With the emergence of the Battle Royale genre, I think players have started to forget what it means to play a truly social game. MMORPGs have been an integral part in the evolution of gaming experiences. From hours spent killing monsters at Wall of Slaughter, to dozens of skirmishes in Stranglethorn Vale, MMOs have provided us with memorable moments that rank up there with our biggest life moments. While it’s true that the industry is struggling with innovation due to the massive expenditure of creating a new titles in a heavily saturated microtransaction market. There’s still plenty of great games out there to play right now! Check them out!

1. World of Warcraft

   Population: 6 Million+

Yeah, of course, Blizzard’s literally groundbreaking MMO was going to be on this list. There’s no way it wouldn’t be. Andromorphic Kung Fu Pandas couldn’t kill this game, that’s a testament in itself. If you’re looking for just one game to play because your time is limited, you should pick up WoW. With seemingly endless questlines and achievements, there’s no better investment of your money for content. There’s even a Battle Pets mode, which essentially just means you round up a bunch of little critters and make them battle until exhaustion. In no way is this related to Pokémon. WoW is definitely one of the top 10 PC MMORPGs of all time. With tons of new content being released regularly and Battle for Azeroth on the horizon, trust me when I say you are not prepared for this much content!

2. Eve Online

   Population: 150k

You don’t play Eve Online, it plays you. I’m 98% sure it’s just Jumanji redesigned. Here’s a scary story. I was still finishing up school and was living with my parents. In the course of just one year, my GPA dropped almost an entire point, my girlfriend dumped me, and I quit my job. The scary part?  I was completely fine with it. That’s how fun this game is to the progression-minded gamer. The world has a deep, twisted capitalistic side that gave birth to an economy run by only players. I’ve actually used my in-game businesses as models for my supply chain management classes. I even heard of a 21 hour long corporation battle involving literally thousands of players. The expense was enormous. Get played at your own risk.

3. Black Desert Online

   Population: 500k

Do you hate yourself? Do you like being reminded of how inferior you are to other players? Then Black Desert Online is for you. This game is absolutely gorgeous, and runs its marketing accordingly. Scantily clad female characters and an overwhelmingly stunning game engine give this game more sex appeal than it knows what to do with. With a combat system focused entirely on action-based precision combos, the learning curve can be a bit steep for the average MMO player; and with the game being so focused on PvP, you’ll be reminded how bad you are a lot. Though, when you do manage to pull off a miraculous victory over some jerk that tried to interrupt your horse taming process, it’ll feel like you just beat Cell in SSJ2. Sure, your arm is broken, but man you looked cool. Play now.

4. Elder Scrolls Online

   Population: 500k (Between Console and PC)

For this entry on the list, I’m going to abandon my poorly written jokes because this series is my religion. ESO tries hard to capture the glory of Skyrim, bless its heart. Alas, exploring all of Tamriel was just too monumental of a task to live up to after the release of Skyrim. So, initially the game flopped. After some rededication to form and lore, and the release of the Morrowind expansion for ESO, it began to recover its player base. This one is for the MMO explorer. There’s still a ton of fight in this contender for top 10 MMORPGs of all time. We have still yet to see how many arrows its players will take to their knees.

5. Guild Wars 2

   Population: 100k

Some might chastise this MMO for being too different from its predecessor, much like Everquest 2 was. However, this game is still wonderful in its own right. With the ability to adapt playstyle according to equipped weaponry it allows growth based heavily on player decision. With only 5 skill slots to use used at any one time, its simplicity makes it very attractive to those looking to avoid the rotation centric ability models. With a well established lore and universe, you can lose yourself in this world for months.

6. Tera

   Population: 100K

Sort of Black Desert Online’s hot older sister, Tera pioneered a lot of the action based MMO formula. It, too, features scantily clad eastern women and some loli anime types. If that’s your thing, of course. The game promotes reactive skillsets which reward the player for actually dodging and blocking. This is one of the few MMOs I actually enjoyed the leveling process in. Which is probably for the best considering there isn’t a lot to the end game content. Nevertheless, Tera is addictive and fast paced. It’ll keep you entertained for a good long while, especially if you’re the type to level multiple classes.

7. Final Fantasy XIV

   Population: 400k

Originally this game was the laughingstock of the MMO community. Now, it sits here on the list of top 10 best MMORPG games. As a major fan of all things Final Fantasy and a Final Fantasy XI junkie, XIV was quite the disappointment. After loads of restructuring and making changes based on community wishes, Final Fantasy XIV was reborn as a work of art. This MMO is particularly suited for fans of the series and those that love immersive questlines/experiences. If you enjoyed games like Everquest and FFXI, you owe it to yourself to check it out. You won’t be sorry, kupo!

8. Neverwinter

   Population: 23,200

   

While its player count varies based on what source you inspect, Neverwinter is a well-polished MMO based on the Dungeons and Dragons universe. The classes are interesting and remind you of playing campaigns in your basement with your nerdiest friends. Despite how you feel about microtransactions, spending a tiny amount of money in the game makes it quite playable with little irritation. Great for nostalgia and console players, as like ESO and Tera, its available on many platforms and free to play.

9. Runescape

   Population: 60,000 (rough estimate)

Go ahead, laugh as much as you want. Get it all out of your system. It’s super funny that it made the list, huh? Practically side splitting. How bout this, though, Runescape is literally 17 years old. It was a browser game only for 15 of those years. There is no end to this game. The nostalgia alone is enough to fuel this beast. Despite its age, in all seriousness, the game is still tremendously fun. The casual vibe it gives off is great for wasting time but feeling like you’re actually accomplishing something. Ignore the haters. Runescape will outlast us all.

10. Everquest

    Population: 1500 (peak population on most popular server)

So, maybe I’m a little biased with this one. The great-grandfather of all MMOs was my go-to for years. With 20 years of content to explore and a difficulty curve that makes Eve look like Cooking Mama, it’s not for the faint of heart. This is the original hard mode, the king of punishment and the ruin of marriages worldwide. Everquest was the beginning of every game on this list. There is no game like it, no social experience even comparable. Even WoW, the game I left EQ for, could never replace it in my heart. If you love classic experiences and challenging, deep world quests, go play this game. Look beyond its harsh exterior and see the beauty within, I dare you.

Do you agree with the choices on this list? Would you have added anything different? Tell us your favorite MMO experiences below!