Best MMORPG Games of all time for PC

MMORPGs are super popular on PC thanks to a mix of social stuff and easy gameplay. You can chat with other players, make friends, and, of course, have a blast in both PvP and PvE battles. 

Playing in a team is way different from going solo, and new content keeps gamers coming back to the virtual world. In our roundup today, we've got the best of 2023, and many of these games have been around for decades.

World of Warcraft

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Starting with the most famous MMO. Sure, it's obvious, but Blizzard's epic game deserves its spot among the most influential in the genre. This enchanting world has captivated millions globally. 

WoW set the standard for many future projects. It's a classic with long leveling, professions, massive PvP, and hundreds or even thousands of hours in dungeons. The combat system is traditional too — targeting and lots of skills on your action bars.

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Can't forget the open world. Azeroth is incredibly diverse, though some older areas might seem repetitive. But all the iconic places are there. Big updates even changed the world, thrilling players.

Since many updates changed the game mechanics, not always to everyone's liking, World of Warcraft Classic launched in 2016. It's a throwback to the original version before the first expansion.

Ultima Online

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Back in the days, when gamers were moving from arcade games to more serious stuff, Ultima Online appeared. A relic in the RPG world, it became an online game in 1997, basically the first MMORPG. But it's not just a museum piece. Old-school gamers and classic fans still play Ultima Online, and the servers keep getting fresh content.

Modern MMO fans might find it tough to appreciate this game. The mechanics, graphics, and variety of content feel dated. But Ultima Online can be addictive. Like most old games, it's hardcore, making every victory sweet. 

Character progression depends on your gear and skills. The world is split into locations. You'll wander into someone else's zone with weak equipment and no one will feel sorry for you.

Lineage 2

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Another genre veteran that's sparked debate and stolen countless hours from players. Gamers spent all their free time in this world, known for its tough, even aggressive leveling. You had to grind like crazy, then gear up. New versions of Lineage 2 are more casual-friendly.

Lineage 2 is a classic in Asian MMORPGs. The old versions had a dark atmosphere without cutesy battle hamsters and berserk maids. You had to be strict with your build and class, studying guides. Leveling is slow and tough, and open PvP makes grinding even more hardcore. It's a perfect balance of PvE and PvP content.

With new versions, the community split. To keep their audience, the developers released Lineage II Classic, where all the old-timers went. Classic and new are two different games. If you want to feel the pain but dive into the vibe of old games where you can't grind alone, go classic. If you're into more relaxed gameplay, jump into the new Lineage 2.

Ragnarok Online

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Another genre relic, Ragnarok Online stood out with its cute anime-style graphics and low system requirements. The game is known for its isometric view, which was soon replaced by full polygonal graphics, and its Eastern setting contrasted with traditional fantasy.

Fans of the uniqueness will love the unusual class system with lots of hero development options. There are two types of experience, and creating your class revolves around this. The seemingly simple game can surprise you with its depth.

Final Fantasy XIV

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Final Fantasy XIV had every chance to be Square Enix's biggest flop. Despite previous MMO experience, the fourteenth entry in the legendary series was so raw, it was soon shut down after launch. But the developers didn't give up. They relaunched the game, and it was so popular, the servers crashed. Now, it's one of the most popular MMORPGs around.

Final Fantasy XIV is an Asian MMO in every way. The effects and colors are so intense, the real world seems black and white after playing. The progression and combat systems are classic, so you'll fit in fast coming from another MMO. There's tons of content for every taste — guild raids on bosses, simpler dungeons, dailies, lots of professions, and of course, PvP.

There's always something to do, which is why it's loved. The social aspect is also top-notch. You can team up with players for anything. It's a solid MMORPG in a modern package.

Neverwinter

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The Dungeons & Dragons universe also made its way into MMORPGs. Neverwinter is a great way to team up with other D&D fans in an online game. There's a strong online community even today. The developers have faithfully adapted the D&D lore into the MMORPG format. All races and classes are true to the canon, but there's no class-race binding. 

Other than that, it's a classic European MMORPG. If you've played WoW, you'll find many familiar mechanics here. There's straightforward build creation, classic leveling with quests and grinding, and a targeting-based combat system.

The open world is atmospheric and beautiful, despite slightly outdated graphics. D&D fans will recognize key locations and enjoy diving into the storyline. There's plenty of content, but it's mainly PvE-focused.

Star Wars: The Old Republic

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Star Wars fans initially met The Old Republic with some skepticism, considering the game's story as simplistic. However, over time, and thanks to numerous updates and expansions, the narrative improved significantly.

Gameplay-wise, it's a true MMORPG. You start by choosing between the Dark or Light side, then pick a race and class. There are Jedi, bounty hunters, and soldiers, followed by quests, side missions, and grinding. Both PvP and PvE activities are available.

Star Wars: The Old Republic quickly became free-to-play, meaning real-money investments can speed up leveling. Nevertheless, the game remains popular to this day and continues to be supported.

The Lord of the Rings Online

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The Lord of the Rings Online is a great example of how the "Lord of the Rings" universe can keep thousands of players engaged in an older project. This MMORPG captures the spirit of Tolkien's world beautifully. Locations, quests, classes, and races are all canonically and lovingly designed.

The leveling, gameplay, and activities are in line with old-school MMOs, drawing experience from WoW, so it's quite standard. However, the story is filled with interesting quests that offer a fresh perspective on events from the books and movies.

