WoW Forever Controller Support: Gamepad (Alpha) Settings, Beta Fixes and Steam Deck

The short answer: yes, officially — but it is still labeled Alpha

Yes, you can play WoW Forever with a gamepad.

Blizzard’s What’s Next panel recap announced it.

Its wording: “official gamepad support for players who prefer to play with a controller”.

In the beta, Blizzard’s notes call the settings area the Gamepad (Alpha) section.

Treat it as a feature still being tested, not a finished one.

The Battle.net Shop minimum requirements still say “Keyboard and mouse required”.

Blizzard has not said a controller alone is enough.

So keep a keyboard and mouse connected.

As of October 1, there is a known issue: switching Gamepad UI mode resets Edit Mode.

We last checked Blizzard’s recap, beta notes and Shop pages on October 4, 2026.

We have not tested controllers ourselves.

What Blizzard has confirmed so far

Five official sources cover controllers.

First, the What’s Next panel recap, published September 12, 2026.

It lists gamepad support next to opt-in transmog and visual presets.

HD and SD character models are in the same list.

Second, the beta client update of September 22.

It names version 1.60.1, build 69977, and lists two gamepad fixes.

Third, the beta development notes, updated September 24 and October 1.

Both updates have a Gamepad Support section.

Fourth, the beta known issues list, updated October 1.

Its October 1 additions include 1 gamepad issue.

Fifth, the Battle.net Shop requirements, rechecked on October 4.

They list two platforms: Windows and Mac.

Blizzard’s official Forever page also says “Available on Windows/Mac”.

The beta posts are in English only, like the option names we quote.

How to turn it on: no official procedure yet

Blizzard has not explained how to turn on controller mode in Forever.

So we give no step-by-step order, only facts from official posts.

The September 24 notes add options to the Gamepad (Alpha) section.

That section is part of the game options.

The build 69977 notice mentions launching “with gamepad active”.

The September 24 notes fix Edit Mode layouts “while the gamepad UI is enabled”.

To get build 69977, Blizzard told testers to exit the beta first.

Then they update the client in the Battle.net app.

The October 1 known issues mention switching “to or from Gamepad UI mode”.

No official post names the switch that turns controller mode on.

Players have used console commands in modern WoW.

No Blizzard source confirms one for Forever, so we list none.

The October 1 update: static gamepad bindings and an Edit Mode warning

On October 1 (U.S. time), Blizzard updated the beta notes for a new build.

The notes give no build number for this update.

Blizzard says the gamepad UI bindings are now static.

Any gamepad rebinding now only affects the keyboard-and-mouse interface.

The pet stable interface was updated for gamepad support.

So were the compact Raid and Party manager frames.

Macros placed on a gamepad action bar can now be moved again.

The same day, the known issues list gained one gamepad entry.

Switching to or from Gamepad UI mode resets the active Edit Mode layout.

The layout goes back to the default preset.

Blizzard has not said when this will be fixed.

The September 24 fix made layouts apply in the gamepad UI.

The new issue is different: it happens when you switch modes.

The five Gamepad (Alpha) options added on September 24

The September 24 notes add 5 new options to the Gamepad (Alpha) section.

Use Compact Action Bar shows only the currently active action bar.

It replaces the normal gamepad action bar layout.

Fixed Party Targeting gives each d-pad button one party member.

It works in non-raid parties, instead of using the d-pad as directions.

Swap Target Modifier Sides puts friendly targeting on the right.

Hostile targeting then moves to the left.

Swap Friendly Target Action Sides swaps d-pad and face button actions.

It applies while you use the friendly targeting modifier.

Swap Hostile Target Action Sides does the same for hostile targeting.

Class flyouts and action bar changes

The same notes add class flyouts to the gamepad action bar.

Druids get a shapeshift flyout.

Hunters and Warlocks get pet control and pet spell flyouts.

Paladins get an aura flyout, and Warriors a stance flyout.

Those are the 5 classes the notes name; others are not mentioned.

For Hunters and Warlocks, the pet bar no longer replaces the bottom bar.

Map and Quest Log bindings were updated.

Map pins for points of interest gained new hover functionality.

Support for the Compact Raid Frame Manager was updated.

So was support for the Role Poll frames.

Beta fixes so far: build 69977, September 24 and October 1

On September 22, Blizzard released WoW Forever 1.60.1 build 69977.

Controller navigation on character select should now work more properly.

That fix applies when you launch with the gamepad active.

You can now interact with items that give you quests on gamepad.

The same build fixed some display and stability issues on Macs.

The September 24 update fixed Edit Mode layouts with the gamepad UI on.

Before, those layouts did not apply while the gamepad UI was enabled.

The October 1 update made gamepad UI bindings static and fixed moving macros.

The known issues list was updated on October 1.

When we checked it on October 4, it had 1 gamepad entry: the Edit Mode reset.

Which controllers work, and what about Steam Deck?

Blizzard has not published a list of controllers supported in Forever.

Some background from modern WoW follows; it is not a Forever statement.

In 2020 Blizzard described planned controller support for Shadowlands.

It named the Xbox Adaptive Controller as an example.

Modern WoW’s 9.1.5 notes improved gamepad compatibility.

That included support for touchpad and gyro.

Blizzard has not said that any of this carries over to Forever.

On Steam Deck, we found no Blizzard statement at all.

The Battle.net Shop lists 2 platforms, Windows and Mac.

SteamOS, the Steam Deck’s operating system, is not among them.

So we treat the Steam Deck as not officially supported.

We do not give workaround install steps.

We rechecked Blizzard’s news, beta posts, Forever page and Shop on October 4.

Notes for Mac players

Build 69977 fixed some display and stability issues on Macs.

The September 24 notes fix a water display issue on Mac.

They also fix various other display artifacts on Mac.

Blizzard’s notes, October 1 included, say nothing about controllers only on Macs.

Our requirements guide covers the Mac specifications.

What players are reporting, and a checklist before launch

Our daily collection for September 29–30 (Korea time) held 714 posts.

Of those, 7 were about controllers.

For October 3–4 (Korea time), it was 10 of 1,264 posts.

Those 10 came from the Blizzard forums (8) and the Korean site Inven (2).

They include Alpha feedback, a ground-targeting question and an addon crash report.

These are player reports, not issues Blizzard has confirmed.

The checklist below is our suggestion, not Blizzard guidance.

① After each beta build, update and recheck the Gamepad (Alpha) section.

② Keep a keyboard and mouse connected; the requirements list them.

③ Pick the gamepad or keyboard-and-mouse UI first, then set up Edit Mode.

④ Remember that rebinding gamepad buttons no longer changes the gamepad UI.

⑤ Planning to play on Steam Deck? Wait for an official word from Blizzard.