The MMORPG genre has been desperately waiting for something new to come along and wake up the whole MMO gaming space.

Unfortunately, its been a quiet couple of years with the biggest MMO to drop being arguably New World, which says a lot. 

So I have compiled a short list of some of the upcoming titles that may be gracing us in 2024 and the years beyond. 

Throne & Liberty 

Expected release date:  Early 2024 

This title has been in production for what seems a life time now. It originally started of as a successor to lineage 2 but eventually became its own unique title. It’s been in development for roughly 13 years and was originally an ARPG, where as now it’s a UE5 3rd person MMO. 

Technically this title is already out and available to play if you live in South Korea, but for the west, we are still waiting on Amazon Game Studios to publish it. 

For me personally, I’m not mega excited for this title.

Initially there were issues with the combat which were highlighted during the beta tests, which to be fair to the guys at T&L, they did go back and improve. However, to get this far into development and realise that your combat was majorly flawed does make me wonder what else could be wrong. There is also the issue with an in game auction house which essentially takes IRL money, which will without a doubt create a lot of pay to win.  

Even though this title is free to play, I expect it to play out a lot like Lost Ark. 

Fractured Online

Expected Release Date:  Available Now in Early Access 

Fractured Online is a open-world sandbox MMORPG, with plenty of PVE and PVP. Originally this project was a kick starter and over the years has managed to become an almost fully published MMORPG. It’s available on Steam in the form of early access, with a bunch of updates expected this year. 

Fans of Ultima online and other hardcore PVP MMOs will enjoy this one, although the top down ARPG style perspective wont be to everyone’s taste. I’ve got a couple of hours in this game and I have to say its quite enjoyable. There’s all the usual elements from a MMORPG you would expect such as crafting, housing and of course flower picking. 

This one isn’t for the faint hearted and I look forward to its full release 

Dune Awakening

Expected Release Date: Early 2024 

Fans of the Dune books and movies will be looking forward to this one. Developed by Funcom who are also well known for such titles as Conan Exiles and Mutant Year Zero, they are bringing Dune to life in the form of an open world, sandbox survival MMO.

From my perspective I can imagine this to be like Conan Exiles but in space. So far the game footage looks absolutely amazing and there are no worries about pay to win or over monetisation, which is super refreshing in the MMO space.

There are Betas planned so I’ll hold judgement till more is shown. 

Honestly, I’m looking forward to notion of battling a giant sand worm, with friends. 

ArcheAge 2

Expected Release Date: Late 2024 / Early 2025

Fans of the original ArcheAge might be excited or genuinely not bothered by the news of ArcheAge 2. The original was praised for its innovative features and ambitions, but also remembered for what a failure it was. Some put the downfall of AA to its over monetisation, whales and or delays in patching anything and everything that broke. 

But lets not dwindle on the past and look to the future of ArcheAge 2. This title is a UE5 MMORPG which quite frankly looks impressive. The only downfall is that it seems to be focusing more on the PVE aspects and some might even go as far to say single player gameplay. It was initially scheduled to be released at the end of 2024, but there is news circulating that this will now in fact be the beta.

There are also concerns about its publishers Kakao games, who are well known for their heavy monetisation practices. 

Maybe one to watch… 

Ashes of Creation

Expected Release Date: Who Knows! 

Ashes of Creation is one of the most highly anticipated MMORPGs of the decade! (Too far?) 

Now it’s obviously not releasing this year, however Alpha 2, the persistent Alpha will be going live in Q3. This mean we get to take a first hand look at this title and what it has to offer. 

Personally I’m super excited to get involved and test out everything and anything Steven Sharif and the team have to offer! 

You can also see more about Ashes of Creation here 

Conclusion 

As always if you want a full break down and maybe some visual stimulation, check out my video below, on the top MMORPGs to look out for, in 2024 and beyond.