World of Warcraft Player Housing Is Already Good — Here’s What Blizzard Says Is Coming Next

World of Warcraft is finally doing the thing MMO players have been yelling about since 2004: real player housing—none of that “here’s your phased base, now go manage chores” energy.

In a new PC Gamer interview, Blizzard’s dev leads frame housing as a long-term system built to evolve for years—not a one-expansion gimmick that gets tossed into the feature basement with Archaeology. That’s the pitch, anyway.

Here’s what’s already live, what’s coming soon, and the Press X to Skip take on whether this is actually Azeroth’s cozy era—or just another “trust us bro” feature that gets fed once per patch cycle.

World of Warcraft player housing

What’s live right now: housing early access is already pretty spicy

If you’ve pre-ordered World of Warcraft: Midnight, housing is already in early access (as of December 2, 2025). You get one Horde neighborhood and one Alliance neighborhood per Battle.net account, and you can pick between public neighborhoods, guild neighborhoods, or a private neighborhood you create with up to nine friends using a charter.

Inside your instanced neighborhood, you grab a plot, build your house, and then lose your entire weekend to “should the rug be slightly more rug?” decisions.

• There are already 1,200+ decor items, and the number is still growing.
• Items can be scaled, rotated, flipped, and in some cases dyed—meaning players can do that MMO thing where they build a cathedral out of bathtubs.
• Decor uses a budget/cost system with placement limits, and your limits grow as you level up housing progress on a renown-like track (currently capped at level 5 in early access).
• If your neighbor’s lawn becomes an unholy forest of chaos, you can move plots. If someone’s being a menace, there are reporting tools for offensive names/builds.

Press X take: this is the correct baseline. Tool freedom + social neighborhoods + easy relocation is the antidote to the worst housing problems (scarcity, lotteries, and “congrats, you’re homeless now”). The fact that people are already doing unhinged builds is a good sign the system has legs.

The first “you won’t have to wait long” update lands January 20, 2026

Blizzard’s first big next step is the 12.0 pre-patch on January 20, 2026, which is set to add neighborhood-wide quest Endeavors—community tasks that benefit the whole neighborhood.

PC Gamer also notes the pre-patch should bring more ways to earn housing experience, neighborhood perks, and a bunch of additional decor items (pushing the overall catalog well into four digits). Blizzard also says a housing roadmap is coming closer to launch, outlining what’s planned over the next year.

Press X take: the roadmap matters more than any single bullet point. Housing lives or dies on cadence. If updates are frequent and meaningful, housing becomes a culture. If it’s slow, it becomes a dusty menu button you click twice per expansion.

Midnight timing and what’s coming around it

Per PC Gamer, Midnight launches on March 2, 2026, with early access beginning February 27, 2026 for pre-orders.

PC Gamer lists a pile of features expected either after 12.0 or after launch, including:

• Co-decorating on the roadmap, and Blizzard “looking at” co-ownership (yes, couples who play WoW can finally stop sharing spreadsheets).
• Decor drops from Midnight’s first raids, including guaranteed decor counts per boss (where applicable), personal loot, scaling with raid size, and bad luck protection.
• New renown levels, with Blizzard expecting the housing journey to add 5–10 levels per major patch.
• Exterior rooms that let you bring daylight/exterior scenes “inside.”
• More exterior styles: night elf and blood elf themes joining orc and human options.
• “Medium” home exteriors (bigger houses) and clearer plot boundaries.
• Interactive objects (holding items, reading, and small interactions).

Press X take: tying decor to raids with bad luck protection is smart. It turns housing into a “soft endgame” without making it feel like a second job. Also, “exterior rooms” is the kind of weird tech-forward feature that screams “we actually intend to expand this,” not “we’re shipping it and running.”

Soon™ features that could turn housing into a creator economy (the good kind)

The interview also gets into “not too far behind” features Blizzard is actively working on:

• Import/export for rooms, object collections, and potentially entire house builds (aka: “let me borrow your layout”).
• Higher exterior decor limits and exterior lighting being allowed.
• Your collected mounts and pets roaming at home (hunter pets and alt characters are harder technically).
• More cultural/biome decor options (including snow) and small flavor animations on items.

