Free MMORPGs and MMOs to play right now

What are the best free MMOs on PC? There’s been an explosion of free-to-play options in recent years, especially in the massively multiplayer online space. We’re here to help you find the genuinely enjoyable free MMO experiences and avoid the cheap cash-ins.

Even if your bank account is best friends with the number zero, our list of the best free MMORPGs currently available on PC promises endless hours of gameplay at absolutely no cost. From space games to anime games, let’s take a look at some of the best free PC games that are available to play without breaking the bank.

The best free MMOs are:

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Genshin Impact

Genshin Impact offers a lot of everything. It’s an expansive open-world game with some of the least intrusive free-to-play mechanics going, relying on a gacha banners system that allows players to unlock popular Genshin Impact characters. After you’ve chomped through the main story, you’re ready to get into the real game, which is exploring the vast, pristine world of Teyvat while upgrading weapons and artifacts to refine your Genshin Impact builds. Wherever you go there are bounties to complete, rewards to earn, and events to take part in.

While there’s no multiplayer PvP in Genshin Impact, you can play through the enormous open world with up to three friends in co-op, whether you just want to relax and unwind by a lake or slay your way through a few dungeons. There’s cross-play, too, so it doesn’t matter if your friends aren’t playing on PC. If you’re looking to dive in, our guide on how to download Genshin Impact should be your next stop. We’ve also got a Genshin Impact tier list to help you craft your party, as well as a complete collection of currently active Genshin Impact codes to give you a head start.

Play Genshin Impact for free.

Palia

Palia is a completely free MMORPG that has taken the world by storm during its open beta so far. The surprise hit sees you create a character as you enter the adorable town of Palia – through a rift in the sky, no less. You’re the only person to have arrived via this particular method of travel, will no real memory of why or how, but luckily you’re not the first human to turn up recently, meaning the town’s local inn is pretty full. Never mind, there’s a massive plot for you to pitch a tent, chop down trees, mine stone, and all manner of other classic life and crafting game tasks before you head off to meet the others like you who have appeared in this world.

You can download Palia for free from the Epic Games Store or direct from the Palia website.

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Black Desert Online

If we were to rank the games in this list based only on quality, this one would be right up near the top – but since it’s only here based on a technicality, it didn’t seem fair to put it right at the top. What’s the technicality? Well, while you can play the game for free, you’re limited to only a week’s free trial. If you want to dip your toe, then please do go ahead, but you can’t play it indefinitely like the others.

Anyway, ever since its 2018 overhaul, the Black Desert Online player base has had their enthusiasm for the game reinvigorated. With one of the best character creators we’ve ever seen, a wonderfully beautiful world to explore and nuanced trade, combat, and diplomacy systems to get your head around. It’s a finely crafted MMO that the developers have worked hard to make as appealing as possible and if you want to take advantage of the free trial, read our Black Desert Online beginner’s guide to make the most of your free window of time.

Play the Black Desert Online free trial.

Stalcraft

Originally a Minecraft mod based on STALKER, Stalcraft brings the popular FPS game into a massively multiplayer format, with co-op, PvP, and PvE elements. As Stalcraft is inspired by Stalker, the game naturally takes place in Chernobyl exclusion zone, where players can explore, build, hunt, and participate in faction wars. Given the multiplayer aspect of the game, Stalcraft allows for a veritable feast of new mechanics and gameplay modes.

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World of Tanks

There are over 800 tanks in World of Tanks, and if you revisit this page in the next hour that number will likely have grown. Essentially, if you are a fan of military hardware, you are a fan of World of Tanks. Unlike War Thunder, however, World of Tanks does not ask you to pour hours of research into learning the armor ratings and layout of every vehicle in the game; instead, World of Tanks takes a more arcade approach.

That is not to say there is a lack of sophistication, but rather that the core of the game has always been its fast-paced, arcade action. Like Call of Duty, World of Tanks is easy to learn but impossible to master. Clashes are won by fine margins and lightning-quick reflexes, while a compelling XP system and tech tree keep players coming back for more. Perhaps it’s not very realistic, but its speed and intensity make it one of the best tank games to play. There’s also a mobile version, World of Tanks: Blitz, which gives you a separate, handheld iteration of the game.

Play World of Tanks for free.

