The 2 largest MMORPGs 2026 adjust their release while a competitor retreats to next year

It’s time for our MeinMMO format “MMORPG News in 5 Minutes.” We summarize the most important news about the best genre in the world. You can expect hopeful updates, several delays, and a lot of Sauercrowd.

Highlights of the week:

• Originally, Chrono Odyssey was supposed to be released in 2025. However, the difficult beta led to a rethink among the developers. Now it is clear that the ambitious MMORPG will not be released this year for PC and consoles either.
• A slight delay also applies to ArcheAge Chronicles. The MMORPG successor to ArcheAge is now supposed to be released in the 4th quarter and not the 3rd quarter of 2026 – Source: Publisher Kakao Games in the latest financial report.
• Aion 2 is expected to be released in the 3rd quarter of 2026. On the home market, NCsoft has apparently already achieved measurable successes in the fight against bots, Source: mmorpg.org.pl.
• When he logs into World of Warcraft, he loses a beloved companion. A Warlock should therefore never log back into the game.
• The motivation behind Xal’atath’s actions in World of Warcraft has been a mystery until now. Now we finally know. By the way, some clever World of Warcraft fans have noticed that Xal’atath appeared in Wrath of the Lich King. But only now can it be properly understood.
• “The current endgame formula is extremely boring” – fans are currently discussing a major weakness of current MMORPGs.

What else has happened? The sudden end of Ashes of Creation will echo for a long time. Our MMORPG expert Karsten Scholz addresses in his current assessment whether the MMORPG from Intrepid was indeed – as claimed by some critics – an attempt at fraud from the beginning: Was Ashes of Creation a scam from the start? Everything speaks against it, despite the bitter end.

How dark World of Warcraft is a new cinematic shows, with some horror elements that are really uncomfortable:

Pax Dei assures: I’m fine, I’m not going offline

This is what happened in the big MMORPGs:

• A new shop in World of Warcraft wants your money. This offers housing items that you can’t get otherwise.
• Furthermore, the developers from Blizzard presented the new transmogrification system for WoW, at blizzard.com.
• From February 11 to February 18, 2026, the new world event “Heart Week” is taking place in The Elder Scrolls Online .
• From February 9 to February 23, 2026, the world event “Love is in the Air” is taking place in World of Warcraft.
• The new Demon Hunter in World of Warcraft has a problem because he is incomplete. Almost ironically, the Overwatch version looks better.
• On February 12, Update 3.21.0 for Throne and Liberty was released. Included: the Lunar New Year event, New Year coins, and a host of improvements for daggers, staves, and more. You can find the German patch notes at playthroneandliberty.com. Also, in the latest edition of Tico Talks on YouTube there was a preview of the big April update.
• Also on February 12, the new update for Black Desert went live. Look forward to events Red Sea Bream, Lunar Year, and Valentine’s Day, as well as extensive class adjustments. The German patch notes? At playblackdesert.com.

Since 2014, The Elder Scrolls Online has continued with new content and expansions. The year 2026 could be one of the most important for the MMORPG. In a new YouTube video, MeinMMO explains whether it’s worth getting back into the game.

This is what happened with Sauercrowd this week:

• For the visit to Molten Core, there is now a definitive date for Sauercrowd that will not be postponed. And even more: The guild now has so many players at max level in WoW Hardcore that the leadership is considering two raid groups. However, Metashi emphasizes: they do not want to force this.
• The Twitch streamer Julika “Felikah” is currently getting more viewers on her streams than usual. This is mainly due to her grind in WoW as part of Sauercrowd. MeinMMO introduces you to Felikah here.
• The Sauercrowd deaths are piling up. This week, the Twitch streamer Mowky also fell. Instead of starting another run like others, Mowky ends her journey here.
• The Twitch streamer Maxim Markov is among the players who get to experience World of Warcraft for the first time in the Sauercrowd project. With his unusual playing style, he has gained many new fans in recent weeks. Just before level 60, however, there was an unfortunate encounter…
• NoWay is also part of the Sauercrowd event. Through his time in WoW, he has realized what he missed during his LoL career. He is even considering ending his LoL time.
• When Papaplatte’s hardcore character in WoW Classic passed away, many were sure: The well-known Twitch streamer is out of the Sauercrowd project. What they didn’t expect: the incredible support from the guild.
• The Twitch streamer Pummelfee has been battling (unwillingly) for the title “Worst Player of Sauercrowd” in recent weeks. Now he received a happy ending and respect from the community.
• The Twitch streamer Mahluna is also participating in the WoW project Sauercrowd. A tragic death in the game set her back a step in terms of level 60, but that seemed to be exactly what Mahluna needed.
• Preparations for the first raid in Sauercrowd are in full swing – however now probably without one member of the Bonjwa collective.
• Here you can find almost daily updates on Sauercrowd: The most important highlights of the last days at a glance / All deaths of the last days and their levels at a glance

This is what happened with the small MMORPGs:

• In a letter to the community on playpaxdei.com, the team of Pax Dei explains that there are currently no plans to take the MMORPG offline. Apparently, various fans feared this after Ashes of Creation and New World. On the contrary, they are currently working on various improvements to enhance existing systems and the player experience.
• During the early access phase on Steam, Project: Gorgon flew under the radar of many MMORPG fans despite strong reviews. With the release, that is changing now, but it brings new challenges. New servers are needed!
• Due to the currently noticeably rising number of players, the developers of Tibia announced 3 new worlds for February 18, 2026. You can find the details on tibia.com.
• On February 11, Update 46.2 for Lord of the Rings Online was released. Since February 12, the third level of the new instances has been available. You can find the German patch notes on lotro.com.

More about MMORPGs:

More on the topic

Chrono Odyssey: Release, Beta, Content – Everything Important about the Biggest New MMORPG from 2027

von Karsten Scholz

More on the topic

The 15 MMORPGs with the most players according to official numbers from the developers

von Karsten Scholz

This is what has happened with the MMORPGs in development:

• The new MMORPG Lord of Mysteries is already highly anticipated worldwide. Now the first players were allowed to take a look inside and describe how good the MMORPG really is.
• The MMORPG Epitome is celebrating great success on Kickstarter with strong AI support. 2 weeks before the end of the crowdfunding campaign, it has already reached multiple times the hoped-for amount. More about the game in our list of Kickstarter MMOs.
• In a new financial report, the people in charge of WEMADE stated that the blockchain MMORPGs MIR 5 and NIGHT CROWS 2 are expected to be globally launched this year.
• MapleStory M, the mobile offshoot of MapleStory, is expected to be released soon on Steam. There is already a demo available for download.
• The first test of Fractured Conquest (the revamped version of Fractured Online) is set to take place on February 19. Interested parties can sign up via this link.
• The team of Eterspire has published a roadmap for February to April on Reddit. Planned are among other revisions for combat challenges, bosses, and fishing. Performance is set to improve and new side quests and a guild system are planned.
• The developers of Eternal Tombs have released a preview for 2026 on YouTube. After 7 years of development, the MMORPG is expected to be released early in 2027. Interested parties can register for upcoming tests on eternaltombs.com.

With this, we have summarized the most important things that have happened lately in the world of MMORPGs.

What did you enjoy this week? What frustrated you? Let us know in the comments. If you’re looking for a comprehensive overview of the history of online role-playing games, you’ll find it in this extensive special: The History of MMORPGs – From Habitat to Throne and Liberty, and everything in between