We’re almost half way through 2023 – and with 2024 right around the corner, we have an enormous selection of MMOs on the immediate horizon. Most notable are the titles built using Unreal Engine 5 – potentially bringing us some of the most stunning, genre-defining games of this generation.
The “WoW” of the 2020s as it were. Much like Final Fantasy XIV in the 2010s.
But let’s not waste time – and jump right into the selection of games we have coming over the course of 2023 and 2024.

Throne & Liberty is an open-world upcoming hybrid action MMORPG developed by NCSoft and published by Amazon Game Studios.
Throne & Liberty will be releasing on to PC and console, completely cross-platform compatible, with Korean players confirming it’s playable via the Purple Platform, providing access to mobile players interested.
Throne & Liberty will be releasing in 2023.

Dune: Awakening is an ambitious open-world action survival MMO, much in the same vein as Conan Exiles, developed by Nukklear, and published by Funcom.
Dune: Awakening is launching fully cross-platform on PC and consoles.
According to various sources online, Dune: Awakening will be releasing into Early Access at some point in late 2023 or early 2024, with test phases coming very soon.

World of Jade Dynasty is an open-world hybrid action MMORPG developed and published by Perfect World Entertainment.
World of Jade Dynasty is confirmed to feature full cross-platform functionality, releasing on to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series.
World of Jade Dynasty doesn’t have a confirmed 2023 release date, but is speculated to release after Perfect New World, likely in early to mid 2024.

Pax Dei is an action social sandbox MMORPG developed and published by Mainframe Industries, with a team comprised of ex-EVE Online developers.
Pax Dei is being developed as a cloud-native title, meaning that it will be fully cross-platform compatible between PC, mobile and consoles.
Pax Dei is currently in the process of Alpha testing, with Beta tests coming soon.

Soulframe is an enormous open-world action MMORPG developed and published by Digital Extremes, the same studio behind the popular Warframe action game.
Unlike Warframe, which is available on all major platforms, Soulframe is at present slated to remain a PC exclusive. Which could change between now and its release.
Soulframe is speculated to release at some point in 2024 to 2025.

Ashes of Creation is an open-world hybrid action MMORPG developed and published by Intrepid Studios.
Ashes of Creation is a PC exclusive MMO as of 2023, with no signs of cross-platform functionality at this time.
Ashes of Creation has been in active development for 8 years, with Alpha testing currently ongoing, and a speculated release date of 2024 – if the internet is to be believed.

Night Crows is an open-world tab-target MMORPG developed and published by WEMADE.
Night Crows is currently released in South Korea, with a release date slated for Global players later in the year.
Night Crows is released in Korea on PC and mobile, completely cross-platform, with Global receiving the game on the same platforms.

PIONER is an open-world survival action MMORPG developed by GFA Games.
PIONER has confirmed full cross-play functionality between PC and PlayStation platforms, incorporating third-person action and shooter elements.
PIONER has a confirmed release date in 2023, although given we’re approaching the middle of the year, it’s likely to see a release in the second half of 2023.

Chrono Odyssey is an open-world action MMO, developed by Gameplex and published by NPIXEL.
Unlike NPIXEL’s singular other MMO, GRAN SAGA – a mobile and PC cross-platform title, Chrono Odyssey will be releasing on to PC and console, with full cross-play functionality disregarding mobile entirely.
Chrono Odyssey is expected to release at some point in 2024.

Legend of Ymir is an open-world MMORPG developed and published by WEMADE.
It is currently unconfirmed specifically what type of combat style it will utilize, however, Legend of Ymir will be releasing cross-platform across both PC and mobile.
Legend of Ymir will be releasing at some point in 2023.

Perfect New World is an open-world hybrid action MMORPG developed and published by Iron Core Game Studios.
Perfect New World is going to feature full cross-platform functionality between PC and consoles, disconnected from any and all mobile ports of the game.
Perfect New World is confirmed to be releasing in 2023. Likely the second half.

Nightingale is an open-world survival action MMO that was originally developed as an MMO but has undergone a multitude of changes, moving away from the “massively multiplayer” aspect of the game yet retaining a degree of MMO-functionality.
Nightingale is developed by and published by Inflexion Games, with a release slated for PC exclusively.
Nightingale will be releasing very soon – as it was confirmed to have a “first-half of 2023” release date.

Bellatores is an open-world action MMORPG developed and published by NYOU.
Bellatores is confirmed to be a PC exclusive MMORPG, despite the studio having an extensive history with mobile games.
Bellatores was scheduled to release in 2022, but after making alterations to the game, have decided to push the release date back to some point in 2023.

ArcheAge 2 is the spiritual successor to the popular ArcheAge MMO, developed by XLGames and published by Kakao Games, featuring a large open world and full action combat.
Unlike ArcheAge, which was a PC exclusive with multiple mobile spin-offs, ArcheAge 2 will be releasing on to PC and console – PlayStation and Xbox both.
ArcheAge 2 is confirmed to be releasing in 2024.

Into The Echo is an open-world action MMORPG developed and published by Etlok Studios.
Into The Echo will be releasing fully cross-platform between PC and console, although not next-gen consoles like PS5 and Xbox series, instead, the PS4 and Xbox one.
Into The Echo is already holding test phases, with a release date slated for some point towards the end of 2023, beginning of 2024.

ARK 2 is an open-world action survival MMO developed by Grove Street Games and published by Studio Wildcard.
Much like its predecessor, ARK 2 will be releasing on to PC and console platforms, but as an Xbox exclusive due to their exclusivity deal with Microsoft.
ARK 2 is confirmed to be releasing in 2024, after suffering several delays.

And that’s everything. Every Unreal Engine 5 powered MMO on the horizon over the next year. Hopefully you have a few new titles to look forward to

The Day Before is an open-world survival action MMO developed and published by Fntastic – and I use the term “developed and published” very loosely here, given its history and the drama surrounding it.
The Day Before features full cross-platform functionality between PC and console.
Unfortunately, due to the drama the studio is embroiled within, it’s unconfirmed specifically when the game will release. It was supposed to launch in 2023, for reference.

I’m genuinely shocked that we’re already about to enter into February, 2023. I remember the New Year almost like it was just yesterday.
With a new month, comes new releases, new Alpha tests, new Beta tests, and most importantly: New announcements. We all love whenever a new MMO is announced. We then get to spend the next 5 years hoping they provide us a release date, and the 5 preceding the release date announcement wondering why it keeps getting delayed.
Jokes aside, new MMO releases, whether by large companies or indie is proof the genre isn’t dead. And that’s a win for all of us.
With this in mind, I’d like to present to all of you the MMOs that will be launching in some capacity next month, February 2023. Honestly it isn’t looking to be a bad month.

Last month, Bandai Namco confirmed that they would be holding a Closed Beta running January 14th through the 16th, allowing for 50,000 participants. However, after running in to a serious, game breaking bug, the Beta test phase was delayed from January to February.
Closed Beta registration is still currently open and available, meaning if you want the chance to play this Beta test next month.. this is your one single opportunity.
Blue Protocol is an action-combat Anime MMO developed and published by Bandai Namco – one of the only true, AAA budget MMOs released in years releasing exclusively on PC, with potential console plans down the line.
Unfortunately we do not possess an exact release date for the final Beta test, but it is 100% coming in February. Likely the first or second week.

Tarisland is a brand new MMORPG that takes inspiration from World of Warcraft. And when I use the term “takes inspiration from,” I mean is legitimately a copy>paste of classes, races, animations, entire regions, NPCs, events that took place in WoW lore.
I don’t think I’ve ever quite seen an MMO rip as much as Tarisland has, but this is an MMO coming directly from Tencent, one of China’s largest tech companies, so is it really such a shock to expect a lack of originality in their game?
Now disregarding the blatant copy of a game this ultimately is, I will note graphically it looks absolutely gorgeous. I feel like some of the UI and animations are a little stiff – and feel very mobile.
But this is Tencent’s attempt at taking advantage of the MMO market now that Blizz and WoW are no longer going to be published in China, and what better way to monopolize on the market than to make it cross-platform compatible between PC and Mobile, right?
Pre-registration is currently open for the game with Beta testing to begin almost immediately. Meaning if you navigate on over and pre-register, there’s a chance you could play this in the next few weeks.

