Yes, at long last, that headline is true. Throne & Liberty has begun its open beta, with some issues along the way as well as upcoming thoughts from our own Carlo. You want an early preview? He described it as akin to the prior Lineage games but with modern features, which he sees as a good thing. When I went to see him to ask him other questions, he responded with “how did you get into my house,” and “why are you wearing my shoes.” Currently I am hiding in his hall closet. Does he have a hall closet? I’m in somebody’s hall closet.
Path of Exile 2 is also getting ready for its closed beta test and encouraging people to sign up. SMITE 2 is running its final alpha weekend this weekend before moving to 24/7 testing on August 27th, with this weekend adding the Arena gameplay mode as well as two new deities. And Spellfarers is a thing that exists, another game in the cozy life sim space that has more than a few of us intrigued.
Could it be? A week with no depressing news whatsoever? Glory, glory, hallelujah indeed! Check out our full roundup of beta news just below as well as our list of games in testing below that, and as always, let us know down into the comments if something is missing from our list or somehow slipped into another test phase without our noticing. I know I say this every week, but we do appreciate it.
Former Blizzard and Funcom dev Craig Morrison is working on a cozy true crime MMORPG backed by NetEase
Raph Koster aims to make Stars Reach complex but not overcomplicated – and focused on retention
Throne & Liberty’s open beta wrestles with login issues and EU server problems, showcases early access bundles
Throne & Liberty starts its open beta today – here’s the new trailer
Raph Koster’s Stars Reach will offer shorter play sessions specifically to boost stickiness
Star Citizen shows off updates and adjustments to alpha 4.0’s jump points
Fractured has overhauled its PvP to reduce griefing ahead of next week’s formal launch
Enlisted makes its return to Steam, and this time it’s completely free-to-play
Quinfall opens its beta to the public for the final two days of its run, but there’s a small catch
Wayfinder releases massive quality-of-life patch as devs celebrate newly positive reviews
Spellfarers is a new Palia-esque indie cozy MMO, headed to early access July 29
Ultima Online plans beta testing of New Legacy server shortly – here’s how to add your name to the list
PvPvE medieval extraction RPG Dungeonborne begins its free-to-play Steam early access
Pax Dei’s latest patch balances hide drops, adds plum trees, and declares ‘raisins are back’
The Stream Team: Hopping in to the open beta of Throne & Liberty
Eternal Tombs aims to bring its uncompromising gameplay to the public this fall
Here’s how to sign up for Path of Exile 2’s impending closed beta test
Dark and Darker Mobile plans global beta test in August – here’s how to sign up
Scars of Honor’s July dev stream showcases the continent and races of Irongarth
Corepunk’s preorder package includes only playtesting, early access, and the first season post-launch
NetEase team shooter Marvel Rivals dates next cross-platform closed beta test for July 23
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 November 26th
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
Dungeonborne>: Early access
ECO: Early access, full launch planned in 2024
Eleven: Closed alpha
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
Legend of Ares: Open testing ahead of relaunch
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
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, early access planned for December
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: Second closed beta
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
Spellfarers: Early access July 29th
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, open beta through July 23rd
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.
