Published on: 09/08/2021
10 Best MMORPG Games You Can Play Right Now
There are few games as truly immersive and explorative as MMORPGs. They enable a player to dive deep into detailed lore, intuitive crafting mechanics, and a wealth of complex combat situations. In most cases, MMORPGs empower a person to live a virtual life within sprawling, diverse digital worlds.
And while it might seem like the MMO trend is on the decline, nothing can be further from the truth.
To answer that statement, here is a list of the best MMORPGs in 2024 that you can play right now.
New World ➜ Amazon’s Own MMORPG
Price: Free-to-Play
Platforms: PC
As of August 2021, Amazon’s MMORPG, New World, was yet to reach an official launch date. The title had been delayed four times, but an exclusive beta had been pushed out, and players were absolutely loving it.
Amazon took advantage of a lengthy beta period to fine-tune the title, something that is pivotal in today’s gaming age. It was only a matter of time before the technology giant became directly involved with gaming, and this MMORPG is its bold foray into the industry.
New World is a traditional fantasy MMORPG, built on a grand scale. There are advanced crafting and building mechanics, an enormous open world to explore, and a wide variety of classes to play as. It’ll be interesting to see just how well the game performs when it is fully released.
EVE Online ➜ Best Space MMORPG
Price: Free-to-Play (+ Optional Premium Subscription)
Platforms: PC
EVE Online has been one of the most popular space-based MMORPGs since it first launched way back in 2003. It’s one of the longest-living videogames in the industry and has so far gone almost twenty years without a follow-up title.
In 2016, a free-to-play variant was added to EVE Online landscape, boosting the player count by a huge amount. Today, EVE Online is an advanced and complex space-faring title with a promising future. It’s easily one of the best MMORPG games out there.
There are multiple races to play as in EVE Online, which is quite literally set across an entire universe. When playing EVE Online, gamers will become involved in dramatic space fights, intricate trading mechanics, and a lengthy backstory.
Star Wars: The Old Republic ➜ Best Sci-Fi MMORPG
Price: Free-to-Play (+ Optional Premium Subscription)
Platforms: PC
Not to be confused with Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars: The Old Republic is an incredible game in itself. It has existed for more than a decade and managed to secure more than one million users within three days of launching.
The Old Republic is a rich and diverse adventure that takes place within the far-reaching Star Wars universe. It had a massive development budget (and still does) and remains today as one of the most popular Star Wars games to ever exist.
There are a wide range of races and factions to play as and for, and although the free-to-play variant is limited, there’s plenty to see and do. Unfortunately, playing with a free account will restrict the player quite significantly – it’s still one of the best MMORPGs in 2024, though.
RuneScape ➜ Best MMORPG For Depth
Price: Free-to-Play (+ Optional Premium Subscription)
Platforms: PC
RuneScape is an iconic MMORPG and has been enjoyed by millions for many years. It first launched in 2001 and has received new iterations and a mobile version since then. There are many who will tell you that RuneScape has some of the most expansive depth out of any MMORPG title on the market.
Traditionally, a MMORPG will be a ‘grindfest’, littered with fetch quests and laborious tasks. However, while RuneScape does bear some of these traits, it also has deep storylines, and massively a rich, customisable class system.
Today, RuneScape might not be the most popular MMORPG out there, but it still ranks as one of the greatest MMORPGs to play right now.
Tibia ➜ Best Free MMORPG
Price: Free-to-Play (+ Optional Premium Subscription)
Platforms: PC Only
Tibia is one of the least-known MMORPGs on this list, but it’s a fantastic title worthy of a spot. It’s also the oldest on this list, as Tibia first launched way back in 1997. At its core, Tibia is a basic and traditional MMORPG built around a top-down, pixel-art landscape that has remained popular for decades.
As Tibia is only available on PC, its target audience is slightly restricted, but that never slowed its growth in popularity. In the last few years, the developer, CipSoft, has worked to expand an already wide-open and rich game. While it’s a remarkably basic game that features absolutely no sound, Tibia is diverse, welcoming, and features hundreds of hours of content.
Fortunately, Tibia is free to play, with an entry-level account being granted a huge play area with countless MMORPG options. However, for a fee, players can purchase a premium subscription which allows them to expand their game a hundredfold.
It’s timeless, simple to learn, and costs nothing to play, making it the best free MMORPG on this list. If there’s a more welcoming and cheaper entry point into gaming online, we haven’t seen it yet.
Elder Scrolls Online ➜ Best Multi-Platform MMORPG
Price: Pay-to-Play (+ Optional ESO+ Subscription)
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, and PC
The second MMORPG on our list also comes from the Bethesda universe, the same developers that crafted Fallout 76.
Elder Scrolls Online didn’t make the best first impression. When this ZeniMax Online Studios title launched in 2014, the game was riddled with obscure progression mechanics, unreasonable difficulty swings, and game-breaking bugs. A lot of time has passed since then, though, and now Elder Scrolls Online deserves a place on our best MMORPG list.
Nowadays, Elder Scrolls Online comes with a vibrant world that turns every quest into an adventure. On top of that, the continent of Tamriel offers countless exciting opportunities in terms of crafting, raiding, exploration, player housing, and developing your character. It’s also one of the few MMORPG titles that provide a quality role-playing experience in a similar way to other games in the Elder Scrolls series.
