What is MMORPG?
Massively multiplayer online role-playing games, or MMORPGs, began gaining popularity among gamers as the internet became more widely available. In MMORPGs, hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world converge on one platform to begin their journey.
The development of the player’s character through a character growth system is the primary objective for players in practically every MMORPG. Players can get experience points by engaging in monster battles, completing missions, and engaging in various other activities, all of which help them level up their characters.
The most ambitious and well-liked PC games are MMOs. The MMO sector earns $10 billion annually and caters to far wider consumers. Both free and paid MMORPG games are widely available. For instance, World of Warcraft gamers has collectively spent more time on Azeroth than the human species has on Earth in its six million-year history. The basic concept of all these large sums is straightforward: in this virtual world, anyone anywhere may become anything (and grind out some loot along the way).
MMOs today are far more advanced than the text-based multi-user dungeons from which they originated. Whether playing as cruel autocrats or anthropomorphic cats, these games offer the best of the genre. We’ve compiled the best online games available to honor that wonderful legacy and make it easier for you to choose the most worthwhile game. We’ve also divided them into categories to make things even simpler and help you understand what makes each game special. We will also provide a list of no-cost MMORPGs, so you won’t have to worry about spending money to play these games.
Here is a list of features that every MMORPG should have
- A Friendly World
- A Strong Finale
- Important Social Interactions
- A Spot to Put Your Feet Up
- Multiple Distractions and Horizontal Progress
Pros:
- You always know the game you’ll play that day and don’t need to think about it.
- You may delve further into a game and genuinely get to know it, including having a greater understanding of its workings.
- You can advance more quickly and effectively.
- It provides more opportunities for alternate gameplay styles.
- You have more time to get to know the other guild members.
- It can be enjoyable to delve deeply into the culture and community of that game.
- You can go after more significant, longer-term objectives.
Cons:
- You set yourself up for a problematic burnout where, one day, you don’t want to play anymore and experience a gaming crisis.
- What if the studio shut down your game? Your entire universe would end.
- With all of these other games out there, you lose touch
- You consume material more quickly than developers can create it.
- Changes to the game could make you more irritated and cause you to become enmeshed in the drama of the group that views this as the ultimate experience.
Top 10 Best Free MMORPG
Here are some specifics about the finest free MMORPG that you may learn about in this article:
There are many wonderful MMORPGs available for you to play, but if you’ve never played one before, it would be preferable to start with a free one before going on to even more excellent premium ones. Therefore, the following are some of the very most significant free MMORPGs that you absolutely must try if you’ve been meaning to try an MMORPG but are unsure of which one to start with:
1. Guild Wars 2:
Another free MMORPG that you may start your MMORPG experience with is Guild Wars 2. It offers a unique storyline that changes depending on your decisions in the game, which you won’t find in many other games in the genre. The game has all the top features you’d find in other MMORPGs, like character customization, a robust crafting system, and some fantastic PvP and PvP elements.
The video game, set in the mythical land of Tyria, offers players a vast persistent environment to explore on their own or in large groups of close friends. In addition, Guild Wars 2 features a variety of instanced settings crucial to the main plot. They are leveling up in Guild Wars 2 is much more fun than in World of Warcraft, which may occasionally feel like a slog. This is because of the game’s exciting action-based system. Anyone who dislikes the tediousness of leveling up in other MMORPGs should play this game.
2. XIV: Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy XIV, sometimes known as FFXIV, received a mixed reception when it was first released in 2010 and was roundly condemned by critics. The game, which had been completely discontinued, returned triumphantly as A Realm Reborn in the summer of 2013 after undergoing a comprehensive makeover.
With four expansions to complete, the FFXIV plot is a key component of the experience and is packed with lore. Players are allowed fundamental character freedoms in the incredibly immersive world of Eorzea, including the flexibility to swap between the 18 jobs and classes as they see fit.
Although the game is buy-to-play and needs a subscription, new players can get started with one of the most significant free trials available, allowing you to play up to level 60 (the maximum level cap as of Endwalker’s release is 90). Although there are opportunities for PvP players, it is well known in the community that PVE material is the main focus.
There is no better time than now to start playing Final Fantasy XIV because of its gorgeous music and art style.
3. Game of Warcraft:
In addition to FFXIV, World of Warcraft may be one of the most well-known MMORPGs on this list. It was first released back in 2004. It still draws fans from around the world today and includes some of the most recognizable video game characters, including Tyrande Whisperwind, Sylvanas Windrunner, and Anduin Wrynn. The eight total expansions immerse players in a high fantasy setting as they engage in epic dungeons and tales, raids, open-world PvP, duels, and battlegrounds.
Compared to Final Fantasy 14, World of Warcraft’s free trial is substantially shorter. It only allows users to play through the first 20 levels (the level cap is 60), with each character being bound to the specific class you choose. Despite this, the class designs in World of Warcraft are undoubtedly some of the best in gaming. Each class has a separate specialization to specialize in, and this radically alters how each of the game’s 12 types plays.
Casual gamers will still have a ball exploring the realm and unraveling the mysteries of Azeroth and the worlds beyond, even though WoW leans towards catering to players who have tonnes of free time to grind through its staggering amount of currencies, reputations, and other prerequisites. There is no better time to put on your armor and march into battle than as one expansion concludes and as another one is on the horizon.
4. Locked Ark:
In 2019, Lost Ark, a fantasy-based MMORPG by Tripod Studios and Smilegate RPG, was published for South Korea only. When Amazon released the game to the rest of the world in 2022, it immediately impacted the gaming industry.
Within 24 hours after its debut, the game surpassed all others in Steam usage. Although exploration is the game’s main focus, player vs. environment gameplay is also present in Lost Ark, along with PvP features that are popular with players.
