Ah, Crucible, you entered our lives so quickly and then exited equally quickly… but only back to beta. You might think this is unnecessary to restate, but the game did just drop a big patch with a whole lot of changes to its one remaining gameplay mode, Heart of the Hive. So that’s pretty significant, isn’t it?
Other beta news ahoy! Port bow!
- Early access for Book of Travelss’ early access has been delayed until Q1 2021, largely because of COVID and work-from-home conditions. This story is upsetting me.
- The cutely named but inconvenient to type Naïca is entering beta testing on November 10th. Typing that name upsets me. (Everything else is good.)
- A rogue server for Hellgate: London is starting beta testing on October 31st, and… how is there a rogue server for this game? Aren’t we just due for another revival? This story is also upsetting me.
- Last but not least, Population Zero is living up to its name. Great joke! Wait, no it isn’t. This story upset me. I don’t like this. I’m done with this column.
Yay, everything is bad. We have a list of games in testing below, let use know if something slipped test phases; that is also upsetting to think of. Stop being so upsetting, beta column. I have enough things to be upset about anyhow.
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, with occasional exceptions.
AdventureQuest 3D: Open beta
Arcfall: Pre-alpha
Ashes of Creation: Alpha one
Book of Travels: Closed beta
Camelot Unchained: Closed beta one
Children of Ur: Open alpha, further development merged with Eleven
Craftopia: Early access
Crowfall: Closed beta
Crucible: Closed beta
Dauntless: Open beta
Dark and Light: Early access
Dual Universe: Beta
ECO: Early access
Eleven: Closed alpha
Elyon: Korean beta (fka Ascent Infinite Realm)
Ever, Jane: Open beta
Frozen Flame: Closed beta
Gloria Victis: Early access on Steam
Hearthstone Battleground Mode: Open beta
Inferna: Early access
Kurtzpel: Closed beta
Life is Feudal: Early access
Line of Defense: Early access, removed from Steam
Magic: Legends: Closed alpha 2; beta testing in 2020
Mortal Online 2: Closed alpha
New World: Closed testing, launch pushed to 2021
Occupy White Walls: Early access
Osiris: New Dawn: Open beta
Outlaws of the Old West: Early access
Pantheon: Backer pre-alpha
Pathfinder Online: Subscription “early enrollment”
Population Zero: Early access
Project Genom: Closed alpha, servers offline for restructuring with SpatialOS
Project Gorgon: Early access beta
Prosperous Universe: Early access
Saga of Lucimia: Closed alpha
SamuTale: Closed alpha
Ship of Heroes: Alpha
Star Citizen: Backer alpha
Temtem: Early access
The Black Death: Early access alpha
The Cycle: Alpha, weekly test cycle
The Repopulation: Early access alpha
Torchlight III: Early access
Valiance Online: Alpha
Wild Terra 2: Intermittent beta
Zenith: Alpha
Yes, MMO gamers, you too can perform the unpaid quality-control work otherwise known as game testing! Check out Massively Overpowered’s Betawatch every week for a run-down of MMOs that are still on the road to launch, even if they appear to have set up a permanent residence in a shed called early access.
