Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

For over two decades, World of Warcraft has been a PC gaming icon — a title that helped define the MMORPG genre and build one of the largest gaming communities in history. Yet, for almost as long, there’s been one persistent question echoing through that community: will WoW ever come to consoles?

The rumor flared up again recently with the upcoming Midnight expansion, as fans noticed new accessibility and interface changes that some believed could pave the way for a console port. However, World of Warcraft Game Director Ion Hazzikostas has officially put those rumors to rest.

Speaking on the Unshackled Fury podcast, Hazzikostas made it clear that Blizzard has no secret plans to bring World of Warcraft to consoles — and if they did, they wouldn’t be hiding it.

“It is not,” Hazzikostas said directly when asked about the supposed console shift. “To be fully transparent, there’s no reason for us to hide anything about this. If we were actively working towards bringing World of Warcraft to consoles or other platforms, we’d just say it. Our focus remains right now on the PC-based experience.”

---

---

Complexity Over Accessibility

Hazzikostas went on to explain that the accessibility changes coming in Midnight are not about controller support — they’re about improving approachability.

“World of Warcraft is an incredibly complex game,” he added. “We know there are players who celebrate that complexity, but there’s a difference between depth and just… complexity. Our goal has always been to make games that are easy to learn and nearly impossible to master.”

That design philosophy has been at the core of Blizzard’s identity for decades — ensuring that WoW remains challenging, but not intimidating to new players. Still, that level of mechanical depth is exactly what makes a console adaptation so difficult.

Even after early testing with the Midnight alpha, it’s clear the game would need a massive overhaul to be realistically playable with a controller. Unlike Final Fantasy XIV or The Elder Scrolls Online — both of which were designed with console play in mind — World of Warcraft features an enormous number of abilities, hotkeys, and interface elements that simply don’t translate well to a gamepad.

---

Why a Console Port Might Never Happen

While the idea of WoW on consoles is appealing for expanding its audience, the technical and design challenges are enormous. Every spell, macro, and UI element would need to be redesigned for a more limited control scheme. Add to that the massive back-end systems, add-ons, and custom mods that PC players rely on, and it’s easy to see why Blizzard hasn’t made the leap.

Moreover, Blizzard’s focus remains on refining the PC experience — and the team seems confident that’s where World of Warcraft belongs. After all, this is a game that was born, evolved, and thrived in the PC ecosystem.

---

What’s Next for World of Warcraft: Midnight

Although Midnight doesn’t have an official release date yet, rumors suggest it could arrive as early as February 2026. The expansion promises sweeping gameplay updates, story developments, and accessibility improvements — all tailored to enhance the PC experience, not replace it.

Meanwhile, BlizzCon 2026 tickets are about to go on sale, and fans are eager to hear more details about the expansion, the game’s evolving lore, and what lies ahead for Azeroth’s next chapter.

So, for now, console players might have to keep their hopes in check — World of Warcraft isn’t leaving its PC throne anytime soon. But if the day ever comes when Blizzard decides to make that jump, as Hazzikostas himself said:

“We would just say it.”

Learn More About The Esports World

About The Author