This week, Blizzard announced that World of Warcraft’s sixth expansion, Legion, will indeed arrive this summer as planned. August 30th is the big day. Got your preorder in yet? Here’s what else is new in the land of MMO beta testing:
- Tree of Savior banned 3000 cheaters and dealt with pricing fallout from scheming arbitrage artists.
- Tree of Life — yeah, all the trees are confusing — launched its beta (along with its cash shop).
- Origins of Malu announced it has suspended its development as it shops for investors.
- Camelot Unchained announced its beta one release has been delayed, likely several weeks.
- Nexon’s flying MMORPG Riders of Icarus began its second round of closed beta.
- Hi-Rez’s shooter-hybrid Paladins patched its closed beta with, Dragon Punch, which pushes live new champion Drogoz, The Greedy.
- Guild Wars 2’s live beta test of world linking for WvW began today.
- Cube World is alive!
- Fragmented released a trailer ahead of next week’s Steam early access launch. Stress tests are ongoing.
- Glitch-spinoff Children of Ur updated its open alpha with a new build.
- The Black Death lurched like a plague-ridden zombie into Steam early access.
- Nexon launched the alpha for LawBreakers with a new trailer featuring no less than Ice-T.
- The Culling’s first big early access patch introduced female playable characters.
- Asta’s still in beta too, but it’s also getting a big content patch.
Check out our complete list of games in testing below!
As always, we consider an MMO to be in open testing if it features free, public signups and will server wipe prior to launch. An MMO is marked in closed testing if it’s running a private test phase that cannot freely be accessed by the general public; it’s usually under NDA as well. Early access and crowdfunded MMOs whose tests we deem legitimate will be included. So-called “open beta” soft-launch MMOs with cash shops, no sign of launch in the west, or limited interest for our readers will not be listed; we also do not list expansions.
Albion Online: Closed beta
Asta: Open beta
Beasts of Prey:Â Early access alpha
Boundless: Donor alpha
Camelot Unchained:Â Backer alpha
Children of Ur: Open alpha
Chronicles: Runescape Legends: Closed beta
Crossout: Closed beta
Crowfall: Backer pre-alpha
Cube World: Closed alpha
Das Tal: Alpha expected in April
DayZ: Early access
Divergence Online:Â Alpha
Dungeon Fighter Online: Open testing
Eleven:Â Closed alpha
Eternal Crusade: Early access play on Steam
Ever, Jane: Closed beta
Fragmented: Closed backer beta
Gloria Victis: Donor pre-alpha
H1Z1:Â Paid early access, split into two games, launch expected in March
HEX:Â Unofficial open beta
Landmark: Paid closed beta, cash shop active, launching in spring
LawBreakers: Closed alpha
Life is Feudal: Early access beta
Line of Defense: Early access, removed from Steam
MyDream: Closed testing open to donors
Origins of Malu:Â Development suspended
Otherland: Early access
Overwatch: Closed beta, launching May 24th
Paladins: Closed beta
Paragon: Early access
Pathfinder Online: Subscription “early enrollment”
Project Genom: Closed alpha
Project Gorgon: Free, open testing
Riders of Icarus: Closed beta
Shards Online: Pre-alpha
Shroud of the Avatar: Steam early access, backer testing
SkySaga: Ongoing NA and UK alpha events
Star Citizen: Backer alpha
Stash: Backer alpha
The Black Death: Early access alpha
The Culling: Early access testing
The Repopulation: Alpha offline, moving to the Unreal engine, survival spinoff starts early access April 26th
Tree of Life: Open beta
Tree of Savior: Early access, launching in June
Tribal Wars 2: Open testing
TUG: Steam early access alpha
Valiance Online: Pre-alpha testing
Venus Rising: Closed beta (adult/NSFW), currently on development hiatus due to Hero Engine issues