Fractured is an MMO with a troubled history. Initially, I was excited for the game. I got to play the Alpha test and admittedly had some fun. It went deep into heavy development for years before emerging recently under Gamigo as the official publisher.
At that moment, they received a lot of negative feedback as Gamigo is where MMOs go to die while players continue to be milked indefinitely until each game’s respective server closure. However, towards the end of 2022, the Fractured devs and Gamigo split.
Gamigo actually lost several of their games and even went as far as shuttering the Aeria Games studio. With their parting though came new opportunities: Now they can publish the MMO themselves, without Gamigo ruining any chance they had.
And they expect to have their servers fully online at some point in early February, according to the studio, who stated “we won’t be offline for long after the 31st of January.” If you’ve been meaning to try the game out, now’s your chance to! They’re finally free of the shackles that bound them!

I’m sure some of you recall TitanReach. It was an MMO that I covered, where I went on to state how horrendous it was, how poorly handled everything was and ultimately how the game wouldn’t make it past its crowdfunding, shutting down before long. And that all came to pass.
Then, out of the ashes came a revived project utilizing the same name. I was approached by this new indie studio in an effort to do a dedicated video on it and promote the Kickstarter they plan on opening….. but when have you guys known me to actively be interested in scamming our community? Right. There’s no way I could do that.
And while I cannot in good faith promote the game right now OR its crowdfunding, that doesn’t mean I won’t include it in a list like this because that would be entirely biased.
The Kickstarter has since launched, and has $3k backed out of the $100k they’re looking to raise. Yes, like all indie MMOs, they’re asking for $100k to fund the game development, cover employee salaries, marketing and additional fees, according to the team.
World of Titans is officially playable right now via Steam. They have a functional demo of the game live for players that want to trial the game before backing it. But I’d tread with caution.

ArcheAge doesn’t have the greatest history in the genre. It’s an MMO that has suffered from horrendous pay to win and even worse management.
And while ArcheAge 2 might remedy the issues players had with its predecessor, Kakao recently confirmed that they have a spin-off ArcheAge title called ArcheAge War releasing in the next month or so.
This is an MMO built in Unreal Engine 4, and will launch completely cross-platform between PC and Mobile. Pre-registration for the upcoming title opened on January 11th – and Kakao promised us we wouldn’t have to wait long to get our hands on it.
Kakao isn’t known to be the most reliable when it comes to releases though, so while February is expected.. it isn’t a guarantee. Nevertheless, if you’re interested in the ArcheAge franchise, this might be an MMO you don’t wanna miss.

Finding a new Gacha game capable of rivaling the titans that already dominate the industry like Genshin, Azur Lane, Arknights, Punishing Gray Raven.. is admittedly very difficult.
We approach every new release like we do every Gacha pull: With eager anticipation that we’ll get something new, something rare, and something worthwhile. And for the most part, we end up ultimately disappointed.
This is due to a multitude of reasons, but none more evident than the single fact that most developers just lack the creative talent to really captivate us.
Which is where this video comes in. I’ve played over 50 Gacha games this year alone, many for my “Worst Gacha Ever,” and I want to discuss what I believe the 10 best Gacha games are, in no particular order. Your opinion might differ, but these games have left a lasting impression on me due to the quality of their narrative, their gameplay, their voice acting or their generosity.
These are the best Gacha games of 2022. Games you can pick up and play immediately.

I’m gonna start this off with a new release. It’s rare for new releases to truly excel – we’ve had quite a few this year: Artery Gear Fusion, CounterSide, Tower of Fantasy, that all look great but ultimately end up underwhelming.
That was not the case with Path to Nowhere. Initially considered to be an “ugly Arknights clone,” this game has proven time and time again over the last month that this game is so much more than a simple clone.
It has some of the best voice acting in a Gacha game I’ve seen up until this point, has a dark narrative with a lot of depth, interesting characters, decent Gacha, but most importantly? It gets very difficult.
This is a tactical RPG, so it has a very large focus on which units you deploy, how they interact with one another – and the stage itself, their respective strengths and weaknesses. Forethought is required, and that makes for a game that doesn’t allow you to just auto your way through it.
This is easily the best release this year based purely off of the cumulative total of all of its features.

Azur Lane really needs no introduction. When you google “hot Gacha Waifu’s,” the first several pages are literally all just Azur Lane characters. This game has garnered a reputation as “the cultured Waifu Gacha,” due to how they manage to walk the line between PG13 and 18+.
Admittedly, I didn’t think Azur Lane really had an exceptional storyline. I see some of you raising pitchforks into the air – relax. The story isn’t bad, I just feel as though they had less of a focus on it and instead opted to focus on other aspects.
This game is a shoot ’em up style game, where you deploy a unit of Waifu.. ships, yes, ships, that engage other.. Waifu.. ships in battle. And while the gameplay loop is fairly basic – your Waifu’s move horizontally while trying to sink the enemy battleships, the game gets progressively more difficult the more you play.
Azur Lane has one of the most fair Gacha systems, including the ability to upgrade your units. I spent a couple months playing the game and had no issue limit breaking my Waifu’s, increasing their potential, and upgrading their gear without paying a cent.
You don’t expect games to actually allow you to acquire everything for free.. but Azur Lane kinda does, and it’s a refreshing change of pace.

Blue Archive is a little more tricky to label as a game. It’s an RPG at its core, but its cast of Waifu’s are also all school students. So fans are often labeled in a certain.. way, that we’ll just kinda.. pretend is normal. hah.
Blue Archive has a more interesting type of gameplay to me. You can auto your way through the game, but having tried, even being tens of levels and having my gear upgraded significantly above the requirements of each stage, I found the auto-mode to be horrendous.
My characters would just run into AoEs, stand out in the open taking damage and just die, resulting in failure to 100% the mission. Thus, for the most part, you’re required to actively control your units, moving them around, utilizing their abilities at an ideal, opportune time.
And while I found the gameplay to be a little difficult at times, I thoroughly enjoyed it. As I did most the game. The Waifu’s look great in-game, animations looked fantastic, but I know one point of contention within the community is its horrible chibi graphics.
I’m not overly fond of them either, but I’m also not going to dislike a game purely based off of that.

Neural Cloud is the newest release included in this video, and actually took a lot of players by surprise. Much like Path to Nowhere, Neural Cloud is a tactical RPG. But it provides players a very different selection of mechanics, making the overall game feel distinctly different.
This game isn’t dark, and also lacks the same deep narrative as Path to Nowhere, but where it excels is its gameplay. Being able to control the flow of battle, use abilities that have a direct impact on allied and enemy units – like the ability to sweep them up in a tornado – making them immune to damage, or teleporting units around the field.
Every mission is a sequence of battles, split between trading posts, upgrade stations and rest stops. These allow you to customize your units – increasing their damage, their leech, their healing output. Neural Cloud is a game pretty much exclusively about its gameplay.
You’re going to be spending 99% of your time engaging in combat, or navigating the menus outside of the combat, preparing for combat. You don’t find many games like that – and those that do, often aren’t as complex and rewarding as Neural Cloud is.