Despite its age, the game shifted to a free-to-play model, helping maintain a significant online presence and continuous updates. Developers have been promising graphics improvements for years, but it hasn't happened yet.

Genshin Impact

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One of the most prominent releases in recent years. Free games always attract people, and Genshin Impact boasts cross-platform availability, attractive graphics, and quality slasher-like combat, plus discussions about similarities to The Legend of Zelda (though there aren't many actual similarities).

Despite aggressive monetization, Genshin Impact remains highly popular even two years after its release, thanks in part to regular content updates and frequent events. These events allow participation in time-limited activities and earning valuable loot.

Genshin Impact is also very popular among cosplayers, who regularly transform into its charming anime-style characters. The gameplay revolves around collecting these characters, which is one of the main objectives.

EVE Online

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Another distinguished "veteran" in our list. This game is dedicated to exploring the galactic expanse and is one of the most complex MMOs to master, with intricate mechanics. Guides will be a crucial part of your gaming experience. If you're good with Excel sheets, this game might be for you (joking, or maybe not?).

Since the economy plays as important a role as space flights and battles, the social aspect is highly developed in EVE Online. It's easier to survive the harsh conditions of capitalism by teaming up with other players. Death means losing everything, which can be quite disheartening.

However, you can also loot everything from a defeated enemy. The more dangerous the space zone, the more valuable the loot and resources. Additionally, there's a wide range of activities. You can live a relatively peaceful life mining valuable resources or become a fierce bounty hunter completing contracts. But remember, eventually, you might have to mine minerals in places even the local cops are afraid to check out.

The Elder Scrolls Online

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While some gamers are waiting for TES 6 and buying another edition of Skyrim, others are playing TESO. This game is a great example of how developers turned it around after a rocky start, and how fans really dig the "elder scrolls" world. Right now, The Elder Scrolls Online is one of the most popular MMORPGs, pleasing genre fans with its unique gameplay approach.

A standout feature of TESO is definitely its quests. It’s rare for MMO quests to feel like they’re from single-player games. Even the side quests have a cool story. Overall, it feels like you’re playing a solid single-player game, but you can still hang out with other players.

For those who love the social aspect, there’s plenty to do here. Dungeons, daily quests, guilds, and PvP are all in the mix. Leveling up is typical MMO stuff, but it's not just about chasing numbers. Your gear won't be outdated with the next update, so you can play for fun. The combat system won’t stress you out either. It’s got a nice "semi-target" feel, and the skill panel isn’t cluttered with hundreds of icons.

Black Desert Online

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Black Desert still holds the title of the most beautiful MMORPG. The character editor is impressive – you can make anyone you want. And the characters' bouncy body parts are fun when running. But the game isn’t just about graphics: it’s also about the combat system.

Combat here is all about combos. No skill panels: you activate abilities by pressing the right key combinations. This makes the battles incredibly flashy and dynamic. Slicing through thousands of mobs is really fun here, especially since there’s no targeting. But speaking of thousands: you'll be facing millions of mobs, which is a downside of this game.

Black Desert is all about endless grinding, as there’s no end to leveling up. You keep raising your stats indefinitely by constantly killing mobs. So, PvE content dominates here, and you'll mostly be playing solo. It's an MMO where you can avoid people altogether. Plus, it's free.

Guild Wars 2

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It's a massive and popular MMORPG. GW2 combines classic MMO mechanics with new industry visions. It has the familiar progression that fans of classic MMOs will recognize, but with a revamped class system. There are 9 classes that aren't tied to races or genders. However, each class is considered self-sufficient. Pros try to build their character in one direction for efficiency. This is important because the social aspect is big here.

Like WoW, this game offers a large and lively open world. Players need to interact constantly, whether it's trading, dungeon raiding, or PvP. In massive battles, hundreds of players can clash at once. Despite its age, the game doesn't feel outdated, and you can really live in it.

New World

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At launch, this MMO caused a stir among players. New World was "frying" graphics cards due to its epic graphics and a piece of code that overloaded the chip. Once this was fixed, gamers finally got to enjoy long server queues, bugs, crashes, and scant content. However, the developers didn't give up and refined the product.

At the time of writing, New World has built a solid fan base. The project is somewhat groundbreaking. The style is unusual for MMOs, with harsh realism, albeit spiced with magic. At times, the game becomes hardcore, reminiscent of the Dark Souls series, especially in dungeons.

Leveling up is also not typical. You improve skills not by level numbers, but through your actions. If you frequently use a sword against enemies, your swordsmanship skill will increase. New World is still growing in content. PvE offers interesting expedition mechanics, and PvP lets you complete seasonal passes.

Albion Online

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Looking at screenshots or gameplay of Albion Online, you might think it's a casual mobile game. But if you dive into this project with that mindset, you'll quickly experience pain, surprise, hatred, and delight. Despite its visual style, Albion Online is a mature, hardcore, and very engaging project, and its online community is thriving.

This MMO is unique not just in its style. The approach to gameplay is not typical for the genre and is similar to EVE Online. The game world lives actively even without your participation. The in-game economy is entirely player-driven, and almost everything on the market is crafted by someone else. Crafting in AO is real work, and you earn significant profits for it.

If you die in PvP, you lose everything. Strangely, this is what hooks players to projects like Albion Online and EVE Online. You start to value every item in your inventory. Despite all this, the game is quite friendly and can be tried out for free.

We told you about the 15 best MMORPGs that are still relevant today. Every fan of the genre will be able to find a game to his liking, whether it is a modern project or good old classics.

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