So it does not matter what you think about Islands of Insight because that game just launched. Do you know how long that game has been on our list? It didn’t have to be. It launched. No malingering in perpetual testing, just straight to launch. Power-sliding straight into having a launch date. That’s gutsy. That’s real. I like that.
Do you see what that was like, Skull & Bones? You just lost your defense about this being really hard. You’re launched too, now. I don’t care if you want to call it a soft launch; I’m tired of thinking about you. Let that be a lesson to the rest of you non-sentient entries in a list who have no idea what I’m talking about. You are all officially on notice.
Now, dear readers, you are not on notice. You’re probably lovely. Go ahead and check our list of games in testing down below, or our roundup of beta news over the past week. Recline in one of our sumptuous seating areas as you enjoy this hand-picked batch of news. Let us know in the comments if we missed something. Enjoy a muffin. (Please note that we do not have complimentary muffins.)
Star Citizen’s live game director vacates position after nine years at CIG
Progress Bar: Inside the latest 24-hour pre-alpha test of Pantheon Rise of the Fallen
Haven is a co-op focused MMORPG being built by Blizzard, EA, and Turbine veterans
Behaviour’s puzzle MMO Islands of Insight has officially launched on Steam
Nightingale’s latest trailer teases crafting, combat, and stunning player housing
First Impressions: Nightingale’s survival and realmwalking blend could make it a stand-out in the sub-genre
Dune Awakening’s February playtest will apparently be the largest Funcom has ever run
Star Citizen talks up the wide assortment of missions possible at alpha 3.23’s distribution centers
Fractured previews Endgame Changer’s primal energy, enchanting, and potion systems
Tombstone is a 2-D pixel art MMO set in a western futuristic post-apocalypse set to release this year
Monsters & Memories shares video footage from its recent ‘Biome Jam’ art dev test
Pantheon Rise of the Fallen answers player questions about its new seasonal update cadence
Ghost MMO devs discuss ideas for the game’s crafted and randomly generated zone design
Wayfinder’s latest patch improves its performance and UI
Age of Water outlines how to find fish and highlights a couple of NPC factions
The Stream Team: Stepping into the world of The Wagadu Chronicles
New World begins PTR testing of Season of the Guardian and its cooking overhaul today
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 often 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, nor will games that are NFT/blockchain scams; we also do not list expansions, with occasional exceptions. Finally, we’ll mark games “malingering” if they’ve been in a certain tier of development for a long time with no clear path to launch.
Open testing
Closed testing
Paid access
Legit MMORPG
Multiplayer
MalingeringAbyss: Closed alpha
The Adventurer’s Domain Online: Early access
Aero Tales Online: Early access
Age of Water: Paid closed beta
Anvil Empires: Intermittent alpha
Arcane Waters: Early access
Arcfall: Pre-alpha
ARK 2: Paid early access
Ashes of Creation: Alpha two in planning
Ashfall: Closed beta
ASKA: Closed beta
Battlebit: Early access
Battle Crush: Beta
Bellatores: Closed testing
Bitcraft: Alpha planned for 2024
Blue Protocol: Launching worldwide in 2024, technical tests starting November 8th
Book of Travels: Early access
Camelot Unchained: Closed beta
Chronicles of Elyria: Pre-alpha, again
Chrono Odyssey: Closed testing
Cinderstone Online: Closed beta
City of Titans: Alpha
Coreborn: Nations of the Ultracore: Early access
Corepunk: Early access planned for end of winter
Craftopia: Early access
The Crew Motorfest: Closed testing
Dark and Darker: Paid early access, legal troubles.
Dark and Light: Early access (abandoned?)
Darkbind: Closed beta (probably abandoned?)
The Division Heartland: Closed testing
Dreamworld: Pre-alpha
Dune Awakening: Closed testing, signups now
ECO: Early access
Eleven: Closed alpha
Enlisted: Beta
Enshrouded: Early access
EVE Vanguard: First beta test concluded
Evercore Heroes: Paid testing, updates stopping with a focus on a redesign
The First Descendant: Crossplay beta
Fractured Online: Paid early access, back on Steam
Fractured Veil: Early access
Frozen Flame: Early access
Genfanad: Beta
Ilysia: Early access
Inferna: Early access
Kurtzpel: Closed beta
Last Oasis: Early access (abandoned?)
Legendarium Online: Paid alpha access
Lost Skies: Pre-alpha
Monsters & Memories: Intermittent pre-alpha, public beta this weekend
Mortal Exodus: Closed testing
Multiversus: Returned to closed testing
Nightingale: Ongoing closed events
Noah’s Heart: Beta
Odd Giants: Alpha
Once Human: Beta on December 7th
Outlaws of the Old West: Early access
Palia: Open beta
Palworld: Early access
Pantheon: Backer alpha, 247 canceled
Past Fate: Closed testing
Path of Exile 2: Beta June 2024
Pax Dei: Closed alpha
Perfect New World: Closed beta
Pow Vista: Open beta (mobile)
Project Crawl: Closed testing
Project F4E: Closed testing
Project Genom: Closed alpha (servers offline, abandoned?)
Project Gorgon: Early access beta
Project Loki: Closed beta
Project ST: Closed testing, open event ended
Prosperous Universe: Early access
Quinfall: Beta delayed to 2024
Return Alive: Closed beta
Reign of Guilds: Beta event in mid-December, early access planned for 2024
SamuTale: “Paid closed alpha early access” according to the developer, which is just early access, come on dude
Seed: Active development
Seekers of Skyveil: Continuing alpha testing
Shadow’s Kiss: Early access (but read this first)
Ship of Heroes: Beta testing
Smite 2: Signups open, wipe-free beta mid-2024
Soulframe: “Pre-pre-pre-pre-alpha” testing wrapped up
Spellcraft: Alpha
Star Citizen: Backer alpha
Starbase: Early access open alpha
Tarisland: Second closed beta
Throne & Liberty: Western launch delayed into 2024, live in South Korea
Tombstone: Closed testing, release planned for this year
Trimurti Online: Stress testing, open beta February 13th
Valheim: Early access
V Rising: Early access
Valiance Online: Closed beta
The Wagadu Chronicles: Early access
Waven Early access
Wayfinder Early access ahead of full launch
We welcome additions and corrections to this list; send your info our way via tips!
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.
