There’s been a lot of hay to make when it comes to Palia over the past few months, but I don’t think anyone really expected the news of studio Singularity 6 getting bought by Daybreak. On the bright side, that does mean that the new owners are promising to bring the game to launch, so that’s something!
Meanwhile, The Quinfall is promising that its closed beta is starting very soon. This is fine, since even as they move into closed beta The First Descendant moves into the lands of launch for real, a launch that seems to have been a bit on the messy side but was at least popular! Corepunk also entered into its third alpha test, and when I asked Chris how it was going he uttered a bunch of words I can’t really print here. So I’m guessing that means nothing but good things!
“Are we really going to just assume that’s good and move on?” We sure are, dear readers! We’re going to move right on to our roundup of beta news from the past week as well as our full list of games in testing below that. As always, if something has changed status without us noticing or if something is missing from the list, let us know in the comments!
Here’s how the ‘cellular automata simulation’ in Raph Koster’s new sandbox MMORPG Stars Reach works
Vague Patch Notes: The stuff that has me excited about Stars Reach
Daybreak bought Palia studio Singularity 6 and aims to bring the game to launch
Star Citizen makes efforts on NPC AI, vehicle destruction, missions, and server meshing
Star Citizen raked in higher profits over the month of June and the second quarter
Nexon’s co-op looter-shooter The First Descendant has officially launched today
Choose My Adventure: The Elite Dangerous vs Pax Dei rematch
Nexon is handing out compensation for The First Descendant’s messy but popular launch
The Stream Team: Checking in on the alpha test of MMORPG Corepunk
Ashes of Creation is ‘close’ to Alpha 2, shows off server meshing tech
Sega is promising a new open-world and massively multiplayer Crazy Taxi game
Dune Awakening shows off character creation process, preps for persistent beta
Corepunk’s third alpha test arrives this week with a fully voiced pilot episode
Starbase begins public testing of warp travel, universe map feature, and a station builder
LOTRO’s progression server stress test last week crashed in a useful way
BitCraft adds $20 supporter pack guaranteeing access to all future playtesting
Ankama’s Waven is now available in early access for mobile devices
The Stream Team: Entering Nexon’s looter shooter The First Descendant
Lord of the Rings Online begins its EU server and Veil of the Nine stress test this afternoon
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
Malingering33 Immortals: Closed testing
Abyss: Early access
The Adventurer’s Domain Online: Early access
Aero Tales Online: Early access
Age of Water: Early access
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: Early access
Battlebit: Early access
Battle Crush: Early access
Bellatores: Closed testing
Bellwright: Early access, developers of abandoned Last Oasis
Bitcraft: Alpha 2 on June 17th, 2024
Blue Protocol: Launching worldwide in 2024, technical tests starting November 8th
Book of Travels: Early access
Brighter Shores: Launch planned for Q3 2024, MMO scale not yet clarified
Camelot Unchained: Closed beta, planning to launch in late 2025
Chronicles of Elyria: Pre-alpha, again
Chrono Odyssey: Closed testing, plans for 2025
Cinderstone Online: Closed beta
City of Titans: Alpha
Concord: Launch for August 23rd, beta planned but unannounced
Coreborn: Nations of the Ultracore: Early access
Corepunk: Early access planned for 2024, second alpha delayed yet again
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?)
Dreamworld: Pre-alpha
Dune Awakening: Closed testing, signups now
ECO: Early access, full launch planned in 2024
Eleven: Closed alpha
Enlisted: Reinforced: Early access delayed for an indeterminate time
Enshrouded: Early access
Eternal Tombs: Closed beta in April
EVE Vanguard: Second beta ongoing
Evercore Heroes: Paid testing, updates stopping with a focus on a redesign
EverCraft Online: Weekend-long open test starts April 19th
Final Stand: Ragnarok: Early access (officially, really)
Fractured Online: Paid early access, launch this summer
Fractured Veil: Early access
FragPunk: Closed alpha June 27th
Frozen Flame: Early access
Havenhold: Second alpha June 20th
Ilysia: Early access
Inferna: Early access
Kurtzpel: Closed beta
Legendarium Online: Paid alpha access
Lost Skies: Pre-alpha
Marvel Rivals: Closed alpha
Monsters & Memories: Intermittent pre-alpha
Mortal Exodus: Closed testing
Nightingale: Early access
Noah’s Heart: Beta
Odd Giants: Alpha
Once Human: Closed beta finally starting after delays
Osiris: New Dawn: Back from the dead, not on Steam any longer
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: Alpha June 2024
Pax Dei: Early access
Perfect New World: Closed beta
Pow Vista: Open beta (mobile)
Predecessor: Free-to-play open beta, yet another Paragon do-over
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: Early access
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
Ships at Sea: Early access
Sky: Children of Light: Open early access
Smite 2: Signups open, second alpha weekend ongoing
Soulframe: “Pre-pre-pre-pre-alpha” testing wrapped up
Star Citizen: Backer alpha
Starbase: Early access open alpha
Stars Reach: Alpha testing in summer
Throne & Liberty: Live in South Korea, launching in the west September 17
Tombstone: Closed testing, release planned for this year
Tribes 3: Rivals: Early access, development slowing/stopping
Trimurti Online: Stress testing, open beta February 13th
Valheim: Early access
Valiance Online: Closed beta
Vindictus: Defying Fate: Open testing
WalkScape: Closed beta until June 15th
Waven Early access
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.
