MassivelyOP’s 2023 Awards: Best PvP MMO

December 17, 2023 11:00 AM

Welcome back to Massively Overpowered’s formal end-of-the-year awards!

Today’s award is for the Best PvP MMO, which was awarded to Albion Online last year. We halted this older award after 2017 since the state of PvP MMOs was pretty weak, but we brought it it back a few years ago when we knew we could crown a legitimate winner. We’ve opted to include live, fully released MMORPGs launched in any year, as long as their 2023 PvP experience is what’s being judged. Don’t forget to cast your own vote in the just-for-fun reader poll at the very end!

And the MassivelyOP staff pick for the Best PvP MMO of 2023 is…

ALBION ONLINE

Brianna Royce: Albion Online is the correct answer. It’s the biggest and the best of all the MMOs that really have a real go at being PvP-centric, and frankly it has good PvE too. I had also wanted to toss a nom to Gloria Victis this year, but alas, it sunsetted. Likewise, I don’t understand the appeal at all, but I’ve been impressed with Star Vault’s continuing efforts on Mortal Online 2, and I’m shocked to see that not only did Fractured make it through Gamigo’s gauntlet and come out on the other side alive but it’s even getting good word of mouth. And that’s without even mentioning EVE Online or any AAA MMORPG that does PvP on the side. It’s been a really long time since I thought we had multiple legitimate contenders for this award, and my Ultima Online box of ganker heads and I approve. But really, the answer to which MMORPG has the best PvP and all that it entails is Albion Online, and given that Albion is 10 times the size of the other major PvP MMOs that are squarely in our genre, I think the people have spoken even if the PvE part of the genre is still unaware of the seismic shift that’s happening in MMO PvP land.

Chris Neal: EVE Online – Yes, the wider wars being waged by the absolute gremlins that play EVE Online super-regularly might be the big thing most people notice, but this one gets my nod because of what appears to be a generally appreciated introduction of pirate behavior that, as near as I can guess, is something lots of Capsuleers were eager for.

Colin Henry: New World.

Eliot Lefebvre: Mortal Online 2, Albion Online.

Justin Olivetti: Albion Online. That game’s popularity despite its toxic community says a lot about the studio’s approach and overall appeal here. It’s EVE Online for the next fantasy generation, and the cutthroat nature is part and parcel of the appeal.

MJ Guthrie: Party Animals. There is only one possible answer to best PvP: Party Animals! So freaking fun and adorable! I have never enjoyed PvP like I do in this game, and I keep going back for more. Floppy stuffed animal physics while slamming friends with frying pans… yah, PvP doesn’t get better than this.

Sam Kash: Harry Potter Magic Awakened. The combat is fun and the format is addictive.

Tyler Edwards: I’ll say New World. There are many significant flaws with its PvP, but between the unequaled quality of its core combat mechanics and what a smash hit influence races have been, I think it deserves the nod. The bar for MMORPG PvP is very, very low.

Albion Online took our award for Best PvP MMO. What’s your pick?

Reader poll: Which MMORPG had the best PvP experience in 2023?

Albion Online (28%, 232 Votes)
EVE Online (9%, 73 Votes)
New World (8%, 69 Votes)
Fractured (1%, 6 Votes)
Mortal Online (1%, 10 Votes)
Lost Ark (1%, 6 Votes)
RuneScape (1%, 11 Votes)
Final Fantasy XIV (2%, 13 Votes)
World of Warcraft (8%, 62 Votes)
Guild Wars 2 (9%, 73 Votes)
HPMA (0%, 1 Votes)
Black Desert (3%, 28 Votes)
ArcheAge (0%, 4 Votes)
Party Animals (2%, 16 Votes)
PlanetSide 2 (2%, 13 Votes)
Elder Scrolls Online (13%, 105 Votes)
SWTOR (1%, 10 Votes)
Warhammer: Return of Reckoning (7%, 54 Votes)
Elite Dangerous (0%, 3 Votes)
Foxhole (1%, 10 Votes)
World of Warships (0%, 4 Votes)
Something else (tell us in the comments!) (2%, 13 Votes)

Total Voters: 693

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How does MassivelyOP choose the winner?

Our team gathers together to nominate and discuss candidates and hopefully settle on a consensus winner. We don’t have a hard vote, but we do include commentary from writers so that you can see our thought process. The site’s award goes to the staff selection, but we’ll include both it and the community’s top nomination in our debrief in January. Reader poll options include all MMOs nominated plus a few others we thought should be included.