World of Warcraft with the Midnight expansion needs at least Windows 10 64-bit, a six-core CPU, a DirectX 12 graphics card with 4 GB of memory, 8 GB RAM and an SSD with 128 GB free on Windows. WoW: Forever has the same requirements, while Classic is far less demanding. Below are the full minimum and recommended specs for Windows and Mac according to Blizzard Support as of 20 October 2026.
Windows requirements (Midnight)
The table follows Blizzard’s support article World of Warcraft System Requirements. Treat any different numbers you find on older shop or website pages as outdated.
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 64-bit (May 2019 Update or newer) | Windows 11 |
| CPU | 6 cores, 4.0 GHz boost (Intel Core Coffee Lake / AMD Ryzen Zen 2) | 8 performance cores, 5.2 GHz boost (Intel Core Ultra Series 2 / AMD Ryzen Zen 5) |
| GPU | DirectX 12, 4 GB (GeForce GTX 10 / AMD RDNA 1 / Intel Iris Xe2-LPG Lunar Lake) | DirectX 12, 8 GB (GeForce RTX 40 / AMD RDNA 3 / Intel Arc B-Series) |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| Storage | SSD with 128 GB free | Not listed separately |
| Other | Broadband internet, keyboard and mouse, 1280×720 resolution | Not listed separately |
Note the storage line. Blizzard expects an SSD even at minimum spec, so a traditional hard drive is no longer on the list.
Mac requirements (Midnight)
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | macOS 12 | macOS 15 |
| CPU | Apple M2 or Intel Core Coffee Lake (9th gen) | Apple M4 |
| GPU | Metal, 4 GB (Apple M2 8 GB or AMD RDNA 1 4 GB) | Apple M4 (16 GB) |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| Storage | SSD with 128 GB free | Not listed separately |
WoW: Forever has the same requirements
World of Warcraft: Forever, launching on 4 November 2026, has the same minimum and recommended specs as modern WoW with Midnight, according to the support article WoW: Forever System Requirements. If your PC handles Midnight, there is no need to upgrade for Forever. What the new version brings is covered in WoW Forever explained.
WoW Classic: lower requirements
The Classic versions have their own, much lighter specs according to WoW Classic System Requirements:
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 10 64-bit |
| CPU | Intel Core i5-760 / AMD FX 8100 | Intel Core i7-4770 / AMD FX 8310 |
| GPU | GeForce GT 440 1 GB / Radeon HD 5670 1 GB / Intel HD 4000 | GeForce GTX 960 4 GB / Radeon R9 280 |
| RAM | 4 GB | 8 GB |
| Storage | 15 GB | 70 GB on an SSD |
| Mac | macOS 10.15 | macOS 11 |
How Classic Era, Hardcore, Anniversary and the other versions differ is explained in our overview of WoW Classic versions.
What else you need
- A 64-bit system: Windows or macOS in a 64-bit version.
- Internet: WoW requires an internet connection.
- A Battle.net account and the Battle.net app: you install and launch the game through it. Download it from download.battle.net.
- Windows or Mac: Blizzard offers WoW on no other platform. The Battle.net Shop also lists handheld compatibility for Midnight as „Unsupported“.
Blizzard notes that requirements may change over time due to programming changes. Before buying new hardware, check the current version of the support article.
Test performance for free
The safest test is the game itself. You can play modern WoW for free in the Free Trial up to level 20 with no subscription, all you need is a Battle.net account. How it works and what the trial blocks is in our Free Trial guide. If the game runs well, the cost of carrying on is in our guide to the subscription price.
Join our Discord and ask other players whether your setup can handle WoW: Discord GamersTogether.
FAQ
On Windows: Windows 10 64-bit, a six-core CPU with a 4.0 GHz boost, a DirectX 12 GPU with 4 GB of memory (such as GeForce GTX 10), 8 GB RAM and an SSD with 128 GB free.
Yes. The minimum is macOS 12, Apple M2 or a 9th gen Intel Core, 8 GB RAM and an SSD with 128 GB free. Recommended is macOS 15 with Apple M4 and 16 GB RAM.
No. According to Blizzard Support, WoW: Forever has the same minimum and recommended requirements as modern WoW with Midnight.
Modern WoW needs at least the minimum above. WoW Classic is much lighter: Windows 10 64-bit, a Core i5-760, a GeForce GT 440 and 4 GB RAM are enough.
For modern WoW and WoW: Forever, yes. Blizzard lists an SSD with 128 GB free in the minimum requirements. Classic only asks for an SSD in its recommended spec.
Information verified on 20 October 2026. More World of Warcraft help is in our WoW guides.