Tower of Fantasy

Following in the footsteps of Genshin Impact, this anime style open-world action MMORPG is taking the internet by storm. This is one of those free games where you can see the developer really pushed the boat out. The roster of Tower of Fantasy characters includes a wide variety of weapons with their own unique move sets, and you can even customize characters using creation tools and unlockable outfits.

What helps Tower of Fantasy stand out from the crowd is that its multiplayer elements have been very carefully designed with cooperation in mind. There’s nothing quite like venturing out into Aida with your friends, discovering new things, and taking on new foes. The game is still in its early days,  but the Tower of Fantasy map has already expanded wide enough to debut a faraway Artificial Island, as well as the cyberpunk city of Mirroria in Tower of Fantasy 2.0 update. we’re excited to see where it goes in the future. If you’re ready to start your journey, take a look at our Tower of Fantasy leveling guide, as well as our Tower of Fantasy beginners guide for some useful tips and tricks.

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War Thunder

Planes, tanks, and ships battling it out forever and ever and ever. That is the ultimate goal of War Thunder. It is a F2P title that specializes in vehicular warfare, with three similar but largely separate games under its title: Ground Forces, Aviation, and Naval Battles.

War Thunder’s frankly ridiculous number of vehicles all manage to stay unique thanks to the game’s realistic damage model, which simulates almost every single aspect of ballistics, from shell type and speed to the thickness and angle of the armor it is hitting. Every single shot is calculated, meaning that real-life tactics like staying hull down or angling your armor to deflect shells are essential skills to master in War Thunder. That realism means it can be a little tricky to get started, so be sure to read our pilot’s manual, AKA the War Thunder beginner’s guide.

Play War Thunder for free.

Paladins

A first-person shooter game with cartoon visuals and champions: Paladins might have a lot in common with Blizzard’s Overwatch, but it is worth seeking out for more than the fact that it is free. Developed by Hi-Rez Studios, who made the massively popular MOBA Smite, Paladins is built upon a simple class system that categorizes its champions by their main strategy on the battlefield.

Damage, Support, Flank, and Front Line are the champion types players can choose from, which makes deciphering their strengths and weaknesses dead easy. Still confused? Just check out our best Paladin’s champions guide. Playing as a Flank champion like Skye will mean you are best suited to attacking key objectives from behind enemy lines, whereas a Front Line champion excels at holding the line and stopping enemies from getting through. Ultimate meters for each hero also mean that the action never results in a stalemate by ensuring every player has an ace up their sleeve that can potentially turn the tide of the match.

Combine these core elements with constant updates that bring additions such as the Paladins battle royale mode, and you have a shooter that will keep you entertained for years.

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Crossout

As varied as it is satisfying, Crossout is a post-apocalyptic MMO action game that gives you the chance to scavenge and craft the materials to build more fearsome vehicles of battle beyond the imagination of any ten-year-old. What more could you possibly want from your online multiplayer games?

In what is essentially a free-to-play Mad Max: The Game, you customize a unique and wide range of vehicles with dozens of bespoke parts and use them to destroy your enemies in high-octane, action-packed skirmishes. You can play in both PvE and PvP modes, even fighting against player-created bosses.

You also have plenty of weapons at your disposal: rocket launchers and machine guns favor the most offensive and in-your-face players, whilst stealth generators and drones give you a greater choice in your approach. All your explosive efforts go toward your choice of five factions, too, earning you new blueprints, missions, parts, and, storage space. Shooting and building things has never been so lucrative. It can be a little tricky at first, so make sure you read our Crossout beginner’s guide.

Play Crossout for free.

Albion Online

Albion Online is an MMO without the constraints of character classes. It’s unusual, but welcome to not get bogged down in creating a class and feeling obligated to stick to it, especially after sinking hours into your build, which in Albion Online, is very easy to do. Instead, you build a character from the ground up, and your role in combat can be changed to complement your team and the situation at hand.

The player-driven economy and risky nature of losing all your loot in a poorly calculated move against your opponents or from an unprecedented enemy ambush is the main draw in Albion, a game that pushes tactics and decision-making to the forefront of the genre.

