The Elder Scrolls Online – MMORPG
| Platform | PC, PS4, Xbox One |
| Release | 04.04.2014 |
| Business Model | Buy2Play |
| Setting | Fantasy (Elder Scrolls) |
| What is special about ESO? | ESO is like Skyrim, not WoW |
| Download for the game | To the official ESO website |
What is ESO? The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) is an online role-playing game in the world of the Elder Scrolls series. So if you like Skyrim and the like, you will feel at home here quickly. The game offers only 5 classes, but the typical 10 Elder Scrolls races like Khajiit, Argonians, and Redguards.
Thanks to a free skill system, you can develop your class in many ways. Additionally, there is an expansion every year with more story and new regions. In 2019, this is Elsweyr. The expansion about the Khajiit and dragons is considered so far the best expansion of ESO.
What are the special features of ESO?
- A well-told story guides you skillfully through the regions
- Grand atmosphere! Other players are hardly distinguishable from NPCs and there are countless emotes and animation sets for role players. You can appear as a proud commander, a nasty killer, or a drunken fool, among others.
- Every dungeon and raid has a story
- There are plenty of books in the game that delve deeper into the lore
- Regularly new stories and content in quarterly expansions
Ideal for: The Elder Scrolls Online offers you a unique, vibrant fantasy world, just like you know from the regular Elder Scrolls games like Skyrim or Oblivion. Fans of these games will feel right at home.
In addition, there is a complex crafting system and new content every three months, including a major expansion every year. A continuous story is told, which weaves further with each update.
Is there a catch? One should not expect a classic MMORPG like World of Warcraft here, but more of a Skyrim Online. The endgame starts right at the beginning of the game, and as the game world is always scaled, there is no classic MMORPG progression where you noticeably get stronger with each level.
Black Desert Online – MMORPG
| Platform | PC, Xbox One |
| Release | 03.03.2016 |
| Business Model | Buy2Play |
| Setting | Fantasy |
| What is special about Black Desert? | Why is Black Desert booming when it feels “dead” to us? |
| Download the game | Go to the official website of Black Desert Online |
What is Black Desert? Black Desert Online is an MMORPG from South Korea. It impresses mainly with its phenomenal graphics and the extremely powerful character editor. With it, you can create true dream heroes. Black Desert also offers a fun action combat system, making the big grind all the more enjoyable.
What are the special features of Black Desert?
- A huge open world full of diverse regions to explore
- Loads of live skills such as milking cows, fishing, pet breeding, and cooking
- Complex economic simulation with supply chains and lucrative markets far away.
- Acquire crafting businesses and farms in cities and trade with the products.
- You can buy prefabricated houses and furnish them as you please
- There is a friendship system that allows you to befriend NPCs and receive special quests or offers.
Ideal for: Black Desert Online offers a large, engaged community and can also be played on Steam. Additionally, it features an extremely well-executed combat system that makes the big grind and exciting PvP battles all the more enjoyable.
If you don’t fancy typical theme park content like raids and dungeons, this is also the right place for you. The sandbox is not disturbed by instances.
Is there a catch? Black Desert is anything but beginner-friendly. Without guides or players to explain everything to you, you won’t get far at first.
EVE Online – MMORPG
| Platform | PC |
| Release | 06.05.2003 |
| Business Model | Free2Play with limitations, otherwise subscription |
| Setting | SciFi |
| What is special about EVE Online? | In EVE Online, there are intrigues like in Game of Thrones! |
| Download for the game | To the official EVE Online website |
What is EVE Online? EVE Online is a sandbox MMORPG where you control a space pilot in their spaceship. The game allows you to choose what you do. You can mine minerals, transport goods, or go to war for your guild against other player associations.
The entire politics and the great powers in the game are controlled by players. As a result, there are constant crises, conflicts, and massive escalations.
What are the special features of Eve Online?
- A whole galaxy as an open world filled with other players
- Almost everything you buy in the game is crafted by players
- The political factions are firmly in the hands of players. Galactic politics are therefore constantly changing.
- Since all politics are in player hands, there are always quirky situations and conflicts. It’s never boring in the EVE universe.
- Players can do all sorts of things with their spaceships: mining, exploring, pirating, mercenary…
Ideal for: EVE Online is ideal for you if meta-gaming is very important to you, you are not afraid to delve into complex systems, and you enjoy communicating with other players via voice services like Discord.
EVE Online offers something for bounty hunters, collectors, and researchers and is one of the largest sandbox games on the market.
Is there a catch? Newbies who do not seek help tend to drop out quickly, but if you join an alliance, you won’t be able to escape the game.
Conan Exiles – Survival MMO
| Platform | PC, Xbox One, PS4 |
| Release | 05/08/2018 |
| Business model | Buy2Play |
| Setting | Dark Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery |
| How Conan Exiles has improved | What has changed in Conan Exiles |
| Download the game | Visit the official Conan Exiles website |
What is Conan Exiles? Conan Exiles is a survival game for adults in the desert Sword & Sorcery world of Conan the Barbarian. True to the source material, things can get quite rough here. Your hero is nailed to a cross naked due to some crimes and left in the desert.
There, Conan himself frees you, and you must manage on your own from then on. Create shelters, clothing, and weapons to tackle animals, monsters, barbarians, and other players. In addition to the desert, there is a snowy area, a volcano, and a deadly swamp.
What are the special features of Conan Exiles?
- Brutal survival struggle! You start practically naked and everything wants to get you!
- Those who become too strong will eventually be attacked by NPC barbarians
- You can catch NPCs, enslave them, make them work for you or sacrifice them to the gods
- Those who serve their god fervently can summon a gigantic avatar that will then annihilate your enemies
- With enough patience and will to survive, you can build fortresses and powerful steel weapons or raise an army of slaves
- With siege machines, you can fight the fortresses of other players
- You can join other players to form clans
- A dark fantasy world full of mysteries awaits exploration
Ideal for: Conan Exiles is primarily targeted at players who are not interested in polished standard fantasy. It is raw and gritty here. Enemies are chopped to pieces, and the game does not hold back on nudity.
In addition, there is a decent portion of exploration and story, as there are tons of ancient ruins and caves full of dark secrets. Dangerous bosses await you, ideally to be approached in a group. Fans of Conan and dark sword & sorcery worlds will be completely satisfied here!
Is there a catch? Your slaves are unfortunately quite stupid. Also, there are sometimes annoying bugs, which have been gradually fixed recently and gave Conan Exiles better ratings on Steam. And sensitive souls might be disturbed by the raw violence of the game.
FAQ about the best MMOs
Massively Multiplayer Online Game. The correct label would actually be “multiplayer online games that are maintained and developed as Games as a Service products.” But instead of this monstrous word, “MMO” has taken its place in practice today.
These are games where the focus is clearly on multiplayer.
All players are theoretically connected online – it is a “huge” community. Even if everyone plays in their own little room, the shared lobby is still vast. They are regularly updated by the developers with patches, updates, expansions, DLCs, or even new titles in the franchise to remain relevant, and they are designed that way from the beginning.
Yes, MMORPGs also belong to the MMOs, but that’s not all. Due to these numerous similarities, it makes sense to summarize this type of game under a general term. The term “MMO,” altered by WoW, serves this purpose with various sub-genres like MMORPG, MMO shooter, military MMO, hack and slash with MMO elements. This top list is intended to cover these sub-genres as well as possible so that there is something for every type of player. It is a selection by the editorial team.
No, the list focuses on MMOs for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One platforms. Here you can find the best mobile MMOs on Android and iOS.
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