What are the best new MMOS? Once as rare as a legendary loot drop, new MMOs seem to be launching every other month these days. MMOs offer near-boundless freedom in a world populated by a vast number of players, making them among the most ambitious games around. Each one promises a sprawling world, a vibrant community, and enough content to last a lifetime – or at the very least, several years. Thanks to the rise of the free-to-play market, they’re also now more accessible than ever.
New MMORPG games hold the potential to become the best PC games on the market, but many come precariously close to failure. History is littered with MMOs that have had their moment in the spotlight or never garnered the attention they deserved, and our list of the best new MMOs only includes those with thriving communities that aren’t about to be put to pasture any time soon. As the worlds of MMORPGs are ever-changing, we’ve also included games with all-new content updates and expansions that deliver enough content to make the old feel brand new again. So, from newly updated sword-and-sorcery classics to emerging action RPGs, these are the best new MMOs available to play right now.
The best new and updated MMOs to try in 2024 are:
- Sky: Children of the Light
- Palia
- Black Desert Online – New content!
- Final Fantasy XIV – New DLC!
- Tower of Fantasy – New content update!
- Diablo 4 – New season!
- Guild Wars 2 – New DLC!
Sky: Children of the Light
You might be familiar with Sky: Children of the Light, as the game has been available on mobile devices since 2019. However, the sweet and wholesome MMO arrives on PC for the first time later in 2024, with a demo available to play on Steam right now.
In Children of the Light, you awake in The Realms of Sky, where you have no memory of your past. You must conclude an introductory, solo tutorial, giving you more context about your goal in Sky, before being let loose in the seven massive, open-world Realms of Sky. Here, any other children you come across are other players across the world, taking part in the same adventure. Befriend them and gift them light on your journey to save the spirits around you and restore light to this beautiful fallen kingdom.
Palia
Palia is a new, free MMO and farming sim with a cute art style and adorable characters. While it isn’t the sort of combat heavy RPG you might expect to see flooding this list, instead, Palia let’s you roam the same town as other players online, making new friends, trading items, and building a cozy community with others.
Like games like Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, and the like, Palia gives you the tools to fish, craft, cook, and build on your own private piece of land, so you can keep yourself to yourself as much as you wish, and treat Palia as a single-player game. On the other hand, you can build co-op areas, head out into the village and meet others, or team up to complete collections and quests. While it might not be taking down terrifying bosses and clearing out dungeons, some Palia tasks also require multiple players to complete, so once you’re ready to meet new people, or bring your own friends, the MMO aspect really comes alive when you need to harvest a Flow Grove.
Black Desert Online
Like many South Korean MMOs, Black Desert Online received a staggered release, launching in Korea in 2015 and then further afield in 2016. While it was certainly no bad apple upon release, the free remaster in 2018 took it to new heights. Now, while it might not be an entirely new MMO, BDO is kept feeling fresh with constant new content like new classes and events, and the most recent change has been a huge overhaul to the Enhancement system.
Alongside a series of ongoing seasonal events, changes to the Enhancement system were announced in a mysterious post on April Fool’s Day. Luckily, the BDO announcement was real, and a new weapon, changes to the enhancement system, and a new World Boss have all been teased for the coming months.
Play the Black Desert Online free trial.
Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail
The base Final Fantasy XIV game may not be a new MMO anymore, but 2024 is a huge year for the game, with the next massive expansion, Dawntrail, arriving in the July this year. Veterans and new players alike are looking forward to the game’s next huge overhaul, and FF14 even won over our very own Will Nelson at the end of 2023, and the new Final Fantasy 14 fan doesn’t even like MMORPGs. If only one thing sways you to give FF14 a try, let it be that.
The first new expansion since 2021’s Endwalker, Dawntrail increases the game’s maximum level cap to 100, so even if you have hours of FF14 logged already, there is plenty of new content to explore, since the level cap increase affects existing jobs, crafting classes, and skills. Two new jobs also arrive with the new expansion, along with a new storyline and expanded setting, with Dawntrail taking place in new location Tural.
If you’ve never played before, this new update is the perfect time to start. Whether you want to wait until the FF14 Dawntrail release date, or start logging hours right away, you can play for free up to level 60, which offers a huge number of hours of gameplay without requiring you to spend a single penny.
Tower of Fantasy
The self-professed “best anime open-world MMORPG”, Tower of Fantasy was released to a fantastic reception in October 2022, so still isn’t that old in terms of many of the best MMORPGs. That said, we’re including it on this list not for its original release date, but for its latest content update
As with many anime gacha games, the Tower of Fantasy world keeps expanding with regular content updates in which new areas, mechanics, player characters, and enemies are added. Tower of Fantasy 3.7 is no different, and it’s a great time to get back into the game or dive in for the first time.
Rei is the new Simulcrum, or playable character, to be added with the update, along with her Salvation weapon. This high rarity character might be hard to get your hands on, but while you’re at it, a brand-new Raid Instance and other events can keep you busy. For more chances to add Rei to your team, make sure you redeem the latest Tower of Fantasy codes.
Diablo 4
Whether you consider Diablo 4 an MMO or not, there are certainly elements of the game that lean towards the MMORPG definition. Most obviously, massive world events and terrifying bosses that are hard enough to defeat with 25 other people – let alone by yourself. Participating in everything D4 has to offer requires utilizing massively multiplayer mechanics.
Having been released in the Summer of 2023, it’s debatable whether we can consider D4 a new game. As a live service game, though, a new season of Diablo 4 is currently released every three months, with season 4 launching in May 2024. If you’re unsure whether Diablo 4 is for you, rest assured it’s a great entry point for the series if you’ve never tried it before, and have a read through our Diablo 4 review for more.
Guild Wars 2 – Secrets of the Obscure
Yes, Guild Wars 2 has been around for over a decade, but it continues to provide new MMO experiences that keep it fresh. The latest expansion, Secrets of the Obscure, continues the story after the defeat of the Elder Dragons. Even better, the devs at ArenaNet are spreading out the new content over a series of updates, so there will always be something new to come online for. Changes to combat and skyscale mounts also provide new combat as you take to the skies to explore “epic aerial maps” – with the new map expanding over the weeks.
That’s it for our look at the freshest massively multiplayer experiences you can get on PC in 2024. If you’re looking for quality over recency, our list of the best MMOs will serve you well, or if you’re okay with less than a world’s worth of players then why not check out our picks of the best multiplayer games? Either way, we invite you to leave your single-player games alone for a while and become one with the massively multiplayer machine.