Best MMO Games 2023

Have you ever wondered what goes into making a truly great MMO? Is it world design, fun gameplay, powerful rewards, or player collaboration?

If we had to wager, every component plays an equally important role in keeping players engaged and signing in day after day.

In this list, we’ll try to get to the heart of the answer by highlighting the best MMO games on Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.

To see more gaming recommendations, reach out on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube, and let us know what lists you would like to see in the future!

Related:Best MMOs For Solo PlayersBest Multiplayer Games 2023Best Free PC Games 2023

Developed and published by NCSOFT, Blade & Soul has amassed an exhaustive amount of story content in the decade-plus since it was released.

Players can work their way through Blade & Soul’s extensive quests at their own pace while mastering a fun and fast-paced PvE combat system.

This includes taking on instanced dungeons and limited-time seasonal events that help break up the sometimes monotonous grind found in many MMOs.

Furthermore, it features one of the most robust in-game character creators, allowing you to make stunningly detailed and personalized avatars.

Another MMORPG worth checking out is Lost Ark, which invites players to explore new lands, discover powerful rewards, and hone their skills in battle.

Lost Ark’s combat is very fluid, fast-paced, and like many MMOs, has an overall hack and slash feel across its many weapons and classes.

Furthermore, the game supports a wide range of playstyles, so there’s a good chance you’ll find at least one class that meshes with your own.

Last but not least, Lost Ark is packed with hundreds of hours worth of content with an endgame grind that will keep you busy for quite a while.

Final Fantasy XIV is often credited for reviving the MMO genre due to its balanced approach to storytelling, gameplay, and graphics.

Additional updates have continued to expand the game’s world while introducing new systems and events like fishing raids, city restoration projects, and other variants.

The latest Endwalker expansion also takes the story to another level with higher stakes, compelling characters, and new jobs.

While FF14’s endgame crafting can feel a bit tedious, the amount of detail and variety in the game’s world will keep you entertained for hours to come.

Black Desert Online takes a much more open-ended approach to progression than other MMOs that lends itself to solo play.

This is attributed to “life skills,” sets of core activities that include basic things like farming, fishing, and hunting as well as more complex alchemy and sailing.

Players are free to focus on the life skills that are most relevant to their playstyle, with new careers becoming available based on your proficiency in a given area.

The game’s PVP offerings are just as varied, with weekly guild wars pitting teams against each other for special rewards.

A notable entry in a long line of Star Wars games, The Old Republic is a beloved MMORPG that stands out for its unique class-based storytelling.

Considering there are eight in total, with each one offering some degree of excitement, there’s a great deal of variety when it comes to storytelling.

This aspect of the game has only gotten better with time as BioWare continues to pump out new content via substantially-sized expansion packs.

The most recent Legacy of the Sith update adds a bevy of story content while increasing the player level cap to 80.

Our next recommendation is another BioWare classic that has stood the test of time and continues to thrive thanks to a healthy community of modders.

Originally released in 2002, Neverwinter Nights is a long-standing MMORPG based on the D&D ruleset with support for custom campaigns.

While it’s best enjoyed as a multiplayer experience, solo players will find more than enough content to explore at their own pace.

We suggest MMO fans pick up the Enhanced Edition, which introduces new UI features and bug fixes to included content from Neverwinter Diamond Edition.

Another game that does an excellent job of using its DLC expansions to tell self-contained stories is The Elder Scrolls Online.

This makes it an must-play for anyone fascinated by Elder Scrolls’ lore that wants to experience pivotal moments in the series via fully voice-acted quests.

And if that’s not enough to get you hooked, ESO also features PVP battles, the option to design your own home, and open-ended exploration.

Grinding is not as bad as previous years thanks to the One Tamriel update that introduced level-scaling for a more welcoming and accessible experience.

The fact that The Lord of the Rings Online manages to appeal to hardcore fans of Middle-earth while still being accessible to newcomers is quite impressive.

The game continues to be updated and expanded with new features and structural changes, including a switch from a subscription-based model to free-to-play in 2010. 

While it’s admittedly grown long in the tooth by today’s standards, LOTR Online offers many of the activities one would expect from a modern MMO.

This includes crafting, home decoration, and a unique take on PvP that sees one person taking on the role of orcs, wargs, and Sauron’s other minions. 