Love or hate Genshin Impact, there’s no contesting the fact that this is easily one of the highest quality Gacha games on any platform, and more than that, the most beautiful, best playing open-world game on the entire mobile platform.
The story is good, getting progressively better with each major patch. Like, let’s be real. All of 1.x is pretty basic, but beginning 2.x the game really found its footing, and from what I’ve heard of 3.x, the game has really become something extraordinary.
Unlike.. pretty much every other Gacha available, Genshin Impact is a fully open-world RPG. You can see something in the distance? You can reach it. Climb it. And fight the monsters that’ll be scattered around it. That level of freedom isn’t found in ANY other Gacha game. Tower of Fantasy tried, but its world is just so much smaller in scale.
The voice acting is very good – in every language. Really aiding the game in captivating you and keeping you enthralled in the story playing out. Gameplay might be a little simpler than other action games like Punishing Gray Raven, but is in no way a hindrance, inhibiting your ability to pull off some crazy attacks.
Granted, there’s no real endgame so often you feel like you’re just repeating the same content while waiting for a new patch to drop.. but that’s why you never play a single Gacha exclusively, right?

Arknights is by far my favorite Gacha game. It helped me with my Fire Emblem obsession, and is the one single Gacha game I have not missed logging into since I started playing it earlier this year.
Everything about this game screams quality for a tactical RPG. The narrative is absolutely fantastic – and continues to be one of the few stories I manage to follow. The characters are gorgeous – both males and females, and don’t seem hyper-sexualized.
Gameplay is very difficult. So difficult that I often watch Eckogen for guides on how to complete the final stage of every new event. I like to think I’m good at strategy or tower defense games but evidently I’m not.
Every character has their own unique abilities, with quite a sizeable number of effects and functionality implemented. We have tanks, support, healers, DPS in the form of archers, mages, a hybrid of both, CCers, summoners, hybrid healer-summoners, hybrid tank healers. The combinations are limitless, and continue to be expanded upon.
And don’t even get me started on the events. They somehow continue to outdo themselves repeatedly. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a diverse selection of events in any other Gacha game. When you look up the definition of “high quality Gacha games” on Google, there should be a picture of Arknights. Nothing more.

I know if given the opportunity, 110% of you would totally marry and.. y’know, engage in certain.. after hours activities with your Waifu’s. You’re all a bunch of degenerates after all, it kinda comes with the territory.
But Refantasia actually allows you to do this. You recruit Waifu’s – in all shapes and sizes. Like, some have tentacles. Some have 8 legs, or 8… uhh, well, other.. parts of their body.
The gameplay in Refantasia is actually incredibly basic, and you can pay to skip the combat all together. Which I did, because it honestly left me bored to tears. But the majority of the game took the form of a dating sim.
You’d raise affinity with your Waifu’s, you’d take them on dates, you’d have children with them, raise the children, marry them off to other kingdoms, securing alliances with them, continue to expand your harem, and rinse and repeat.
I never thought I’d ever include a dating sim in a list of “best games” of any type, but here we are. This game is just so absurd that I couldn’t drop it for 2 weeks.

Speaking of not dropping a game for several weeks, that was the case with NIKKE as well.
NIKKE tries to, and succeeds on multiple occasions to be one of the most perverse Gacha games I’ve played this year. But it handles it in a… well, more.. sophisticated way. And I know what you’re thinking. “Really, Stix? Sophisticated? You rammed your head into Anis’ rear and Rapunzel blew you while you were sleeping!”
.. to which I have nothing to defend myself with other than “they know their audience,” haha. NIKKE has set itself apart from other Gacha games by not only targeting a specific demographic of players, but by also providing a fantastic narrative that continues to get progressively more messed up the more you play through it.
It also has some of the best voice acting in the Gacha genre – tied with Path to Nowhere. Fantastic gameplay that is honestly too difficult at times, but if you tackle it casually like I do you shouldn’t run into too many problems.
It has had its fair share of issues recently with censorship, Tencent being Tencent, and… well, you can Google the problems if you’re really curious. But at its core? This is a fantastic game that is honestly a LOT of fun to play.

Rarely am I left with the impression that a Gacha game is pure art, but that is how I felt after having played Soul Tide. I’m gonna be honest – this game doesn’t truly excel in anything. It has an okay narrative. It utilizes turn-based combat.
Chapters consist of several missions, and missions consist of a selection of puzzles that you’re required to navigate. Sometimes consisting of a sequence of battles, other times they have you find items, artifacts, have you solve memory puzzles, RNG puzzles.
Honestly it’s a weird little game, but it left me continuing to push through stage after stage because I was curious what would happen next. This is a type of Gacha game I don’t often see – or, haven’t seen outside of Soul Tide, really. So it left me with a sense of curiosity.
The game felt like I was playing an interactive painting. It was beautiful. That’s really all I can say about it. You have to play it to fully grasp what I mean.

Punishing Gray Raven is the uncontested king of action Gacha games. There is just no other Gacha game with combat as fluid or rewarding as the combat that is present within this game. And that’s it. That’s really all you need to say about Punishing Gray Raven.
You could realistically just end this segment there, and I’m sure a lot of you would immediately go and download the game, and trust me, you’d enjoy it because it’s just that good. But thankfully so much more is offered to players.
There is a narrative worth investing yourself in. Not of the same caliber as Path to Nowhere, Arknights or NIKKE, but far above average. The game is absolutely stunning, featuring some of the most stunning 3D character models you’ll find anywhere. A variety of different game modes, including multiplayer functionality, and cross-platform functionality.
But its selling point is how incredible the gameplay is. Every character feels so different to one another, which really leaves you feeling like the investment into obtaining them is worth it. They’re not reused assets, character models, fighting styles.
And the Gacha? Is one of the best in the genre. Obtaining characters is incredibly easy, and you’re actually rewarded for actively investing time and effort into the game.

And that’s it – what I believe are the 10 best Gacha games in 2022. We’re about to start a brand new year, with a lot of new upcoming Gacha games on the horizon.

An integral part of playing an MMO is being presented with content that requires more than a single person to complete. Random strangers out in the wilderness on the same quest as you – or friends. Perhaps friends you began the game with, perhaps friends you made on the journey through the game.
Playing cooperatively with other people – whether for something as simple as a quest, for PvP, Dungeons or Raids – is a core facet of what makes the genre.. “massively multiplayer.” Recently, I’ve noticed a number of MMOs have been pushing solo play as an alternate means of progression, eliminating the necessity for group content.
And while solo play has its place in the genre, I don’t believe we should be losing sight of the multiplayer component that this genre has become so dependent on.

That’s what I want to talk about today. The best MMOs to play with friends – MMOs that have a large focus on playing collectively with other people.

Group content is something that no MMO can do without. And playing with friends provides layers of enjoyment and communication that just cannot be replicated elsewhere.

And I don’t think there’s any better way to start this off than one of the most multiplayer friendly MMOs out there: Guild Wars 2.
Guild Wars 2 allows players to craft their own story. To control the way their individual narrative unfolds. Choices that directly affect the lives of – the very foundations of the world.
Typically you’ll find stories in MMOs tend to be.. relatively linear. Everyone is the “hero,” and choices are largely pre-determined. That is not the case with Guild Wars 2. On the contrary, everyone’s story ultimately ends up being original to an extent.
Where this truly excels, is where players are capable of playing through, and interconencting their stories with one another. You’re capable of developing a story with your friends, that you’re all an active part of, that you all have control over.
Technically you can diverge at points if you want, but you’re still capable of participating in one another’s story instances.
The world itself actively encourages cooperative play between players by scaling each zone down – there is a level limit and power limit manually imposed on every zone. You cannot be max level with the most powerful gear in the game, come in, and 1-shot everything.
Instead, you’re de-powered down to a point where world boss encounters are impossible to tackle solo despite your maximum power – where grouping up with other players is more of a benefit, than a detriment.
Everything about Guild Wars 2 rewards you for playing with other people. For forging new bonds. And their community is one of the kindest, most helpful, wholesome communities in all of the MMO scene.

