MMORPG.GG
June 19, 2023
Maplestory was released in 2003 and quickly gained a following in both the eastern and western markets with its unique cute anime graphics.
Vanguard eventually turned into a good MMO but it was too late and it was shut down in 2014. A Vanguard emulator has later been developed by members of the community.
The game features some pretty dated isometric graphics, that might make it hard for new players to get into the game, but the gameplay has definitely stood the test of time.
AO came out in 2001 and was one of the few classic MMOs set in a sci-fi setting. The game still has a cult following and is definitely worth checking out for old-school MMO fans.
Asheron’s Call is set in the fantasy world of Auberean. The game features many traditional MMO elements, such as quests, monsters, and player-versus-player combat.
The player base has definitely dwindled over the years, but in 2011 the game switched to a F2P model, so if you’ve ever been curious about trying L2 you should definitely give it a try.
If you are looking for a great sandbox MMO, and don’t mind spending some time learning the ropes, Wurm Online might be the old-school MMO for you.
At first, only the Eberron setting was available to explore but has since been expanded to the Forgotten Realms as well, known to players of most of the other D&D-based video games.
WoW Classic was released in 2019 and is a MMO set in the world of Azeroth. The game is a re-release of the original World of Warcraft, which was released in 2004.
In 2022 the game went through a bit of a revival and had a surge of new players joining the game and old veterans returning.
Eve Online was released in 2003 and is set in a science-fiction world. The game is unique in that it has no set objectives, and players are free to do whatever they want.
Almost a decade before Final Fantasy XIV came out, Final Fantasy XI was released in 2003 as the first Final Fantasy MMO.
No more expansions are being developed for GW but there are still events hosted in the game and it still has a big enough population so that you can find people to play with.
DAoC quickly became a household name, mostly because of its engaging RvR combat which featured PvP on a much larger scale than had been seen before.
OSRS was released in 2013 but the reason it’s called Old School is that it’s running on a version of the game from 2007. OSRS is now more popular than Runescape 3 and even has a mobile version.
SWG was shut down in 2011 before the release of SWTOR, but you can still play the game on SWG Legends Emulated server, which even still releases new content to the game.
First released in 1997, UO is one of the oldest MMOs. What it lacks in graphics, it makes up for in gameplay. UO is a sandbox, which means that there are no set objectives.
EQ is set in the world of Norrath and has a vast array of quests and monsters to keep players occupied. It has a rich story, with many players have been playing the it for over 20 years.