The 36 Greatest MMOs of All Time

Some of these worlds shut down years ago and still have fans running private servers; others are shipping expansions this year. Nostalgia and endgame grind make strange bedfellows here.

1. 1
   World of Warcraft

   Blizzard's 2004 fantasy MMORPG that took the genre mainstream and peaked at over 12 million subscribers.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Final Fantasy XI

   Square's 2002 MMORPG, the first to let PC and console players share the same servers.
   746pts
3. 3
   Final Fantasy XIV

   Square Enix's MMORPG, rebuilt from a failed 2010 launch into the acclaimed A Realm Reborn and its expansions.
   712pts
4. 4
   RuneScape

   Jagex's browser-born 2001 fantasy MMORPG, one of the most-played free online games ever.
   653pts
5. 5
   Toontown Online

   Disney's 2003 family MMO where players fought corporate robots with cartoon gags, revived by fans after closing.
   653pts
6. 6
   Lost Ark

   Smilegate's isometric action MMORPG, a 2019 hit in Korea whose 2022 Western launch drew over a million concurrent players.
   631pts
7. 7
   Aion

   NCSoft's 2008 MMORPG with flight-based combat and a war between two winged races.
   614pts
8. 8
   Rift

   Trion Worlds' 2011 fantasy MMORPG built around dynamic rifts tearing open across the world.
   614pts
9. 9
   Black Desert Online

   Pearl Abyss's 2015 action MMORPG known for its striking visuals, deep life skills and real-time combat.
   570pts
10. 10
    ArcheAge

    XL Games' 2013 sandbox MMORPG with naval combat, farming and player housing.
    570pts
11. 11
    Warhammer Online

    Mythic's 2008 MMORPG of the Warhammer world, remembered for its public quests and realm-versus-realm war.
    521pts
12. 12
    Albion Online

    Sandbox Interactive's 2017 cross-platform sandbox MMORPG with a fully player-driven economy and full-loot PvP.
    521pts
13. 13
    Star Wars: The Old Republic

    BioWare's 2011 story-driven Star Wars MMORPG with fully voiced class storylines.
    521pts
14. 14
    Star Wars Galaxies

    Sony's 2003 sandbox MMORPG set in the Star Wars universe, loved for its crafting economy and player cities.
    521pts
15. 15
    EVE Online

    CCP's 2003 single-shard space MMO, famous for player-run empires, heists and record-breaking battles.
    466pts
16. 16
    PlanetSide 2

    Daybreak's 2012 massively multiplayer shooter where thousands fight for territory on one continent.
    466pts
17. 17
    Lineage II

    NCSoft's 2003 3D sequel built around clan warfare and large-scale castle sieges.
    466pts
18. 18
    Mabinogi

    Nexon's 2004 life-sim MMORPG of music, cooking and Celtic myth, still beloved by a dedicated community.
    466pts
19. 19
    Asheron's Call

    Turbine's 1999 MMORPG, one of the big three of its era, praised for its seamless world and monthly story updates.
    404pts
20. 20
    City of Heroes

    Cryptic's 2004 superhero MMO with a celebrated character creator, kept alive by fans after its 2012 shutdown.
    404pts
21. 21
    The Elder Scrolls Online

    Bethesda and ZeniMax's 2014 MMORPG set across Tamriel, revived after a rough launch.
    404pts
22. 22
    Anarchy Online

    Funcom's 2001 science-fiction MMORPG and one of the first free-to-play experiments in the genre.
    404pts
23. 23
    Ultima Online

    Richard Garriott's 1997 sandbox MMORPG, the game that popularized the term MMORPG and player-driven worlds.
    333pts
24. 24
    The Lord of the Rings Online

    Turbine's 2007 MMORPG that lets players walk the length of Tolkien's Middle-earth.
    251pts
25. 25
    TERA

    Bluehole's 2011 MMORPG that brought action combat with free aiming to the genre.
    251pts
26. 26
    Tibia

    CipSoft's 1997 top-down German MMORPG, one of the oldest online worlds still running.
    251pts
27. 27
    New World

    Amazon Games' 2021 MMO set on a cursed 17th-century island, which drew over 900,000 players at launch.
    251pts
28. 28
    Old School RuneScape

    The 2013 relaunch of the 2007 version of RuneScape, voted into existence by players and now bigger than its parent.
    251pts
29. 29
    Dark Age of Camelot

    Mythic's 2001 MMORPG that built its endgame around three-realm player-versus-player warfare.
    251pts
30. 30
    EverQuest II

    Sony's 2004 sequel to EverQuest, still running two decades later with yearly expansions.
    251pts
31. 31
    Ragnarok Online

    Gravity's 2002 Korean MMORPG with anime sprites, based on a manhwa and huge across Asia and Latin America.
    155pts
32. 32
    EverQuest

    Sony's 1999 3D fantasy MMORPG, nicknamed EverCrack, that defined raiding and group play for a generation.
    155pts
33. 33
    Guild Wars 2

    ArenaNet's 2012 buy-to-play MMORPG known for dynamic events, world-versus-world battles and no subscription.
    155pts
34. 34
    MapleStory

    Nexon's 2003 side-scrolling free-to-play MMORPG that became a first online world for millions of kids.
    155pts
35. 35
    Meridian 59

    The 1996 pioneer often credited as the first 3D MMORPG, later relaunched as open source.
    155pts
36. 36
    Guild Wars

    ArenaNet's 2005 instanced online RPG that proved an MMO could thrive without a monthly fee.
    0pts

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