World of Warcraft is – without doubts – the most famous MMORPG game in the world. The abundant Azeroth universe allows us to immerse ourselves in it for plenty of hours. However, sometimes even the most hardcore fans need something another.
Below we would like to present our subjective list of 15 MMOs games like World of Warcraft. In this article the most of our choices will be a free game! If you need a springboard, a fresh look, or you are just curious – take a look at what we have prepared.
Runescape
| Release date: | January 4, 2001 |
Runescape is the classical MMORPG game. Free to play, set in an original, epic fantasy world with magic, swords, warriors, and dragons.
It is impressive, how this production is developed since starts; you can find screenshots on the web with old-school graphic and compare it to modern standards.
Millions of fans appreciate the high complexity of the characters and the great freedom of choice. Traveling the world is a lot of fun, and the adventures awaiting there should satisfy even the most demanding MMO lover.
Age of Conan
| Release date: | May 20, 2008 |
A game with a gloomy, brutal atmosphere, aimed rather at a mature audience. Age of Conan is advertised with a telling slogan – the most savage online game ever. Allows us to throw ourselves completely into the bloody, suffering world, where we will have to cut our way among enemies.
The distinguishing factor is certainly the captivating 3D graphics, which are rather hard to find in other f2p games. Many people indicate catchy music as a big advantage of this production. But I think the most important in the Age of Conan is the possibility to create an alter-ego hero in an alternative world and do what we like to do; build cities, explore treacherous dungeons and take part in epic fights.
Blade and Soul
| Release date: | June 30, 2012 (Korea), January 19, 2016 (Worldwide) |
Korean answer for World of Warcraft is a fantasy MMORPG with an accent on an extensive model of battles based on Far Eastern martial arts.
Very dynamics skirmishes make serious pleasure, the environment is changing during the adventure and we can choose our enemies from a wide range.
Blade and Soul are – like our almost all MMO alternatives – completely free to play. If you like WoW and look for games like WoW – probably this will be really suitable for you!
Path of Exile
| Release date: | October 23, 2013 |
Our next proposition is the well-known game – Path of Exile since October 2013 enjoys unflagging admiration.
In this dark fantasy production we have as many as seven different character classes at our disposal: marauder (strength), ranger (agility), witch (intelligence), duelist (strength / agility), templar (strength / intelligence), shadow (agility / intelligence) and scion (strength / agility / intelligence). Except for it, the Path of Exile has other nice systems, like an innovative passive skill tree or complex, detailed item system.
Guild of Wars
| Release date: | April 28, 2005 |
Guild Wars was a real breakthrough on the market and won many significant awards. Despite the passage of years, it enjoys untiring popularity.
The idea seems a bit hackneyed – after all, how many times can ancient prophecies be fulfilled?
But players love Guild Wars for its high difficulty level, real challenges, well-balanced character development system, and unique atmosphere. What’s more, the whole world of Guild Wars has its own, extensive history, along with a description of the cultures, races present in the game, etc.
Guild Wars is a paid alternative to Wow. Currently, the price is around 40 dollars.
Final Fantasy XIV
| Release date: | September 30, 2010 |
Long, long story – did you know that the first Final Fantasy game has been released in 1987? That’s a few epochs in a game design.
Nevertheless, Final Fantasy XIV is a totally modern, addictive game. You are a warrior of light and must bring back peace for the realm, standing on the brink of destruction. Join over twenty million players and choose your hero from eight unique races, and later … Just have fun. Sitter.
Final Fantasy XIV is a paid game. If we are undecided, we can take advantage of the free trial and see if it is a game for us.
Neverwinter
| Release date: | June 20, 2013 |
Almost all old, classical epic stories, with 2D graphics, was based on a convenient, good Dungeons&Dragons universe.
We have got plenty of examples: Baldurs Gate, Icewind Dale, Planescape: Torment; these are productions that were written with golden letters in the hearts of players.
For me, it has always been a brilliantly designed universe, refined down to the smallest detail. Therefore, it is very good that a full-fledged MMO based on this world has been created. Neverwinter has an engaging combat system and an epic story worthy of the greatest heroes.
It is completely free to play a game.
Star Wars The Old Republic
| Release date: | December 20, 2011 |
The world of Star Wars is probably even more famous than Azeroth.
The timing of the game is set when the two powers – the Galactic Empire and the Sith – are at their decisive moments. It depends on your decisions, who you want to choose, and how will be the future of the whole Galaxy.
It is highly recommended for Star Wars and MMO freaks – that will be probably the best pick for you. There are rather few decent MMO games on the market, similar to WoW, and those set in completely different realities; usually, concept designers select hard fantasy, not science fiction reality. The creators of Star Wars: The Old Republic meet the expectations of players who are more attracted to lightsabers than traditional ones.
Well-built decision system, tons of futuristic weapons, fully voice acted (!) and engaging adventures – all those features make Star Wars: The Old Republic worthy WoW alternative. Which is not without significance, the game is totally free to play.
Warframe
| Release date: | March 25, 2013 |
That third-person MMO shooter is available for all most popular platforms – PC, Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Nintendo Switch.
Warframe is another alternative, where the game action is set up in an unconventional universe.
