WoW Midnight may be playable on Xbox with new Microsoft changes
Learn how Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox could run full Windows, what it means for WoW coming to Xbox, and why this shift blurs the line between console and PC.
Table of Contents
Key takeaways
- Xbox could run full Windows: The next-gen Xbox is reported to function as a Windows device, allowing support for PC launchers like Battle.net.
- WoW on Xbox is technically possible: Controller support, UI simplification, and addon consolidation in Midnight all move WoW closer to console viability.
- This shift is really about Microsoft’s PC strategy: Rather than chasing a single title, Microsoft is positioning Xbox as another entry point into the broader Windows ecosystem.
Microsoft’s Xbox changes could blur the line between console and PC more than ever. In a new report, Windows Central says the upcoming hardware will offer an “Xbox Full Screen Experience” layered on top of full Windows, allowing players to exit to the desktop and install any Windows software, including rival game stores and long-standing PC exclusives. Is WoW coming to Xbox?
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Let’s overview this unique change
Xbox changes
According to the outlet, that means the device would natively support platforms such as Steam, Epic Games Store, Battle.net, the Riot Client, and more. In practical terms: if it runs on Windows, it should run on the next Xbox — from Adobe programs to Microsoft Office, and, crucially for us, titles not traditionally available on Xbox, like World of Warcraft.
“You will be able to play World of Warcraft on the next Xbox, via Battle.net… You’ll also be able to install practically any game that runs on Windows,”
— Windows Central reports.
Is WoW coming to Xbox
Although this development feels close to “confirmed,” there are still major questions about how World of Warcraft would actually be realized on an Xbox console. For years, speculation focused on WoW possibly arriving through Game Pass, but running on console hardware is a different and more complicated scenario.
It isn’t far-fetched technically. WoW is already playable with a controller through community add-ons. With Midnight simplifying many specs and rotations for broader accessibility, Blizzard appears to be steering the game toward a control scheme that could translate to console more naturally than before.
Although not directly tied to the console discussion, Blizzard’s ongoing removal of addons in Midnight and implementing them into the default UI would also make the game far more console-friendly. With these changes in mind, it no longer feels far-fetched for World of Warcraft to be playable on Xbox.
However, the shift still introduces a number of complications that would need to be addressed. Some of the most obvious questions include:
- Raiding and endgame: Would high-end encounters be tuned or optimized for console players?
- User interface: Would Blizzard create a dedicated console UI, or rely on the PC interface with tweaks?
- Add-ons: Some addons won’t be removed, how would these be installed, managed, or supported on Xbox?
- Multiple versions of WoW: What happens with WoW Classic versions, would they also be supported?
It is unknown how Blizzard will handle these dilemmas.
Why WoW may come to Xbox
The real question is what Xbox actually gains from having WoW on Xbox. In reality, Microsoft’s goal doesn’t seem to be “put World of Warcraft on Xbox” so much as make Xbox function as a Windows-based PC. This is less about a single title and more about positioning the next Xbox as another entry point into the Windows ecosystem.
Valve is already moving in a similar direction with SteamOS, already working on SteamDeck. They steadily push even deeper into the PC space from the opposite angle. While there isn’t any open rivalry between the two right now, Microsoft is clearly setting itself up to focus on PC market — even if that means Xbox, as a traditional closed console, slowly becomes secondary to that strategy.
By the way, you can setup WoW on SteamDeck, if you are interested in this experience, read our article:
With that perspective in mind, it makes sense to simply let the Xbox run everything that already works on Windows. Xbox as a brand has become both everywhere and nowhere: less about the hardware itself and more about the ecosystem behind it. At this point, the platform’s real identity revolves around Game Pass, not the box in your living room.
And that wraps up our article! For me this is actually an interesting topic, as I’ve been a part of console wars discussion since generation 7. It’s wild to see how the market keeps shifting, along with Xbox’s identity itself. For anyone who’s been hoping to see WoW coming to Xbox, this is the good news, although not so good for Xbox consoles.
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