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Enlisted

Storm the beaches of Normandy and battle across Europe in this free-to-play WWII shooter. Enlisted offers players the chance to fight and strategize as they take on a number of key campaigns from the conflict, where each new location offers unique weapons, vehicles, and aircraft to aid you in your battle. 

You’ll build and improve your AI squad to incorporate a variety of specialists, from flame troopers to tankers, and with the ability to switch between each soldier under your command, every avenue of combat from tank to aerial support is open to explore.

This MMO is designed to please even the pickiest history buff with its impressive level of detail, particularly the fact that you’re limited to the equipment that was historically available for each specific campaign in order to get the job done.

Play Enlisted for free.

Path of Exile

An action RPG cut from the same cloth as the Diablo games, Path of Exile combines grim fantasy, compelling combat, and an extensive selection of gear, abilities, and upgrades to keep players grinding away for hours on end. Better still, you won’t just be retreading the same old ground every time you log in either, because every area is randomly generated across all servers – so the dungeon you and your friends are battling through will be different every time you tackle it.

It’s also an MMO that receives a massive content update and competitive shake-up every three months, with its most recent expansion, Expedition, adding heaps of new items and challenges to the game. Better yet, we can look forward to the upcoming Path of Exile 2 release date, which began as an update but developed into a fully-fledged sequel.

Path of Exile also manages to shed some positive light on that most loathed of all monetization strategies: microtransactions. The game’s developers are so staunchly against pay-to-win business models that they’ve included only “ethical microtransactions” in their game, by which they mean they add no gameplay advantages to the customer whatsoever.

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World of Warships

World of Warships switches out the twitch shooter elements of World of Tanks for a slowed-down and much more tactical style of play. Warships are leviathans: they crawl and creep across the map, and each one possesses enough power in a single barrage to wipe out anything else.

The change of pace makes for action that is more calculated and nerve-wracking. It can take a long time for shots to meet their targets, which means that every moment is spent trying to avoid incoming fire or anticipating where your foe will have moved to. World of Warships is also more cinematic than its on-tracks sibling thanks to the sheer scale its warfare is conducted on. Oh, and it has got some lovely sunsets too if that is what you want from a free-to-play war game.

With regular updates adding everything from Halloween cosmetics to Pan-Asian Destroyers to World of Warships, it’s not an MMO that will get stale any time soon.

Play World of Warships for free.

Guild Wars 2

With a storyline that reacts to the player’s actions, Guild Wars 2’s narrative is unique by MMORPG standards. Instead of traditional quests, players encounter dynamic events that pop up around the game world. Likewise, there are multiple paths to completion for each of these encounters, and intentional or not, your actions in Guild Wars 2 will have consequences.

For example, defending a town from a group of rampaging ogres might cause them to return with deadlier weapons or seek out refuge in a nearby cave – you will have to deal with the fallout of these events, whether that means repelling a stronger attack or hunting down and killing the remaining ogres. The result is a free MMO with the questing diversity of one of the best RPGs of all time: what’s not to love?

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Supremacy 1914

There aren’t many strategy games that match the scope of Supremacy 1914, which sees you taking control of one of the nations that were involved in the First World War. A game can have as many as 500 people in it and will take a very long time to play out – and don’t worry, it won’t be too predictable, because you don’t necessarily have to follow the path of established history.

Every country plays a little differently (with different resources available, giving them all different strengths and weaknesses) and so you might want to try lots of different games playing as the different countries, or you might want to take your time becoming a master of your favorite one. Either way, it’s very easy to get sucked into Suprmacy 1914’s deep intricacies.

Play Supremacy 1914 for free.

Star Wars: The Old Republic

When you are starting out Star Wars: The Old Republic it will not strike you as a unique MMO. You get some story, pick a faction and a class, and do some typically grindy missions for a while. Surprisingly though, that story soon gets better – a lot better – and you quickly find yourself pouring hours into the game just to get to the next cutscene.

While it began life as a subscription-based MMO, SWTOR is now also completely playable for free, although you should expect levelling up to take a little bit longer. If you fancy playing as a slave-turned-Sith or an Imperial Agent, though, it is a worthwhile grind. SWTOR isn’t just an MMO with a Star Wars lick of paint, it’s one of the best Star Wars games around.