I know what you’re thinking. WoW? Really? Yes really. Mrs Stix and I have been playing Shadowlands for the last week and a half to prepare for the launch of Dragonflight next month. And rarely have we had the opportunity to play together as much as we have.
The entire leveling process is significantly faster with friends. If you have a healer and a tank, queues for dungeons are instant. Scenarios are doable in a group. Typically, kill and interact quests are also counted amongst party members within range.
Journeying through Shadowlands, I think we’ve spent maybe 20 minutes in instanced content. Otherwise, every scenario, every quest, ever story element has been doable together.
Engaging in Arena-based PvP all but requires efficient coordination between friends. I’ve done 3v3 with people I don’t know and it ultimately ends up messier – a lot messier than if I play with people I’ve played with before.
Knowing each others strengths and weaknesses, how each other react under certain conditions makes for a much higher ratio of victory.
Raids – whether LFR, Normal, Heroic, Mythic. Mythic+ Dungeons. Heck, even older, previous expansion content is arguably either better with several people, or requires several people. At times one player needs to retain aggro from a boss while the others do mechanics.
Plus let’s be honest – to maximize rewards in the open-world, you’ll want War Mode enabled. Traveling with a couple friends likely means you’ll never get ganked. It’s an added layer of security that you wouldn’t otherwise have.
Mrs Stix and I have had infinitely more fun playing together, and even with my sister Wiggy and Wiggy’s boyfriend. I would never play WoW solo. Trust me, I did with Wrath of the Lich King and.. it’s just an entirely different experience. Especially these days.

The Elder Scrolls Online very rarely makes top lists, and I’m honestly not entirely sure why that is. I guess, comparatively, Final Fantasy XIV has a monopoly on the genre, and if you want a good action MMO to play, players will probably opt for something like Black Desert Online.
Neither of which, I want to add, provide a surplus of content to consume with friends. The Elder Scrolls Online, though? Provides opportunities just like Guild Wars 2 does.
ESO is, interestingly enough, built first and foremost as an RPG, much like Final Fantasy XIV. And where Final Fantasy XIV feels like a single-player game with cooperative dungeons and raids, ESO allows players to experience the entire game together.
Very rarely are players forced into solo instances. Questing allows for players to be within each others’ unique instances. To complete their own quests simultaneously with your own.
The last time I played ESO, the game scaled leveling, similarly to how Guild Wars 2 imposes level limitations.
What this means is that if you’re level 10, and your friend is level 20, you’ll both be able to engage in the same content without worrying about one person being overpowered. There is no “overpowered,” as level scaling will continue to scale content to the level of the player.
A lot of content also caters to groups of players. Delves are targeted towards solo play or small groups. Group Delves typically require.. well groups.
Public Dungeons are shared instances. Meaning you can do them with friends. You can do them with complete strangers. You don’t even need to be partied with anyone to participate in one with other people. Group Dungeons are dungeons that require 4 people. And Trials which require 12.
There is so much PvE content that is built around playing with other people – grouped or not, that it’s almost pointless not working together with other people. Especially since you’ll complete content that much faster.
And that’s disregarding the PvP you’ll get to experience while engaging other players in Cyrodiil, which is so much easier and more fun when coordinating attacks with other people.

Much like The Elder Scrolls Online, Star Wars The Old Republic very rarely makes any lists. It’s an older game that was largely mishandled by EA, and it never truly recovered.
But that doesn’t mean the game doesn’t excel at multiplayer compatibility. On the contrary, everything in this game is multiplayer compatible. You begin the game by choosing your class and your alignment. Every class has their own campaigns with which to follow, which you can share with other players, or tackle solo.
I don’t recall whether each person’s respective quests progress independently of one another or whether they can be completed as a singular instance. I think the former rather than the latter. Every class campaign allows a full group of players to join you and help you complete it.
The main campaign is completely cooperative as well. Other players are capable of joining you for the story – I don’t believe all of it, like every game there are scenarios where you’re required to go in solo.
But a large portion of the game, including its story can be shared amongst other people. The best part of this is that other players can choose different options than you, allowing you to see the outcome of different responses, ultimately affecting the game and resulting in a world different than your own.
Unfortunately, the only drawback to leveling and playing through quests together is that if you’ve outleveled your friends, you’re typically barred from participating in specific quest content if you’ve completed it in the past. The game does have a level sync feature to keep things fair, though.
Story isn’t the only area that Star Wars The Old Republic excels in with regards to multiplayer content, though. There are 4-person Flashpoints, 8-person operations. These function like dungeons and raids – and work significantly better when you have a coordinated team.
Friends in PvP are all but a requirement, as they always are. I cannot imagine participating in PvP by myself. There’s something.. relaxing, comforting about having other players to rely on, and Star Wars The Old Republic is no exception.

And honestly.. that’s about it. I know I’m probably going to find some people arguing “Why didn’t you include x MMO” – and that’s because I don’t believe it offers the cooperative multiplayer experience that these games do.
As an example: Final Fantasy XIV. Incredible MMO. Arguably one of the best MMOs in the entire genre. But you spend hundreds of hours grinding through solo story and solo content – that is NOT multiplayer friendly.
Black Desert Online. Also a great MMO. Yet you’re forced to grind monsters 24/7 – often by yourself.
Blade & Soul. Every dungeon, every instance while leveling is done pretty much by yourself.
None of these “MMOs” encourage players playing alongside one another. A lot of them aren’t even very multiplayer compatible, with the exception of dungeons and at times raids.
The 4 MMOs listed here allow for so much content to be consumed together that there’s really no other MMOs capable of competing. None that I’d recommend. If you can’t enjoy these games with a friend, with a significant other.. then it might be better to play a game built for multiplayer.

One of the things I enjoy most about the Gacha sub-genre is that every month there are new games to play, new games entering pre-registration phases or Beta tests being held.
August wasn’t a bad month for new Gacha games. But September looks fairly promising as well!

Archeland was announced back in June 2022, and featured a cinematic trailer for the game. Players were excited because the game featured gorgeous character models, stunning environments, and a type of turn-based strategic combat akin to Fire Emblem.
Fire Emblem is one of my favorite strategy games of all time, so this is a massive draw for me personally.
Archeland currently has pre-registration open for the Korean launch of the game, with an expected release date some time in 2023. A Global release has not officially been confirmed for 2023, but it is speculated.

Midgard Saga is a card-based RPG releasing this month. Pre-registration is currently open and available for players interested, and will be the first game released by Yeeha Games, a new.. uhh, I mean they’re not really a.. studio.
They call themselves a “platform,” where games will be developed and published, allowing for players to use assets acquired in every game completely cross-game.
Meaning what you earn in Midgard Saga you can effectively use in another Gacha game published on Yeeha Games.
Unfortunately, this is also a Crypto game, with NFTs also being present – as Yeeha Games believe this is the future of the Gacha genre. NFTs, Crypto, play to earn and shared assets across every game.
Honestly I’d steer clear of this one but at the same time I know this won’t deter everyone.

Neural Cloud is a brand new upcoming Auto-Chess Anime RPG set within the same universe as the popular Girls’ Frontline Gacha game.
Several trailers have been released for the game already, showcasing a variety of different Waifu’s, and damn do they look good. Pre-registration is currently open and available for the Global version of the game. We’re capable of seeing what pre-registration rewards are, from 200k all the way up to 2 million.
At present we’re closing in on 300,000 pre-registered players with more to come shortly no doubt. I enjoyed Girls’ Frontline so seeing further expansion of their world sounds great to me.

NIKKE is an immersive shooter RPG with some of the most bodacious beauties to ever grace the Gacha genre. Seriously, more players are going to play this for the Waifu’s than those that will play it for any other reason.
I had the pleasure of playing the most recent Global Closed Beta for the game, and had an immense amount of fun. You can find my dedicated video on it as part of the “Worst Gacha Ever?” series on the channel, but I am beyond hyped to play this as it officially launches.
Which might be sooner than expected, as a thread popped up over on Reddit in the last couple days with a link to the Global pre-registration page.
Multiple people confirmed that they had either seen or registered for the game before the page went down, but it looks as though Global pre-registration is coming.. in the very immediate future, as NIKKE is slated to release fully within the next couple months.

