While we’re still waiting for the next great new MMORPG to take the world by storm like World of Warcraft did years ago, there are still plenty of great active ones to choose from. These are the 10 most played MMORPGs on PC in 2024, ranked by their peak concurrent players.
Editor’s Note: Data sources used for this list include MMO Population, activeplayer.io, PlayerAuctions, and MMOStats. Data for every title except for RuneScape is not provided by the devs, but by Steam or some other service. That data excludes any players that play on official clients. Still, we included as accurate predictions as we could to make the ranking as fair as possible.
10. MIR4 – 35,000
If you’re a big fan of K-fantasy (Korean fantasy), MMOs, and RPGs, then you’ll be happy to hear that MIR4 fits into all three and then some. It features a much heavier emphasis on player vs player—even the loot is free-for-all, which can and will start fights between players.
MIR4 has six classes to play: Taoist, Sorcerer, Arbalist, Lancer, Darkist, and Warrior. Each one has its own unique playstyle. Warriors and Sorcerers provide excellent DPS, Taoists offer support and healing, Lancers balance between offense and defense, while Arbalists and Darkists make great PVPers.
Regardless of which class you play, everyone can join in on territorial disputes, raids, and castle sieges and practice life skills in their spare time. However, there might be too much content at this point, making it hard for new players to join in.
9. MapleStory – 70,000
MapleStory is the second-largest game Nexon ever produced and one of the OGs of the MMORPG genre. First released in 2005, it managed to rack up over 260 million players over the almost 20 years of its existence.
The gameplay in MapleStory is a slick combination of side-scrolling and MMO, bringing a retro vibe to the whole experience. You can pick from 40+ classes in the game, with whom you’ll set out on an adventure to rescue the 2D worlds of Arcane River, Grandis, Maple World, and many more.
But the most amazing thing about MapleStory is how amazingly complex its world has become over the years. Nowadays, there are thousands of hours of content for you to enjoy, and that really proves why it’s still one of the most played MMORPG games.
8. The Elder Scrolls Online – 75,000
The Elder Scrolls Online launched to mediocre reviews back in 2014, but the game has changed a lot since then. Rebranded as Tamriel Unlimited, The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) is now a paid, premium product with a wealth of content and a host of gameplay changes that make this a must-play game for fans of the Elder Scrolls universe.
Now feeling much more connected to the single-player smash-hits developed by Bethesda (ESO is a Zenimax Studios game), the Morrowind expansion and Summerset DLC add fresh new adventures with the sort of excellent storytelling the franchise is known for.
The last expansion, Golden Road, saw mixed success. It features new areas, quests, unlockables, and systems, but that all doesn’t make it worth the $40 price tag, at least, that’s what the players can agree on.
Still, ESO is one of MMORPG’s most successful franchises, with an estimated active player count that exceeds 2 million players across all platforms. It’s no surprise, then, that daily concurrent peaks on Steam regularly surpass 25,000, and there are even more players that play using the official ESO launcher.
7. Lost Ark – 90,000
When Lost Ark first launched, I managed to get 200 hours of playtime in the first two weeks. It felt like I was doing double shifts in a video game. And the craziest part is that I loved every minute of it.
Lost Ark is an isometric Korean MMORPG that received a Western version in February 2022. It blew up, racking up over 1.3 million players on launch. However, due to its grind-heavy nature, it quickly dropped in numbers.
A massive amount of bot accounts and a sort of P2W economy further culled its numbers. Currently, it’s estimated to have around 95,000 peak concurrent players (including the bot accounts), placing it in the 6th spot on this list of most-played MMORPGs in 2024.
6. Black Desert Online – 120,000
Black Desert Online has made a huge splash in the MMORPG community thanks to its beautifully realized world, boasting lush environments and detailed character animations. The combat also happens to be superb, echoing the sort of adrenaline-pumping action-RPG experience of TERA but married to a much more modern game design.
Currently, there are more than 20 unique classes to choose from, each offering a unique combat experience. However, BDO offers so much more than combat, which is proved by the fact that a huge chunk of players log into the game every day not to grind new gear but life skills! Yeah, they are that fun.
The BDO community continues to expand each month and hasn’t really seen any drop in concurrent player averages since records began. It regularly peaks around 25,000 players on Steam, and if you include the players that use the official launcher, it’s the second most-played Korean MMORPG when it comes to concurrent player numbers.
5. RuneScape – 155,000
RuneScape is intimidatingly hands-off, with just a five-minute tutorial that introduces you to the basics before sending you off into its enormous and highly populated sandbox to just go and do whatever you please. But therein lies the magic that has attracted people to the concept of a persistent fantasy world since the inception of the genre.
RunScape is the oldest game on our list, and yet it still remains one of the most popular MMORPGs, even in 2024. Perhaps a great deal of the reason it remains so insanely popular is how easy it is to learn, though hard to master.
Thanks to RuneScape’s own websites and to the very handy misplaceditems site, which gives you historical RuneScape player data, you can see that the official numbers put RuneScape and Old School Runescape at a combined peak of 165,000 concurrent players in 2024. Not too shabby for a game that’s almost 25 years old.
4. Guild Wars 2 – 220,000
Guild Wars 2 was initially a paid game, but it went F2P back in 2015. Since then, it has solidified itself as the most accomplished Korean MMORPG and by far the most played one so far in 2024.
Even if you don’t buy any of the expansions, Guild Wars 2 offers a massive world to explore. The most fun part, though, is the endgame. Raids, World vs World, PvP, and a plethora of other modes, each special in its own way.
More importantly, GW2 is one of the few MMOs you’ll get to play that doesn’t require you to have alts. I remember playing six characters in Lost Ark, and it felt like a full-time job. In GW2, though, you can log in whenever you want, not caring about whether you’ve finished your dailies or not. Isn’t that great?
3. Final Fantasy XIV – 230,000
One of the big comeback stories in video gaming history, the original version of Final Fantasy XIV was so completely unserviceable that Square Enix completely abandoned it, reworked the entire project, and came out golden on the other side.
Final Fantasy XIV has a subscription model, though new players are able to access some content free of charge. Still, it’s absolutely worth paying for a premium product, and that’s exactly what A Realm Reborn is.
Consistent new content in the form of small tweaks and added features to massive expansion packs, such as Endwalker, make for a world brimming with epic stories and exciting gameplay to immerse yourself in.
2. Night Crows – 350,000
The newest addition on this list, Night Crows, has taken the MMO community by storm during its release in March. It’s a wild mix of two of the best Korean 3rd person MMOs, Black Desert Online and Blade & Soul, with just about everything done a bit better.
Its economy is tied to its cryptocurrency, CROW, which is minted in excess of $100K a day. That has attracted people who aren’t even that interested in playing the game but in making money off it—as if that’s not true for almost every other game on this list.
1. World of Warcraft – 400,000
World of Warcraft is one of the most popular games of all time and by far the most played MMORPG in 2024 by concurrent players. It redefined the MMORPG genre two decades ago and still serves as an inspiration for all the video game devs out there.
However, the most interesting thing about WoW isn’t that it inspires others but that its player count never goes down. Its diehard fanbase is always there, spending up to $150 a year just to play the game, even when there have been no new expansions in years.
Also, the retail version might be intimidating for new players, but now, we have Classic and WoTLK, which are easy to pick up and get into. Still, they are played mainly by veterans who want to have fun in the scenarios that entertained their younger selves so much.
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