Finally, the game is still getting a lot of love from its developer. The latest expansion—Elsweyr—might be the biggest one yet, as it presented a brand-new necromancer class, an influx of terrifying dragons roaming the skies, an in-depth look into the untamed homeland of the cat-like Khajiit race. ZeniMax created an entire world for you. And the only thing you need to do is dive in.
Final Fantasy XIV ➜ Best JRPG MMORPG
Price: Pay-to-Play + Monthly Subscription
Platforms: PC Only
Much like Elder Scrolls Online, Final Fantasy XIV went through a lot of growing pains. This led to the developer—Square Enix—completely overhauling the original 2010 game and releasing the captivating experience that was Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn.
It wasn’t by any means a bold title – the game truly was a phoenix from the ashes.
By 2021, Final Fantasy XIV had reached a total fanbase of more than 22 million players. It seemed that Square Enix’s hard work and dedication really had paid off.
Final Fantasy XIV feels alive. The views are breathtaking, the plot is gripping, and quests and instances are constantly changing the world around you. On top of that, FF14 has one of the most compelling crafting systems in the MMO market as well as a multitude of call-backs to the previous Final Fantasy titles.
And the best part? Final Fantasy XIV is an MMORPG with a seriously forgiving learning curve. In fact, just about anyone can jump into it and get started. But that doesn’t mean Final Fantasy XIV isn’t a deep game – the most experienced players will be happy to know there’s still quite a lot of depth to the title.
Furthermore, even die-hard JRPG fans will be able to enjoy this MMORPG, even if it is outside of their realms of ‘traditional enjoyment’.
This isn’t all there is to Final Fantasy either. Square Enix made it its mission to create a constant stream of expansions for the title, and the latest installment in the FF14 saga—Shadowbringers—is filled with content and innovations. Our only gripe is that PvP combat isn’t as fleshed out as the other parts of the game, but if you can look past that, FF14 has everything it needs to be considered one of the best MMORPG titles out there.
World of Warcraft ➜ Best MMORPG on PC
Price: Pay-to-Play + Monthly Subscription
Platforms: PC Only
In 2021, more than fifteen years after it first launched, World of Warcraft remains one of the most popular MMORPG titles on PC. It is arguably one of the ‘OG’ MMORPG games, and it helped to boost the profile of the genre immeasurably.
According to activeplayer.io, World of Warcraft averages around six million monthly players – a huge sum for any title. While it has seen a bit of decline in recent years, World of Warcraft is still a diverse and enjoyable title – an icon in the PC gaming landscape.
At the tail end of 2020, developer Blizzard Entertainment injected another boost of fresh content into WoW. This came in the form of the Shadowlands update, which is widely considered the greatest WoW expansion in ‘modern times’.
Ultimately, World of Warcraft is a title that almost speaks for itself. It has one of the most widely-known profiles in gaming today, and it boasts a massive and relatively welcoming open world. There are countless activities to engage in, and the progression system in place is solid.
If you’re looking for the best overall MMORPG on PC, you won’t be disappointed by World of Warcraft..
Black Desert Mobile ➜ Best Mobile MMORPG
Price: Free-to-Play
Platforms: Android and iOS
Black Desert Online launched back in 2015, and the mobile variant arrived on the scene in 2019. It’s a massively popular MMORPG overall, but the mobile version is something special for Android and iOS gamers.
While some games may flake out with mobile variants of a full game, the developers of Black Desert Online did not. In fact, Black Desert Mobile is its own game, and isn’t just a dulled-down, carbon-copy of the primary title. It’s a built-for-purpose title that boasts its own in-depth systems and mechanics.
There’s a diverse range of activities to explore, a vibrant story, and an intuitive and enjoyable combat system. And, best of all, it’s entirely free to play – it’s probably the best free MMORPG on mobile, period.
Fallout 76 ➜ Best Post-Apocalyptic MMORPG
Price: Pay-to-Play (+ Optional Fallout 1st Subscription)
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, and PC
When Fallout 76 launched in 2018, it was to a relatively shaky reception. Unfortunately, there were more than a few bugs present, and it wasn’t the Fallout MMORPG experience fans were looking for.
However, following years of continued support and development, today’s Fallout 76 is an incredible MMORPG. It’s a game that millions call home, and it offers fans both new and old a familiar and instantly enjoyable Fallout experience. Bethesda is constantly pushing fresh updates into the game, which come equipped with new progression options, questlines, and construction items.
There’s a very forgiving learning curve, a diverse collection of quests, and a staggering amount of content to be enjoyed. Fallout 76 features the largest Fallout environment in history, and it can be explored with friends for hours on end. It doesn’t end with exploration, as there’s also a creation-driven base construction mechanic that is limited only by the imagination of the player.
Although it’s made to be played on a one-time purchase, there’s a fantastic subscription-based premium service. This is known as Fallout 1st, and it gives players a wealth of in-game bonuses and abilities – it’s worth the monthly payment.
There’s no doubt about it, if you’re looking for the best post-apocalyptic MMORPG to enjoy, look no further than Fallout 76. It’s also one of the best MMORPGs on PS4, where the vast majority of its player-base currently sits.
