansion. It was after the Microsoft deal was announced, which means that Blizzard is laying the groundwork for a smooth transition to consoles. The devs haven’t made any official statement yet, but there’s little doubt that console integration is underway. So, will Microsoft put WoW on the console? Eventually, yes.

Exploring the Alternatives for Playing WoW on Xbox

The focal point lies not so much on Xbox itself but rather on the prospect of experiencing World of Warcraft on gaming consoles. While the major ones do not currently support the game, there exist several alternatives for gamepad lovers:

• Gamepad/Big Screen Combo: You can play this game with a controller comfortably enough and also connect it to a big screen. 
• Steam Deck: Steam Deck uses Steam as its primary game distribution software, and you can add WoW to Steam as a separate program without much effort. It works well on this platform and without major bugs.
• In addition, it’s possible to install several addons, like Immersion or Dynamic Cam, to make it a quintessential console experience in anything besides the name.

The methods listed above don’t have the same comfort as an official port. But as the prospect of WoW officially coming to consoles hasn’t been discussed yet, you can only simulate the experience for now.

Conclusion

You can make World of Warcraft feel a lot like playing on a console with the right addons and a gamepad. The official port coming soon will let you play the game smoothly without needing to do anything extra. But, for now, you can already play WoW on a console if that’s what you’re aiming for.