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Call of War: World War II

Much like Supremacy 1914, Call of War: World War II puts you and an enormous selection of other players on the world stage where you navigate your way through a global conflict – although while that game was focused on the First World War, this one, as you have already probably gathered, is about the second.

Do you want to follow the path laid out for you by history, or do you want to do things differently? Do you want to focus on growing your country’s economy and forging healthy alliances with your neighbors, or do you want to be a conqueror? There are many options available to you, and you’ll find yourself becoming very deeply invested in the games which will span huge periods of time (in the real world) – but don’t worry, you don’t have to do it in one sitting. Games can last for days and days, with the longest going on for 411 days.

Play Call of War: World War II for free.

Lord of the Rings Online

Wouldn’t it be nice to enter an MMO without having to plunge multiple hours wrapping your head around its lore? Chances are you will already know the basics of Tolkien’s Middle-earth before heading into Lord of the Rings Online – so that is half the battle. If Middle-earth: Shadow of War didn’t scratch that Tolkien itch then perhaps this free MMO will.

The other half is avoiding all the quests, NPCs, and PvP encounters so you can get on with what you’re really there to do: explore all the most famous locations from the franchise – locations like Rohan, Moria, and the Shire. In fact, pretty much every setting in the lore has made it into the game in some form. You can even waltz right through the gates of Mordor contrary to the classic meme, although in typical MMO fashion, you will have to do a whole lot of farming in order to meet the level requirements of some areas.

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Conflict of Nations: World War III

If you’re somebody who liked the sound of Supremacy 1914 and Call of War: World War II, but prefers games based around modern warfare, then this is one MMO you’re gonna love. Conflict of Nations: World War III is set in a hypothetical future where the global tensions of our time have escalated to such an extent that the world is in a state of all-out war, with each nation vying to become the biggest international super power.

There’s an enormous list of countries to choose from and there are various options for how you want to help them navigate this dystopian world. Obviously, you might want to focus on your military and the territories that you could soon bring under your control, or maybe you’d instead prefer to focus on boosting the economy, or advancing technological developments. Either way, it’s your chance to test your mettle on the global stage.

Play Conflict of Nations: World War III for free.

EVE Online

Not many space games boast battles so costly and sprawling that they’ve earned two Guinness World Records and had several books written about them. Eve Online is a free MMO and galactic conquest simulator like nothing else, where corporations made up of thousands of players duke it out across an entire solar system. You can start your own venture in this hostile galaxy, but the main draw is petitioning a corporation to hire you and throwing yourself into the life of a space-age peon. EVE has been around for a while, but a recent graphics update has kept it looking fresh, and two EVE Online expansions are set to release this year, making it a perfect time to start your journey.

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Neverwinter

The name and setting of Neverwinter has a long and storied history online, beginning in 1991 with the first graphical single-player MMO, before revolutionizing the realm of player-made modules under the stewardship of BioWare with Neverwinter Nights. The rather more modern Neverwinter pulls from both – setting groups of D&D characters loose in the famous city while allowing players to write their own stories, with additions like Ravenloft characters being added to the game. There are some inventive community adventures on offer if you’re willing to dig.

Not that you will have to reach for those if you do not want to – expansions have taken Neverwinter players to some of the most beloved corners of the Forgotten Realms, including the Underdark and Icewind Dale. Plus, there’s also Baldur’s Gate 3  if you’re looking to explore more of this glorious world.

Play Neverwinter for free.

Runescape

At over 20 years of age, Runescape isn’t far off being able to buy itself a drink at the bar – you don’t get to that age in that industry without being one of the best PC games. By gaming standards, it should be abandoned and decrepit, but with a still thriving community, one of the best free-to-play models around, and updates so regular it’s nearly impossible to keep track of, Runescape still feels as young and fresh as it did in the early 2000s. Quests, new characters, festive events, and entirely new features have come and gone in their hundreds.

Runescape is also one of the friendliest MMOs around, with a community of veterans who are always willing to lend a hand to a noob in need – alternatively, you can use our Runescape beginner’s guide. Even after some graphical upgrades, it’s not the easiest MMO on the eyes, but that does at least mean you can run it on a potato.

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Romans: Age of Caesar

If you enjoy grand strategy games, then you’ll really like this MMO. In Romans: Age of Caesar, you and thousands of other players are working together to rebuild the Roman Empire, and you’ll be responsible for helping to develop and maintain a city with up to 16 different players.