A vast open world with seven distinct continents is available in the game for players to explore and complete numerous objectives and fights. In every MMORPG, character customization is a crucial component, and Lost Ark is no exception. Players can choose from five classes in the game and then enhance their skills to match their unique preferences.
The free-to-play game by Smilegate received favorable reviews from critics and won several prizes in 2019. Unquestionably, one of the best MMORPG options available is Lost, Ark.
5. Rift:
Who says you have to reinvent the wheel to create a top-notch MMORPG? The Trion Worlds Rift’s base version looks and plays exactly like World of Warcraft.
When it was first released in 2011, the game was one of the most solid and comprehensive MMOs, including fantastic scenery, exquisitely rendered character models, and gameplay modeled after some of the best features of other games in the genre.
Although the game’s missions and story are dull at first, they get more engaging when you start to close down intermittent dimensional breaches that cause a rush of demonic creatures to swarm the game’s enormous landscapes.
The Rift’s adaptable and immersive classroom system is its most vital feature. One of the two competing factions, Guardians or Defiant, then one of the six available races and a basic build like Wizard, Thief, Priest, or Warrior.
Players can deal with three souls at once, which act as subclasses and let them build a more complex skill tree for their character.
With this much flexibility, the game becomes more strategic, and the cooperative dungeons that go along with it become much more dynamic and captivating. Even beyond level 50, the learning curve is sharp, yet the novelty is still present.
In 2013, Rift was made a free MMORPG, but in 2016, it received a premium expansion dubbed Starfall Prophecy that added new content that free users couldn’t access.
Later, it was given a new name—the Ahnket Prophecy—and was set free once more. The game has advanced since then and received more updates, including unique packages on crashes and combat passes.
6. MapleStory 2:
Another excellent MMORPG is MapleStory 2, which sets itself apart from competitors in the field with its unique low-poly graphics and vibrant color scheme. Like most MMORPGs, MapleStory 2 enables players to interact with players from all over the world while exploring a sizable open world with their customized characters.
The game also offers players a wide variety of mini-games, some of which are created by other players using the in-game editor, which distinguishes it from the other video games on this list. Additionally, despite the comical aesthetic of the games, MapleStory 2 contains an engaging plot that will take you on an epic adventure with fantastic boss fights, a variety of side objectives, and a crafting system that is crucial to the game’s overall progress.
7. Lord of the Rings Online:
Fans of JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings Universe and medieval fantasy enthusiasts should check out The Lord of the Rings Online, an MMORPG set in the exquisitely detailed LOTR universe. Players are taken on a perilous adventure across Middle Earth in the video game. They fight with well-known book characters and explore locations made famous by the film series.
Lord of the Rings Online is very similar to the other MMORPGs on our list, with one minor gameplay exception. All gaming characters in LOTR Online are on the same team, indicating no significant PvP opportunities. Instead, there is a Monster Play option in the video game where players can build a monster with a level ten and engage in combat with other players in the Ettenmoor territory.
8. The Elder Scrolls Online:
The Elder Scrolls Online is the best option if you want to play with others in one of the most recognizable story-driven RPG series. Since the game’s release, creator ZeniMax has allowed players to explore ever-larger portions of Tamriel. There is something here for everyone, with all the bells and whistles one would expect from an Elder Scrolls game, from the Khajiit race to an intense plot to unravel alongside groups like The Dark Brotherhood.
It’s fantastic to see places from the series like Morrowind and others converted into a more contemporary graphic style than they seemed in their original games, even though the graphics style may have slightly dated the game.
ESO’s combat isn’t entirely tab-targeting, unlike FFXIV and World of Warcraft, and it has elements that offer you a little bit more player agency and control over your actions. You have complete freedom to run around the battlefield and shoot, just as in the mainstream games. If you press the attack button for a more extended time, you can unleash a powerful assault or stop an incoming attack from your foes.
With fantastic housing options for players and the flexibility to customize the game’s classes to your particular preferences (want a fighter that can cast spells? You can create a persona that is special to you. In addition, PvP is used differently in The Elder Scrolls Online than in many other MMORPGs. Although optional, Alliance Wars, in which three groups engage in massive conflicts for power in the recognizable Cyrodiil, immediately ties it into the main plot.
9. RuneScape:
RuneScape, which debuted as a browser game in 2001, has grown to become the world’s biggest and most active free MMORPG. The regions are divided into many kingdoms and cities based on the medieval fantasy world of Gielinor. Players can travel on foot, with charter ships, and even with magical spells.
RuneScape doesn’t have a predetermined plot like other MMOs and lets players create their aims and goals for the game. Every area features different monsters, tasks, and obstacles players must overcome to advance the plot. By completing objectives and earning experience points, players can improve their characters’ skills.
Nearly every week, the developers add new tasks and events, keeping veteran players interested in discovering new areas of the game. One of the most user-friendly games in this category is RuneScape. After a few hours of slogging, players advance swiftly in the game.
10. Blade & Soul:
Blade & Soul, a Korean fantasy martial arts MMORPG, stands out from the other titles on our list thanks to its unique combat system. The martial arts-inspired fighting in the game makes it significantly more complex than any other game on our list, requiring players to be constantly alert while blocking, countering, and executing combo chains to defeat adversaries.
You can personalize your character in the game using one of the ten classes and one of the four unique races available. Additionally, Blade & Soul offers a variety of PvE dungeons where you must cooperate with other players to defeat bosses and PvP skirmishes where you can test your fighting prowess against other players. For a unique MMORPG experience that you won’t find anywhere else, check out Blade & Soul.
