Some major MMORPGs approach the topic of housing relatively late or not at all. One genre representative had the feature so early in the game that it even holds a world record.
What does housing mean? Housing refers to the ability for players to own their own house in an MMORPG. Depending on the game, various decorative or useful elements can be placed here. Additionally, other players may be given the opportunity to visit the home created by the player.
While housing is available as a feature in some MMORPGs since their respective launch, others completely forgo the feature. One of the largest MMORPGs of the past decades, World of Warcraft, announced housing as a new feature only after many years.
When delving into the topic, a fundamental question may arise: Which MMORPG actually had the feature first? During our MMORPG theme week, MeinMMO explored this question. We show you in which game you could first engage in housing and in what form it was available.
The first housing existed over 20 years ago
Which MMORPG had housing first? Ultima Online is considered in many ways as one of the pioneers in the MMORPG genre. This also applies to the topic of housing. As early as 2003, you could engage in housing within the game and focus on building and furnishing your own house. The feature was introduced with the “Age of Shadows” expansion.
Thus, Ultima Online is not only a very early representative in which the feature was available, but also a world record holder. On the page of Guinness World Records, there is an entry for the first MMORPG with housing for players.
In this week, you can expect exciting articles every day around the topic of MMORPG. Included: a journey through the history of online role-playing games, nostalgic retrospectives, streaming nights, interviews, columns, and analyses.
Here is the program for the big MMORPG theme week 2025 by MeinMMO
Houses in the open world: What is also interesting is the way housing works in Ultima Online. In many MMORPGs, such as ESO, there is so-called instanced housing. This means that your houses are not found in the open game world, but each player’s house represents its own instance.
If you buy a house in ESO, and your friends purchase the same house, then each player has their own version of that house.
In Ultima Online, however, you can freely place your house in the world. This means that your house is visible to all players in the world who pass by.
Besides Ultima Online and soon WoW, there are of course other MMORPGs where you can acquire and furnish a home. Which genre representatives have implemented the feature best, you can find out in our list of 5 MMORPGs with the best housing in 2025.