Quantum Maki is… a unique amalgamation of genres, incorporating mechanics from a bullet hell title with a third person shooter and an action RPG like Punishing Gray Raven.
Quantum Maki actually just released in the last few days within Japan, and is already holding a collaboration with one of the greatest Anime of all time, Code Geass, featuring Lelouch and Suzaku – along with 2 of our favorite Waifu’s, C2 and Kallen. And yes, they’re definitely.. filled out in all the right places.
As the game just launched there is unfortunately no option to pre-register for the game. There is no confirmed Global release for the game in the works – but given time, and depending on the success of the game, that might change quite drastically.

It’s that time of the month again! When statistics are released onto Sensortower for our favorite Gacha games – and we get to see which rose, and which fell, who reigns supreme, and who is being left falling into obscurity.
Do note: Tower of Fantasy is not included in this list as it just launched Globally in the last 48 hours, and earnings within China are so insignificant they’re not worth mentioning.

Genshin Impact is back at #1 again, earning a grand total of $92 million dollars Globally, and featuring 4 million new downloads. This is down from the $105 million dollars earned last month.
Uma Musume is back down to #2, after briefly entering #1 2 months ago, with $57 million dollars earned between Japan and Korea – yes, the game just rolled out in Korea, with a Global release slated.. for some time in the future. Uma Musume accrued 330,000 downloads in total.
Fate Grand Order came in at #3 – destroying its competition. With $48 million dollars earned Globally and 280,000 total downloads. This game somehow continues to pull these insane numbers out of a significantly smaller playerbase – showing the power of the Fate intellectual property.
Diablo Immoral comes in at #4 – c’mon guys, you know this was coming, with $35 million dollars in total earnings, and a million downloads. For comparison: Last month the game saw $38 million dollars in earnings and 14 million downloads. A sharp decline in new players, but relatively steady revenue.
Project Sekai comes in at #5 with $18 million dollars earned and 800,000 new downloads Globally.
Heaven Burns Red is always in the top 10, coming at #6 this month with $13 million dollars earned and a mere 50,000 new downloads. I think this game is beginning to reach the limits of its potential audience.
At #7 is Summoners War, with $13 million dollars earned Globally, and 80,000 new downloads. Surprisingly low downloads given its large sum of earnings.
At #8 is Blue Archive, with $11.2 million dollars earned and 210,000 new downloads. For reference, $10 million of this was from within Japan. Global only made a mere million dollars.
Arknights comes in at #9, with $8.9 million dollars and 120,000 new downloads. $6 million of this is earned exclusively through Japan.
Shironeko holds the #10 position, with $8 million dollars earned and 60,000 new downloads within Japan exclusively. Once more, showing that it is likely reaching the limits of its Japanese audience.
THE IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA GIRLS STARLIGHT STAGE comes in at #11 with $6 million dollars earned and 12,000 new downloads. This franchise earns a lot, but mostly through diehard fans. As is evidenced by how little new players they reach.
Epic Seven comes in at #12 with $5 million dollars earned, and 220,000 new downloads, most of which came Globally.
Azur Lane holds the #13 spot, with $4.5 million dollars earned and 105,000 new downloads. This many years after releasing, as well, which is genuinely surprising to see.
Princess Connect comes in at #14 with $4.4 million dollars earned and 44,000 new downloads.
Punishing Gray Raven holds the #15 placement, with $3.7 million dollars earned and 277,000 new downloads. Most of which were generated Globally.
#16 is Honkai Impact 3rd, with $2.9 million dollars earned and 388,000 new downloads. Which is actually a significantly larger number than I’d expected given its low earnings.
And.. they’re the 16 most downloaded, highest earning Gacha games of August 2022.
Counter:Side and Artery Gear Fusion are sitting at roughly a million dollars or less in total earnings, proving that they have absolutely no lasting presence or power. Much to the dismay of their respective communities.
I’m curious to see how Tower of Fantasy and the rest of August’s Gacha games do over the next few months.

People often come to me asking “Hey Stix, what are some MMOs you’d recommend for people that have a Lalafel for a computer?” And while I’d question how you could trust a Lalafel after what happened with the Sultana in Ul’Dah, this is my response.

Now these games aren’t necessarily the best MMOs. I have a separate list for those available, but these are definitely some of the better options out there if you don’t have the tech capable of running something like Black Desert or Final Fantasy XIV.

Now let’s jump right in.

We’ll be tackling this alphabetically, beginning with Allods Online. Allods was once considered to be the “WoW killer,” the term “imitation is the finest form of flattery” is not to be understated here, with Allods both looking and playing like a higher definition WoW at the time.
It had a similar selection of classes to choose from. Similar races. A similar cartoony graphical style. It utilizes a full tab-target combat system, had voice acting. Honestly, everything about Allods Online was incredibly high quality.
If it weren’t for the publisher behind the game, I daresay this would be considered one of the better free MMOs out there, but it was inhibited by a significant pay to win business model, and thus buckled under the weight of the publishers’ greed.
Nevertheless, disregarding pay to win, this was such a fun MMO to play.

Despite some people arguing there are a lot of issues with DC Universe Online, I’ve found it to be nothing but entertaining.
Having so much freedom and control over your character is almost unparallelled within the genre. Not only being able to customize their physical appearance, but their super powers – things like flight, super speed, super strength. And lesser abilities like elemental affinity. Invisibility. You name it, you can probably do it.
Which allows for some seriously sick class archetypes. It also features characters right out of DC Comics: Batman, The Joker, The Flash, Reverse Flash. So if you’re a comic book fan, this is a story – a collection of stories you won’t want to miss. And the voice cast? Unmatched.
The combat was a unique hybrid between tab-target and action, with different abilities allowing for each respective style. And graphically? For an MMO set in a modern era, it looked pretty good. Especially given its age.

Dragon Nest is generally considered to have some of the best action combat, and PvP in the entire MMO genre. And while I never got to participate in the PvP at any point in time during streaming, I did play it for roughly 20 hours straight.
And in that time, I did in fact get to witness the combat, which – at least from the class I chose, was pretty damn good given when this was released. I think people’s perception of the combat is largely due to nostalgia, but I can definitely agree it is one of the better combat systems employed in the Anime-scene.
This game is a hub-MMO, one of 2 included in this list. Meaning that it isn’t open-world like the vast majority of titles. You’ll encounter players within towns and cities, but otherwise, the majority of content takes the form of cycling through hundreds of dungeons.
Graphically, it holds up fairly well. It’s got a pretty unique graphical style to it that I really haven’t seen in other MMOs. Its story though.. is like reading a 2,000 page book. Every 30 minutes.

Soul Worker Online has always and likely will always be one of my favorite Anime MMOs. Yes, it’s a hub-MMO but at the same time, it offers so many different towns, so many different maps to run that it really doesn’t feel nearly as bad as some others in the genre.
It’s only been available in the West for a couple years now and I’m gonna be real here.. while Gameforge aren’t really the greatest publisher, and have kinda run the game into the ground a little bit, it’s worth noting that that doesn’t make it any less fun.
This is a beautiful game that has equally as good combat, allowing you to bind several abilities to your hotbar, and bind combos on to the end of one another, allowing for you to customize how your abilities follow up from one another.
I know the population in Soul Worker’s actually a little on the low end right now, and it makes sense as to why, but this is one of the most Anime-ish MMOs you’ll find and I cannot recommend it enough – I always have.

This is the only other hub-MMO in this list. And is arguably also what I believe to be the best action MMO available across the entire MMO genre.
Dungeon Fighter Online has seemingly infinite depth in terms of class diversity, with each class having their own unique story to be told. It has a gorgeous art style that isn’t replicated in any other MMO I’ve seen.
Its action combat is some of the fastest, flashiest, chaotic mess of ability spam I’ve ever seen that always leaves me seizing up in my seat after playing for prolonged periods of time.
And while it’s a hub-MMO, it’s also different in so that it employs a horizontal style of gameplay. Allowing you to move left, right, and very slightly up and down. This is also the most played MMO in the world, thanks largely in part to China.

