For over two decades, World of Warcraft has been exclusively available for players on computers, with the massive game never officially making it to any console. Of course, this hasn't seemed to hurt sales of the game, as it has remained one of the most popular MMORPGs even as it recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. Rumors of console ports have come and gone through the years, but now new ideas are surfacing regarding an unlikely contender, the Nintendo Switch 2, being the first to be able to bring WoW to the console world.

Bringing WoW to a console feels inevitable at this point, with the systems becoming more powerful with each generation, even suring several PCs. As many people prefer console gaming over PC, it could potentially open WoW up to an entire audience of newcomers to the game, therefore making Blizzard quite a bit of money as well. Nintendo may not be the first console to come to mind when thinking of WoW, but current ideas on the Switch 2 hardware point to it being able to overcome a major hurdle for the MMO.

WoW Could Finally Make The Move To Consoles (& Handheld)

Improved Hardware On The Newest Console Could Bring Warcraft To A New Age

Sadly, although it was an impressive debut, the recent reveal of the Switch 2 did not share any specs on what people can expect from the hardware, other than the promise that it will be considerably improved from the current Switch.

This means that, currently, there is no confirmation that it will be any more powerful than this gen's PS5 or Xbox Series X/S. However, as long as it can match these systems, it should be able to run WoW. Although there are no official ports, some players have found ways to run World of Warcraft on Xbox Series X/S and report that the game runs smoothly on the console, even on the highest graphics settings.

If WoW is able to run on the Switch 2, this would not only bring WoW to the console arena but also to handhelds with the Switch 2's ability to be taken off the dock. It would be a massive change to how World of Warcraft can be enjoyed and put the game literally into the hands of more players. Of course, it would also require several adjustments in how most players control their character, as the PC's mouse and keyboard have become the standard for the game, despite there being controller .

The Switch 2's Mouse Capabilities Would Work With WoW

Rumored Mouse Attachment Could Make Many PC Games Easier To Port

With many WoW players being used to using the classic keyboard and mouse system for playing, there is more weight to the idea of the Switch 2 being a good fit for the game. Since the Switch 2 reveal, many speculations have been made regarding the appearance of the new joy cons possibly being able to add mouse functionality to the console. This accessory seems likely, both from the appearance of what was shown, and from Nintendo's history of constantly evolving and trying to take their hardware in new directions.

Naturally, a joy con mouse would be vastly different from the 12- or 18-button gaming mouse that many players have come to rely on for WoW. Yet, people could still find it gives them a more comfortable gaming experience than a controller could do. Additionally, although this is entirely speculation, the Nintendo Switch 2 having programming for a mouse at all may be a sign of the system allowing a wireless mouse and keyboard to be connected separately as well.

Even If Only WoW Classic, It Would Be A Big Step Forward

WoW Classic May Be Less Demanding On The Console

Over the past twenty years, World of Warcraft has grown and evolved considerably, which is particularly evident when comparing the modern, retail version of WoW with WoW Classic. As each new expansion for the game comes out, WoW devs make Azeroth even more impressive with updates and patches that affect the entire game, not just a new zone. Although beautiful, and necessary for WoW's continued growth and success, this may create an issue of the game being too large and demanding for the Switch 2.

If that is the case, perhaps the Switch 2 could feature a partial port of the game through allowing WoW Classic servers on the system. This would not be the ideal situation, as the two games are connected in many ways, and it could feel odd for players to only have one version accessible to them on the Switch 2. Yet, compared to the current situation of no version of WoW being officially ed on any console, it would be a step in the right direction.

WoW Classic is still a demanding and large title in its own right, but with its graphics mimicking a look closer to what was seen back when the game first released in 2004, and having a much smaller world to explore, it could be less demanding for a console to handle.

Even if WoW isn't released for the Nintendo Switch 2 at launch, seeing a port of the RTS Warcraft 3: Reforged or other classic titles that originally inspired WoW would be a fun and exciting move. The mouse functionality of the Switch 2 would also help significantly with these titles, as many who played them originally would have experienced them on PC.

More Acti-Blizz Games Are Coming To Switch & Switch 2

Overwatch 2, Diablo, And More Are On Nintendo

Many Activision-Blizzard games have already made the leap to consoles in recent years, with several of them even being released on the current Nintendo Switch. Diablo 3, Overwatch 2, and many others are available on the current-generation Switch, and there have been leaks suggesting that Diablo 4 could come to the Nintendo Switch 2.

Phil Spencer, the head of Microsoft Gaming which recently acquired Activision-Blizzard, has stated that many Xbox games will be brought to the Switch 2. Although WoW isn't on Xbox at this time, that doesn't mean that the company would not at least consider including World of Warcraft in the mix when the time comes, with it being in line with Microsoft Gaming's current focus and the game would be almost guaranteed to be a success.

Players have wanted to see the game come to consoles ever since WoW first debuted in 2004, and with current technological advancements, that doesn't feel like a goal that is entirely out of reach. A more powerful system, and the possibility of having mouse functionality could be the deciding factors that help make that dream of having World of Warcraft on a console become a reality.