World of Warcraft: Forever Adds Controller Support Ahead of November 4 Release

Blizzard's World of Warcraft: Forever is scheduled for release on November 4, and it will support gamepads, the handheld controllers used with consoles. Video Games Chronicle reported the controller support, which is built into the game.

The new version is based on the original 2004 setting and gameplay of World of Warcraft, the long-running online role-playing game. It also adds new storylines and content. Players who want to join no longer pick from a long list of realms, the separate copies of the game world that the original version used. Instead, they choose a ruleset, a set of play rules that shapes how the game works for them. The options are Normal, PvP, Roleplaying and Hardcore. Each ruleset runs as its own large community for grouping up, running dungeons and raids, and meeting other players.

The Hardcore ruleset will become available sometime after launch. Blizzard has not given a more specific date for it.

Holly Longdale, Blizzard's executive producer and vice president for World of Warcraft, spoke about the controller support in response to a question from GamesRadar. The question asked whether releasing the game only on PC was a missed opportunity. Longdale said controller support is the first step toward playing the game on more than desktop and laptop computers. She said Blizzard's goal is to let people "play it wherever you want and, at some point, on whatever you want." Gamepad support comes first, and Forever is the starting point.

Longdale also pointed to Microsoft's next-generation Xbox hardware, called Project Helix, and said she expects platforms to become more widely available to players. She added that Blizzard has seen people get the game running on the ROG Ally X, a handheld gaming PC made by Asus.

Earlier in the year, Polygon reported that Forever would support both Xbox and PlayStation controllers. That report came from BlizzCon 2026, Blizzard's own fan event.

Xbox is also in the news this month. Asha Sharma, chief executive of Xbox, reportedly told staff that the company's first-party studios, meaning the games made or owned by Microsoft itself, have started to return to growth after hitting an all-time low. She also reportedly said Xbox has seen a 30% increase in positive brand sentiment over the past year. Those remarks were made in a staff message.

For players, the practical questions are the November 4 date, the choice of ruleset when they create a character, and whether their controller works as expected. Blizzard has said the Hardcore ruleset will follow after launch.