Yes, there’s actually an MMO based on the popular Dungeons and Dragons intellectual property. Why wouldn’t there be, right?
And admittedly, given how old this game is… it’s actually pretty damn good. Now, I will preface this by stating that I’ve only played it for a couple hours total, but in my time spent playing, I witnessed a need for strategy, dungeon-crawling, an action combat system.
The makings of a great quality MMO. However it’s so obscure, that almost nobody knows it exists. I’m honestly not certain as to why that is. I guess maybe this will help, just a little bit, in aiding in exposure for the game.
If you haven’t played it yet – you honestly need to try. Think Neverwinter.. but.. more Dungeons and Dragon-y.

Flyff. The first MMO I played to allow for aerial exploration. Man, those were truly the days. Back when I first played this I thought it was your everyday run of the mill generic Anime MMO. And then I got my first broomstick and took to the skies and I immediately fell in love.
I powered through all the way to level 55? I think? And got my 2nd? 3rd class advancement. Holy crap I miss the days when every zone was packed with players. But enough about the past.
Flyff definitely looks a little dated, and its tab-target combat most definitely leaves a little to be.. desired. But what it does, it still does better than the vast majority of its competition. There’s a reason it’s still significantly more played than games like Fiesta, Eden Eternal, Grand Fantasia and the rest.
And you can fly. Which you can’t in any of the other titles listed.

Mabinogi is arguably the most unique type of MMO I’ve ever played. It’s a full-fledged MMO with an emphasis on the social aspect of the genre.
Sure, it allows for you to engage enemies in combat. It utilizes an interesting tab-target rock-paper-scissors break combat system. Has a large world to explore. Dungeons to run. A very simple yet effectively unique graphical style.
But it also allows for you to get a job. Rebirth. And creates so many opportunities to craft your social life that just aren’t present anywhere else. Peria Chronicles was supposed to further elaborate on and highlight this unique style of gameplay but unfortunately.. instead we’re left with no definitive successor at present.
Which is fine, because Mabinogi is still a fantastic game.

This is the last hub-MMO I’ll include here – but at the same time, Dungeon Fighter Online is the most populated MMO in the entire world. Yeah, no kidding. It isn’t in North America or Europe, but has several million Chinese players logged in concurrently – yeah, it has more players logged in at any time than WoW over an entire month.
Crazy, right? I’m honestly not sure why that is, as while Dungeon Fighter is a very good game, it really is, I don’t think it’s THAT good where it is more played and more profitable than any other game in.. the entire world?
It has some pretty crazy, fantastic looking action combat, don’t get me wrong, it has some really great class diversity and customization, and it looks great for the type of game it is.
It also has a variety of different hubs and a very deep, rich story. I daresay it’s one of if not the best hub-MMO out there, but at the same time.. more popular than any other MMO? I don’t think so.
Regardless, if you’re into side-scrolling brawlers, or – well, if you like what you see, then this might be just what you’re after!

This is the second MMO I ever played, directly after I left Tales of Pirates. I spent a total of 2 years within Perfect World, and spent thousands of dollars on cosmetics, and HP/MP charms.
This was, at the time I played it back in 2008, one of the best looking MMOs I’d ever seen. It had a completely open world. No loading screens. No segregated zones. Nothing. Everything, with the exception of dungeons, was accessible and doable with a group of players.
The game is honestly still one of the better quality games out there: Not in terms of pay to win or free to play friendliness. But its tab-target combat. Its use of individual statistics to custom-build your character. Heck, even its new zones and races all look incredible.
It’s just so horrendously pay to win that it almost ruins any fun you might have in it. Well, unless you’re only into PvE. Which is fine if you are. I’m a masive PvPer though, so it was very evident the difference in power between a free player and a whale.

RIFT used to be a paid, premium title. And it shows. This was once a great quality game. Trion and Gamigo tried to stuff pay to win down players’ throats, however, and definitely destroyed a part of what made the game as great as it once was.
But like most free titles – if pay to win doesn’t bother you, or you have no interest in PvP, it’s absolutely no issue what so ever. And if we disregard pay to win, RIFT is one of the best tab-target MMOs available.
It features a massive open world for players to explore. A faction-based PvP and race system. A deep, rich narrative. Fantastic quality graphics.
If handled better, this could have been the #1 fully free to play MMORPG. Alas, while the game is still a lot of fun.. it just doesn’t quite hit the mark.

This one is for those of you with a certain.. cultured inclination. You know what I’m talking about.
Honestly, this game is pretty basic. You have a large segregated world to explore. You have a hybrid tab-target and action combat system that allows for you to freely use attacks without a target at times.
Its world is pretty flat and otherwise linear, but where this game really excels, is – and I know for an MMO this is kind of.. unusual, but – its plot. Much like Blade & Soul, Scarlet Blade has an incredibly large focus on booba. On booty. On putting your characters in the most lewd things you could imagine.
And that is how it has lived on for so many years after being shut down via private server.

Toram Online is the only other cross-platform MMO in this list. Much like Dragon Raja, it launched as a mobile MMO exclusively, and many years later ported over to PC. Toram had a very successful transition – one it desparately needed as this game honestly plays incredibly well on PC.
This isn’t your typical MMO. On the contrary, it’s something else entirely: It’s like a JRPG.. that you can technically play with other players. So something akin to Final Fantasy XIV. Which – naturally. It’s an MMO made in Japan. They always carry a certain quality to them.
And much like the aforementioned title, it features a very lore-rich narrative, segregated world, and tab-target combat system.
Honestly, though, this game is massive. And such a solid addition to the PC MMO genre that you would be doing it a disservice by disregarding it. And on the plus side? You can log in on your mobile device, too.

And there we have it. A list of.. oh god I don’t even know how many MMOs. 12? 14? Too many. If you can’t find an MMO to play on a low-end PC, then I’m sorry to say: You’re outta luck, ’cause one doesn’t exist.

Full Sensortower statistics for the month of April 2022 are in – are you ready to see what the most played Gacha games are this month? Who the highest earners are? Then look no further.

• Surprising everyone around the globe, the mostly overlooked, obscure indie-hit Jenshin Impacc (Genshin Impact) came in as the #1 most downloaded Gacha game. Totaling both China and the US, we had 3 million new downloads, and $118 million dollars made in total revenue.
• Coming in at #2 is Uma Musume, with 150,000 new downloads and $36 million dollars in total revenue. Given this is specific to the region of Japan at present, this is incredibly impressive.
• Then at #3 we have Fate/Grand Order, totaling Japan and the US we have 150,000 new downloads, and $39 million dollars in total revenue. Only $5 million of which came from the US. Yes, it’s that much more popular in Japan. To the surprise of nobody.
• At #4 we have Heaven Burns Red, another Japan exclusive, with 60,000 total downloads and $20 million dollars in total revenue.
• Then at #5 we have Project Sekai, with the total combined downloads between both the US and Japan coming in at 600,000, and total revenue at $14.5 million dollars.
• Moving on to #6 we have the combined total downloads for Arknights at 120,000, with total revenue being $9 million dollars.
• At #7 we have Guardian Tales, with the combined total downloads at 150,000. Total revenue was at $4 million dollars.
• #8 is Shironeko – another Japan exclusive, with 30,000 downloads and $2.8 million dollars made in revenue.
• Then, at #9 is Princess Connect. The combined total downloads for both Japan and the US is 80,000, with total revenue at $2.4 million dollars.
• Coming in at #10 we have Honkai Impact 3rd, with a whopping total of 400,000 new downloads and $3 million dollars in total revenue.
• #11 might shock some of you as to why it’s so low in the list, but Blue Archive managed to have a combined total of 140,000 new downloads, and $3.3 million dollars in total revenue between Japan and the US.
• Interestingly enough, even lower than Blue Archive was Azur Lane at #12 – with 120,000 new downloads and $2.9 million dollars in total revenue.
• At #13 is Assault Lily – another Japanese exclusive with 12,000 new downloads and $1.5 million dollars in total revenue.
• Followed by Bang Dream at #14, another Japanese exclusive, with 60,000 new downloads and $1.4 million dollars in total revenue.
• And finally, Magia Record, another Japanese exclusive, came in at #15, with 25,000 new downloads and $1.3 million dollars in total revenue.