Press X take: import/export is the moment housing stops being “a feature” and becomes “a scene.” If Blizzard nails sharing tools and permissions, expect community hubs, themed neighborhoods, RP venues, and a whole cottage industry of “house designers” overnight.

Longer-term ideas for World of Warcraft Player Housing (and the constraints Blizzard admits)

Not everything is imminent. PC Gamer flags things Blizzard is considering but not actively building right now:

• More neighborhood leader controls, including guild-rank permissions for who can build in a guild neighborhood.
• Basements aren’t currently possible due to technical limitations.
• More communal/event support (tracks, stage plays, big RP events, narrative house concepts).
• Potentially more neighborhood areas in the future.

Press X take: the “basements aren’t possible right now” admission is oddly reassuring. It’s rare Blizzard energy: “we can’t do that (yet)” instead of pretending the request doesn’t exist.

The make-or-break problem with World of Warcraft Player Housing: budgets, decor limits, and the grind line

Blizzard sounds aware that the fastest way to turn housing into a complaint factory is to make decorating feel punishing. PC Gamer reports they’re actively tweaking item budgets, vendor/effort costs, and bundling options (like path sections or plant clusters) so players can build more without hitting the budget wall instantly.

They also explain why decor behaves like individual items (“one chair” not “infinite chair paint bucket”): mounts and transmog don’t need duplicates, but decor often does.

Press X take: budgets are fine—necessary even—if the curve is generous and basic materials don’t feel like luxury goods. Nobody wants to grind for the right to place a third stool. Respect casual decorators as much as hardcore builders and this system becomes a retention engine that doesn’t feel like a treadmill.

The elephant in the room: monetization is already on players’ radar

Outside of the PC Gamer interview, Blizzard has also announced Hearthsteel, a real-money currency intended for some housing items, while claiming “the vast majority” of housing items will remain earnable in-game.

Press X take: this is the line Blizzard can’t afford to cross. Housing is supposed to be a creative playground, not a showroom. If Hearthsteel stays a small cosmetic slice, fine. If it starts feeling like the best stuff lives behind a paywall, housing instantly becomes a culture war inside the community.

Bottom line: this looks like a foundation, not a gimmick

Blizzard’s messaging is clear: player housing is built for the long haul—launching before Midnight and evolving after. The early version already shows real flexibility, and the next few updates (especially Endeavors and the roadmap) will tell us whether Blizzard is serious about cadence.

We want to believe them. Not in a “trust the process” way—more in a “we’re watching your update tempo and your decor economy like hawks” way.

TL;DR For The Skippers

• WoW housing is already live in early access for Midnight pre-orders (since Dec 2, 2025).
• You get one Horde and one Alliance neighborhood per account (public, guild, or private with up to 9 friends).
• There are 1,200+ decor items now, with more coming fast.
• Major next update: 12.0 pre-patch on Jan 20, 2026 adds Endeavors and more housing progression/perks.
• Midnight launches March 2, 2026 (early access Feb 27).
• Roadmap includes co-decorating, potential co-ownership, raid decor drops with bad luck protection, and more.
• Import/export for builds could turn housing into a full-on community creator scene.
• Hearthsteel (real money) exists—Blizzard says most items are still earnable, but players are watching this closely.

Source: PC Gamer interview

AJ Hanson

AJ Hanson has been part of games media since 2011, writing, streaming, and ranting about the industry long before it was his job. He runs the Galaxy’s Edge Discord, the go-to community for fans of Disney’s Star Wars parks, and works as Marketing Director for the Virtual Cantina Network, helping produce shows, interviews, and fan events. A lifelong Star Wars fan and unapologetic nerd, AJ’s focus has always been on building spaces where people can connect, argue, and celebrate the things they love without all the corporate gloss.