Can You Watch DVD Movies on Wii U?

No, the Wii U has no built-in DVD player. Standard DVD-Video discs will not play.

What Wii U Does Play

• Wii Games: Full backward compatibility (disc & digital).
• Wii U Games: Proprietary high-density optical discs.
• Blu-ray Movies: No. The Wii U drive is not a standard Blu-ray drive; it cannot play Blu-ray movies. (Correction: The Wii U does not play Blu-ray movies. Only Wii U game discs.)

Correction: The Wii U cannot play Blu-ray movies either. It only reads Wii U and Wii proprietary discs.

For DVD or Blu-ray playback, use a dedicated player, game console (PS3/4/5, Xbox 360/One/Series), or computer.