Those right there are the 15 most played, most downloaded, highest grossing Gacha games across the world. They’re also the only games recorded to have made over a million dollars in total revenue for the month of April, 2022.

JRPGs are some of my favorite games. I wasted so much of my childhood playing through every JRPG for every platform. The Legend of Dragoon, Jade Cocoon, Breath of Fire IV, Final Fantasy VIII, Golden Sun, Chrono Trigger, Suikoden II, Tales of Phantasia, Star Ocean: Till the End of Time.
Some of my favorite games were released so many decades ago that most people don’t even recognize them anymore. And while the frequency with which JRPGs are now released is substantially slower than in the past, there is still a lot of very impressive looking titles on the horizon.
And that’s what we’re here to talk about today: Every upcoming JRPG that I’m looking forward to in 2022. Games that will 100% be releasing this year, that will be filled with our favorite Waifu’s, Husbando’s, and some of the best Anime visuals in the genre.

Now we’re going to tackle this month by month, starting with Eiyuden Chronicle Rising.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is the prelude to Eiyuden Chronicle, a Kickstarted JRPG that is touted as being the spiritual successor to the Suikoden franchise – one of my favorite JRPG franchises of all time.
This is a side-scrolling narrative driven action RPG that features several characters you’ll encounter in the game, along with some of the town-construction the franchise has become known for.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is launching onto the PS4, PS5, XBox Series S, X, XBox One, Switch, and PC platforms on May 10th.

As a massive fan of the Digimon franchise, this is a game I’m eagerly anticipating. Supposedly, Digimon Survive is going to put a slightly darker spin on the intellectual property.
Unlike traditional Digimon games, Digimon Survive is going to feature various different choices that will lead to a variety of endings – including death – both for you as the main character, and potentially other characters and Digimon.
From the gameplay released so far, it looks as though Digimon Survive is going to take the form of a turn-based strategy game akin to something like Final Fantasy Tactics or Fire Emblem as opposed to its predecessors.
Digimon Survive is launching onto the PS4, XBox One, Switch and PC platforms on July 29th.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is by far my most anticipated JRPG of 2022. I’m an enormous fan of the first game with Shulk and Fiora, and while I thought Rex was a horrendous character in the sequel, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, the game itself was a fantastic addition to the intellectual property.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 seems to offer much of the same the franchise has become known for: Incredibly attractive characters, flashy combat – albeit, I will admit Xenoblade Chronicles had much better combat than Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and I’m hoping Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has superior combat to both of its predecessors.
It’s going to feature a world larger than both games before it, and a narrative that conencts all 3.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is launching exclusively onto the Switch on July 29th.

I actually did a dedicated video on Soul Hackers 2 recently – discussing how I was excited for the game. Having never played the first title in the series, I honestly had no idea what to expect, other than the knowledge it was somehow connected to the Persona series of games.
Soul Hackers 2 features turn-based combat, deploying 4 characters at once, each with their own unique abilities and uses. Honsetly, this is exactly what you’d expect out of a traditional JRPG – and doesn’t look like it’ll disappoint.
This is easily one of the darker titles in this list, and admittedly also has some.. well, rather attractive looking characters. You gotta love Japan and their outfits, man. They truly never disappoint.
Soul Hackers 2 is launching onto the PS4, PS5, XBox One, XBox Series S, X, and PC platforms on August 25th.

This is one of the more interesting titles, as it takes someone from our world – our reality, and throws her directly into a fantasy world.
Honestly, I’m a fan of Square and their games, but this seems a little.. random. It looks stunning – don’t get me wrong. This is by far the most amazing game aesthetically.
And I mean, it’s developed by Luminous Productions, the team behind Final Fantasy XV, so it stands to reason as to why it looks this good. But, a good looking game doesn’t necessarily equate to a good game overall.
It features some very fast, very fluid action combat, a narrative from Square – so you know it’s either going to be incredible, or absolute garbage – there’s really no middle-ground here.
Forspoken is launching onto the PS5 and PC platforms on October 11th.

After waiting for, what, 3 years? 4 years? The Granblue game that we’ve all been anticipating is finally almost within our grasp.
Granblue Fantasy Relink is going to feature a massive open-world, similar in scope and scale to Xenoblade Chronicles, admittedly. Which is never a bad thing to be compared to. It has some very fast, fluid action combat with some absolutely stunning special effects. But not too over the top like you see in some games.
It’s going to feature a singleplayer narrative, with multiplayer side-content, grinding, world bosses. This is the only multiplayer compatible JRPG in this list thus far I believe.
Granblue Fantasy Relink is launching onto the PS4, PS5 and PC platforms – Steam specifically, at an undisclosed point this year. Likely towards the 4th quarter, if I’m being honest.

And finally, Star Ocean: The Divine Force. Man, Star Ocean: Till the End of Time is one of my all-time favorite JRPGs. You either love that game or you hate it. That’s it.
The game absolutely shook the foundations of the entire Star Ocean franchise, and upset so many players, but just as many players were in awe that Tri-Ace would do something so.. innovative. So different.
Which is why it went down as arguably the best Star Ocean game other than The Second Story. Much like Granblue Fantasy and Xenoblade Chronicles, Star Ocean: The Divine Force is going to feature a massive open-world to explore.
It’s going to have some great looking action combat, but the main character looks stupid. Like, really stupid. He looks like Leomon from Digimon shaved. It’s that bad. Everyone else looks incredible, including the world, though.
Star Ocean: The Divine Force is launching onto the PS4, PS5, XBox Series S, X, XBox One and PC platforms at an undisclosed point this year. I’d say 3rd or 4th quarter, definitely.

And that’s it. That’s every good JRPG coming out this year. We have a solid list, games to keep us busy most months. I’m more excited than I’ve been in years to have this many incredible looking games to play.

A good Anime MMO is about as elusive as a girlfriend. You’re in a perpetual state of searching for the perfect one to dedicate your life to.. only to be rejected repeatedly. Yet we strive onwards, ever looking to the future, for that one moment of reprieve.. only to never find it.
And that’s where I come in.

I’m about as big an Anime fan as anyone. I love Anime, I love Anime games. I’ve been enamored with this genre since I was a kid. And while I’m still one mentally.. physically, I’m responsible for doing adult things now. At least that’s what the Mrs Stix tells me.

Every year it seems as though we have less and less of a selection. But that by no means means there aren’t any good Anime MMOs to play. Quite the contrary, that just means the titles left are titles that have stood the test of time, and are the best our genre has to offer.
And while you might argue some of these don’t belong here, I do want to note that these are what I believe are the current best Anime MMOs to invest your time into.

Now with that outta the way..

Let’s start this off with Aura Kingdom. This is the most recent title from X-Legend remaining online, as Twin Saga shut down last year. Meaning it’s the most updated traditional Anime MMO left. Aura Kingdom released back in 2013 and has retained a community of loyal players.
Aura Kingdom follows the traditional Anime MMO formula: The world is segregated, meaning that each zone has a loading screen separating it from other areas, much like Guild Wars 2 or Final Fantasy XIV.
You take and complete quests, moving from hub to hub, leveling, unlocking new features.
The combat is a simple tab-target system. Abilities look decent overall. The game feels pretty fluid given it’s almost a decade old now, and given its age, it’s still pretty damn aesthetically appealing.
Its population is on the lower end of the spectrum, though, not as low as the vast majority of Anime MMOs.