Together, you’ll work to defend your community from attacking barbarians, while gathering resources that will allow you to further expand your city. You’ll eventually start carving out trade routes and building relationships with the cities run by other groups of players – ultimately it feels very much like you’re part of a very real virtual empire.

Play Romans: Age of Caesar for free.

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Star Trek Online

Character creation tools in MMOs let you shape everything from your avatar’s jawline and eyelash length to the exact density of their chest hair, but even they have got nothing on the options available in Star Trek Online. Tired of playing as a human? Great, here you can be a Gorn, Rigellian, Romulan, Klingon, or any other of the 30 race variations available.

Questing and progressing in Star Trek Online plays out like episodes from the TV series: one moment you are wandering through space, the next you are having to do deals with or shoot lasers at, one of the many franchise belligerents. Be it in spaceship battles or on the ground where gameplay takes the form of a third-person shooter, Star Trek Online does a brilliant job of bringing the storylines and tone of the TV shows into an F2P MMO. It even gets updated regularly like a TV show, with expansions like Victory is Life adding the crew from Deep Space Nine to the game.

Play Star Trek Online for free.

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Star Conflict

Star Conflict dumps players in the role of an elite space pilot on a quest to track down and fight for alien treasures scattered throughout its expansive sandbox. Essentially, the game’s progression is all about acquiring a bigger and bigger collection of ships, from agile fighters to floating behemoths, before finally handing you control of your own fleet.

PvE quests and raids see you and your friends facing off against squadrons of aliens or space pirates, while PvP is a looming threat wherever you venture. An impressive tech tree and catalog of ships means there’s always a reason to keep playing, as you’re never far off a new weapon type or ship module. Thanks to Star Conflict Oculus Rift support, this is also one of the only free MMOs you can play in VR.

Play Star Conflict for free.

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Wizard101

These days, you can find tons of free MMOs online, but Wizard101 is one that originated back in 2008 and has remained popular over the years since then. In it, you play as a student of the Ravenwood School for Magical Arts and have to decide whether you want to enroll in the school of Fire, Ice, Storm, Myth, Life, Death, or Balance. Each school sets your character on a different path that will see them developing different sets of magical abilities, all of which will have an effect on how you battle enemies.

It’s also a game that has a surprisingly deep and nuanced storyline. You’ll find yourself coming up against the forces of former necromancy teacher, Malistaire. While at first, he may appear to be the ‘evil wizard’ archetype, you’ll soon find that his motivations are much more interesting, with more and more of the story revealed as you explore and discover new areas.

Play Wizard101 for free.

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Final Fantasy XIV

Making an MMO out of the beloved Final Fantasy series was never going to be easy. As if to prove that point, Square Enix made a royal mess of Final Fantasy XIV the first time around and had to take another swing at it, eventually turning one of their worst games into one of the best MMOs on PC.

Unlike other MMOs, Final Fantasy XIV doesn’t force players down the route of having to grind endlessly with multiple characters to see which combat class they want to play as. Instead, you just need to make it to level ten and the ability to switch between the game’s eight combat classes is magically unlocked. It is also one of the very few cross-play MMOs, which means you can inhabit the same world as PlayStation users. You lucky thing.

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Raid: Shadow Legends

Raid: Shadow Legends offers a more strategic, management-focused take on the genre, as its gameplay largely revolves around collecting heroes and optimizing your squad. The turn-based combat encourages clever and calculated play, which will test the skills of both newcomers and more experienced players.

Raid also allows for online battles too. You can team up with other players and take on challenging missions or fight against a rival player’s AI-controlled squad. Both of these lead to high-quality rewards that can be used to further develop and improve your team. Raid is cross-platform, so if you sign up on Android or iOS, then you can share your progress on PC, too.

Play Raid Shadow Legends for free.

There you have it, the best free MMOs currently active and available to play. While PC gaming may have a reputation for being rather expensive, our list proves that you can have a fantastic time without needing to shell out for a single game. Many of these free options appear on our list of the best MMOs of all time, so what are you waiting for? It’s time to dive into a new world (or two) – and for more free gaming recommendations, our list of online games that need no download is well worth a read.