Full of action gameplay and tons of equipment – that sounds great! Lead one of several races that fight each other, choose the right strategy, decide which weapon you will use as your main weapon and which will only be a booster, then join the war and settle it! Warframe offers us a plethora of various tactics and options, but if you would feel a little lost, do not panic. Game producers prepare a truly professional guide for players, where can find a piece of information about quick starts, the main story of Warframe, and much more.
Adventure in Warframe is available for free, but we can decide to buy additional packs with various improvements.
Black Desert
| Release date: | July 14, 2015 (Korea), March 3, 2016 (Worldwide) |
Of course, we always watch for f2p games, but sometimes it is worth to pay for something.
Several good MMO WoW alternatives are not totally free – we need to pay a bit if we want to try to play. A nice example is a Black Desert online, but I have good news too; we do not need to pay monthly for subscriptions; just once, like a normal RPG game and we have access to the game.
Black Desert looks like highly inspired by sandbox-RPG games – but that is an only inspiration, not a meaningless tracing paper. We have here almost all which we can expect from a good, similar to World of Warcraft, game; chirpy gameplay, constantly changing community, and game-inside guilds. Black Desert provokes us to make intellectual efforts because we need to decide who should be our enemy, where we should try to find and alliances, and what strategy will be the best for us.
If you want to have a little break from wow, try Black Desert Online!
The Elder Scrolls Online
| Release date: |
I’m a huge fan of Morrowind, which I consider to be one of the best RPGs ever.
Oblivion was a bit worse, Skyrim was bearable, but all that didn’t change one fact; the world of The Elder Scrolls has always been thrilling and attention-grabbing. You still and still wanted to see it and get to know it.
In my opinion, Elder Scrolls Online has always had the greatest potential to break Wow’s hegemony and become a standalone MMO ruler. Unfortunately, this has not happened and ESO can only be an alternative.
Which does not change the fact that it is still a very good game. We can choose from a mass of different races, well-known to all Bethesda fans, such as the Argonians, Redgards, and Bretons. Wonderful graphics and varied scenery make it easy to fall in love and get involved in the game world for long hours. The dynamic combat system offers great opportunities; we can attack treacherously, move into a general fight, or throw powerful spells.
Most players should try to enter the world of The Elders Scrolls at least once – it can be the funniest adventure for them!
Albion Online
| Release date: | July 17, 2017 |
Albion is a classic, but out of the box MMO RPG game that will surely appeal to all fans of traditional RPGs.
We have no restrictions in the form of character classes, so we are not doomed to choose one path among the common “warrior”, “mage”, “thief”. Instead, we can experiment to create a hero that suits us, with a variety of characteristics.
Fighting is an important part of Albion – we can even take part in exciting guild wars. But that’s not all, because the economy has also been put in the hands of the player! You can be farming, hunting, trading, armoring, and many other typical sandbox MMO professions.
The multitude of options is very impressive, because thanks to good management, we can build a whole city from one house! We will choose its character, whether it will be military, residential or industrial. It is not common in MMO games to successfully combine strategy with action RPG.
Skyforge
| Release date: | July 16, 2015 (PC) |
That is another wow alternative, set up in the science fiction world.
You are an immortal, one of the defenders of your planet Aelion. It will depend on your decisions whether you can protect the house from the coming invasion.
What’s revolutionary, in Skyforge you are not permanently tied to one character class – you can freely change them during the game. The refined combat system draws you in and does not let you tear yourself away from the screen. At first glance, Skyforge is designed to be engaging and entertaining – and it does the job perfectly.
Important note – Skyforge is completely free to play. If you want to see to how it looks like, do not hesitate – just go to an internet website and check.
Gloria Victis
| Release date: | February 7, 2023 (Full Release) |
Set in a medieval, alternative universe with low fantasy elements, Gloria Victis is an interesting MMO game, refined on many levels.
A well-thought-out, open world with a dynamic weather system immediately draws attention, which allows you to experience the game phenomenally. We won’t experience loading screens here, and NPCs actively react to external conditions, for example by going home to rest when dusk falls.
Strongly developed crafting will satisfy even the most demanding players. A satisfactory selection of weapons means that everyone will find something for themselves, be it a ranged weapon, a halberd, or a traditional sword. The convention-breaking fight with an innovative aiming system is definitely a very interesting issue, worth considering.
The omnipresent freedom makes you want to plunge into the world and create your character who can really become whoever he wants – a mighty baron, managing his estate, or an outlaw who knows no mercy.
New World
| Release date: | September 28, 2021 |
The last of our alternatives to WoW is a game that hasn’t even been officially released yet. New World was supposed to launch in 2020 but was postponed to spring 2021.
Set in the seventeenth century, it will offer players a fictional colonization land set in the Atlantic Ocean. The first trailers and gameplays from the early versions look really stunning.
According to the announcement, the game will be successive all those elements that are to have a decent MMORPG. We will be able to join rival factions in a sandbox mode and fight other players or fight various monsters.
It is difficult to say at this point which of the announcements will turn out to be the reality. Anyway, the game scheduled for 2021 by Amazon Game Studios may turn out to be a real revolution and a great, modern 3D alternative to Wow.
