Selective growth of tungsten oxide nanowires has been achieved using a vapor-solid (VS) process without the assistance of any catalysts. To achieve selective growth, low vapor supersaturation was employed to suppress the spontaneous nucleation of tungsten oxide during the VS process, and patterned tungsten coating was introduced to provide seed nuclei, which promotes the growth of tungsten oxide nanowires and control their growth sites. Patterned tungsten oxide nanowire arrays have been fabricated using simple patterning methods, such as shadow mask and laser-induced nanograting growth. The effects of the source heating temperature and the growth temperature on the nanowire growth have been investigated, showing the morphology of tungsten oxide deposition was sensitive to the vapor supersaturation controlled by both temperatures.