It seems that no matter how hard a new game tries to steal World of Warcraft’s shine, it’s never enough to dethrone Blizzard’s long-running MMO.

Having solidified its presence in the cultural gaming zeitgeist along with the deep pockets of its creator, it’s safe to say WoW isn’t going away anytime soon.

From feature updates to massive expansions that add new areas, class-specific challenges, and daily quests, Blizzard always finds a new way to reel players back in.

The best part is it’s not as time-consuming as many of the other MMOs on this list, requiring as much or as little of an investment as you desire.

Whether you’re a fan of new or old school RuneScape, there’s something to be said about an MMO released in 2001 that can still pull in millions of players to this day.

This can be ascribed to RuneScape’s enduring design and continual updates that bring in fresh material and enhancements to improve quality of experience.

The game employs an open-ended approach to its quest structure and overall progression, letting you focus on the activities you enjoy most.

This affords a great deal of flexibility to build characters with hyper-specific skills or spread yourself thin across multiple specializations.

Guild Wars 2 manages to separate itself from MMO giants like World of Warcraft by approaching the genre from a fresh perspective.

In favor of a subscription model, the game is free to play and includes a surprising amount of content without any additional fees.

The world is designed to feel alive and react to your decisions in meaningful ways, ranging from visual changes in the world to new questlines becoming available.

In many ways, this makes Guild Wars 2 play more like a single-player RPG with all of the features and community-based interactions of an MMO.

Trove is a unique sandbox-MMO hybrid with vibrant voxel-based graphics reminiscent of games like Roblox and Minecraft.

While it may not feature as many creation tools as either of those titles, you can build an in-game home and fill it with various decorations, crafting stations, and portals.

There’s also a wide range of character classes to level up and unlock cool perks for like ridable mounts and enhanced player customization.

When you consider that Trove is free to play, the amount of content you get by default is pretty staggering as far as MMOs are concerned.

As far as space MMOs are concerned, EVE Online is one of the most immersive experiences the genre has to offer.

This can be attributed to developer CCP’s decision to focus on just a few key elements rather than trying to make some grand, all-encompassing MMO.

EVE Online keeps the community at the focus every step of the way while still being meticulous in how it approaches things like its player-driven in-game economy.

There’s depth to practically every aspect of the game, from massive space battles to diplomatic relations between corporations and alliances.

Even those who don’t consider themselves a Star Trek nerd would benefit from checking out Cryptic Studios’ MMO-take on the property.

Part shooter, part space-piloting game, Star Trek Online offers a ton of gameplay variety that’s made even better by the sci-fi universe it’s set in. 

You’ll encounter spaceships, alien species, and space hazards based on that of the films and movies, along with plenty of fan service as well.

The best part is how wonderfully it’s executed in-game, proving that any property can work as an MMO with the right approach. 

Anyone tired of the MMO loop of having to grind an entirely new character just to explore a different class will find solace in Albion Online.

The game sells itself on its unique “classless” progression system where players are free to swap between abilities based on items they’ve equipped.

This pairs nicely with Albion Online’s content, which sees players establishing their own island to spend in-game days farming, fishing, and tending to the land.

Getting the best gear will take a lot of work but if you’re easily entertained just by leveling and crafting, you should have a lot of fun along the way.

Rift is another legendary MMORPG with about a decade under its belt that continues to cater to both solo and group-minded players.

This fantasy-inspired MMO puts a Lovecraftian twist on its setting by having you defend the world of Telara from otherworldly enemies pouring in from different elemental rifts.

After creating a character according to six different races, you’ll join a faction and embark on a challenging adventure with rewards for improving skills and equipment.

You’ll find leveling up your character solo is relatively easy in Rift compared to other MMOs but the downside is that dungeons and raids require a squad to tackle.

While PlanetSide 2 may be far removed from its glory days there was a time where it was considered one of the best free-to-play MMO shooters around.

Set on a single connected world entangled in constant war, you play as a soldier tasked with pushing back rival factions and gaining control over the planet Auraxis.

It plays mostly like a reimagining of the first PlanetSide with some slight improvements regarding population sizes and gameplay balancing.

Although the player counts aren’t as high as they once were, PlanetSide 2 has quietly been making a comeback following the release of the Escalation update.