This weekend is all about beta testing things that are already out and you can play right now even without the beta test. That might sound like it’s a bit diminutive, but it really isn’t. Sure, New World is already available to play, but this weekend is the console beta so that’s something new. And yes, there is no universe where Ultima Online is not extremely launched since the game has been running for almost 27 years now, but the New Legacy ruleset is starting its beta, giving new players a foothold into the game. Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Aside from lazy old dogs who don’t want to be bothered with new tricks.
Fractured Online is neither a lazy old dog nor even an old dog, but it has finally officially moved into launch after it started early access, stopped, then started it again. If you mention Gamigo in the game in a remotely positive way, your account will be cancelled and shot into the sun. And Crimson Desert, the long-in-development multiplayer open-world RPG that has gone through some stuff, will apparently be playable at Gamescom 2024.
However, much like Andre 3000, y’all don’t want to hear me, you just wanna dance. Dance straight down to our roundup of beta news this week that’s sitting just below this line, more like! That’s right, there are more stories, and below that we’ve got our list of games in testing like always. If you notice something therein which has hopped to another test phase or should otherwise be flagged differently, please let us know down in the comments! We appreciate it.
Stars Reach’s Raph Koster: ‘We’re going into space, and it’s going to be awesome’
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen posts an early access FAQ, says periodic wipes may happen
Cozy MMO Palia teases nameplates, house tours, and a greenhouse in next week’s beta update
Homestead Online is an indie MMO that embraces character persistence, permadeath, and base building
Here’s what to expect from New World’s two-phase Aeternum console beta tomorrow
Mecha Break announces a surprise open beta test starting on August 10
Kickstarted sandbox MMORPG Fractured Online is finally, officially out of early access
Pearl Abyss’ ‘open world action-adventure’ RPG Crimson Desert will be playable at Gamescom 2024
Star Citizen’s alpha 3.24 personal hangars aren’t quite housing, but it’s a start
NCsoft expands Throne & Liberty publishing to several additional regions in Asia and beyond
Ultima Online sets its first New Legacy open beta for this weekend
VR MMO Ilysia performs a top-down overhaul of its core systems
Anvil Empires offers a look at combat updates, territory control, and the Underworld
‘Adaption shooter’ Ascendant is plotting an August open beta – with transmedia ambitions
Scars of Honor’s July dev stream showcases the continent and races of Irongarth
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
Ascendant: Open testing in August
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 Veil: Early access
FragPunk: Closed alpha
Frozen Flame: Early access
Havenhold: Second alpha June 20th
Homestead: Open alpha
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
Mecha Break: Open bega August 10th
Monsters & Memories: Intermittent pre-alpha
Mortal Exodus: Closed testing
Nightingale: Early access
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.