Dragon Nest is an MMO that has shifted publisher more times than I can count. And every time, players have followed. Because at the end of the day, if you enjoy a game, you’ll continue playing it regardless of who publishes it.
Dragon Nest released way back in 2010, and went on to be considered one of the greatest Anime MMOs of its generation, even today, many players consider this game to have not only some of the best action combat, but also PvP of any Anime title.
While I never got to experience it first hand, during its prime, I did get to stream it recently. And I’ll admit, its action combat system is definitely better than most Anime MMOs but its PvP scene wasn’t active during the times I played.
Unlike Aura Kingdom, Dragon Nest is more of an instanced, hub-MMO, with hundreds of unique dungeons to run, a surplus of different town hubs, and a plethora of different classes to choose from. This means, however, that you can’t run around an open-world and meet other players, but you can still group up and tackle content with them.
Unfortunately its population is also fairly low. But that doesn’t stop people from enjoying the game as there are enough people left playing to keep things active.

This is arguably one of the newest titles in this list, releasing in 2019. And while it’s a newer release, it’s also one of the more unique titles, as while this launched recently on PC, it is also available completely cross-platform on mobile devices too.
There are very few decent cross-platform MMOs, and Dragon Raja is one of a small handful.
Dragon Raja utilizes an interesting hybrid combat system, with very flashy special effects. It has a segregated world, but the world itself is enormous.
It has a strong narrative, given the type of game it is. Typically, Anime MMOs – or rather, MMOs in general have an abscence of story. That isn’t the case here, and with a fully voice-acted narrative, this game definitely comes out on top.
It also has one of the larger populations of all the titles included, but that’s thanks to its cross-platform functionality.

Dungeon Fighter Online is by far the most populated game in this list, with tens of millions of active players within China alone, and millions of players spread throughout the world. By those numbers alone, this is also the most played MMORPG spread across the entire globe. Which is crazy.
Dungeon Fighter Online launched all the way back in 2005 – back during the Golden Age of the genre. When new titles were coming out every month. When everyone wanted a small piece of the genre to capitalize on.
Dungeon Fighter is an interesting title, though, in so that unlike your typical over-the-shoulder third-person graphical style, this game utilizes a horizontal side-scrolling perspective, with players moving our character horizontally – left to right, to not only move, but also fight.
Speaking of fighting, the action combat in this game is crazy. The further you get through the game, the crazier things get. You start flying all over the screen. Your attacks grow larger in scale. Taking up more and more of the screen. It’s gorgeous.. unless you dislike mass quantities of special effects taking up your entire screen.
Like Dragon Nest, this is a hub-MMO. Meaning you’ll see players in towns, but outside of towns you’ll be running a plethora of different dungeons – thus its name.

Elsword released back in 2007. Yes, quite a few of these released back before 2010, but don’t worry – we have a couple newer titles towards the end!
Elsword is also one of the handful of horizontal-MMOs, with the only other games off the top of my head being MapleStory, Dungeon Fighter, Closers and Grand Chase.
Unlike Dungeon Fighter, however, which has various town-hubs where you can see and engage with other players, Elsword, while it features a variety of different dungeons to run and has the same general gameplay loop, allows for you to navigate outside of towns and cities, between different zones, engaging enemies and participating in content with other players.
So technically, this is both a segregated-MMO and a dungeon-crawler combined. The combat is action-oriented, and is of a pretty decent quality, honestly. Which is kind of a must, given that’s the bulk of the game.
I believe the population is also still doing fairly well given how long this game has been available, and given who the publisher is.

FlyFF is an MMO released back in.. holy crap, I actually no-lifed this game for an entire year, but man, 2004? Are we serious? This game doesn’t look or feel like it was released almost 2 decades ago, but here we are. 2004. Geez.
FlyFF is a very traditional Anime MMO. Much like Aura Kingdom, the game world is pretty large, but it utilizes segregated zones. Meaning there are small loading screens between each area. You take quests. You move between hubs, and you level.
At one point you unlock flying as well, which allows for an entirely new method of transportation – I remember when I unlocked it for the first time. It was the single coolest moment of any MMO I’d played up until that point, flying around on my little broomstick.
Combat is tab-target, and abilities and animations are honestly pretty basic. Nothing great, but not boring by any stretch of the imagination.
When I last played this – just last year to acquire some footage, there were hundreds of players around the beginning town. So I’d say there are still enough people playing to warrant you downloading it if you so desire.

Mabinogi should realistically be the king of the Anime MMO genre. But.. it isn’t. Even though it is by far the most unique MMO I’ve had the pleasure of playing. Mabinogi released back in 2004, and along with FlyFF, is the oldest MMO in this list.
This game is gorgeous. Not in the traditional sense – where you look at something like Black Desert and you’re like “man.. the graphical fidelity of every particle transcends my understanding.” But where it looks so unique, that you’ve never seen another game like it.
Adding to its unique style is its combat, which can only be described as rock-paper-scissors point-and-click. I think I’d need several minutes to explain the system in detail to make sense of it, but this is as close as you’ll get.
The world is enormous, and given the slow speed with which you traverse its segregated zones, it can take a very long time to get around.
Even though it released almost 2 decades ago, it still retains quite a few players – enough where whenever I log in to stream it, I have groups of people stalking me everywhere I go.

PSO2 New Genesis is one of the newer titles in this list, releasing back in 2021.
This is arguably one of the best looking, best playing Anime MMOs in this list. There’s only a single other Anime title that looks and plays as well, and that’s coming up shortly.
Unlike its predecessor, PSO2, New Genesis takes the hub-MMO style and turns it on its head, transforming the game into a segregated-world. This means that while you can see players in the towns you’ll find, you’ll also be capable of seeing large numbers of them out in the world too.
PSO2 New Genesis utilizes some of the fastest, most fluid action combat of an Anime title in this genre. Character creation is highly extensive, and they have an emphasis on the plot – something that I think is missing from a lot of games these days.
There’s a narrative present, but unfortunately it’s spread out and gated behind an arduous level grind.
There are tens of thousands of active players at any moment of the day, so the game is far from inactive.

SoulWorker is my favorite Anime MMO. It always has been, and likely always will be. This game was released back in 2016, and I’ve been playing it ever since.
This game is gorgeous. It has some of the best looking character models in the sub-genre, a ton of story to make your way through – even if at times it gets repetitious, and some of the greatest action combat I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with.
I’ve always enjoyed the combat in SoulWorker. It’s fast, it’s flashy, it’s fluid. Abilities feel impactful. Everything looks and feels so perfectly crafted.
Unfortunately, it is a hub-MMO, meaning players that don’t find enjoyment in running dungeons repeatedly will find themselves bored relatively quickly.
After finding its way back to its original developer, the game has found quite a bit of success with thousands of active players playing every day.

And finally, Tower of Fantasy. This is an MMO that held its Closed Beta last year, and launched just a couple months ago within China. The game is releasing this year in English, and will easily become the #1 most populated Anime MMO.
This game is stunning. The world, the environments. The characters and the extent with which you can craft your ideal, perfect avatar. The world itself is large and open.
The action combat is incredibly fast and is perhaps some of the flashiest I’ve seen in the sub-genre. The game is full of voice-acting, and has quite a strong narrative.
Tower of Fantasy is also completely cross-platform compatible between PC, Console and Mobile devices, much like Genshin Impact. Increasing the population exponentially.
I cannot wait for the rest of the world to get to try this game out.

And that’s it – those are 10 Anime MMOs I think everyone should play if you’re looking for something Anime-inspired to waste your time in.
If you’re looking for a list of the most populated MMOs, though, ’cause these aren’t large enough for you, then I got a list for that as well right here.