Remember back in the day when New World would just repeatedly go into beta, then the designers would decide to change the entire game again and it went back into beta? Good times were had by a couple, maybe. But now the New World Aeternum beta is live with crossplay for people on both consoles and PC, along with the weird sleight-of-hand trick where Amazon winks and pretend the game isn’t still an MMORPG, even though it is.
Elsewhere, CCP Games has rebranded its blockchain hell game nobody wanted to EVE Frontiers as if that’s going to change the part where no one wants this. But let’s focus on cool things, like how Nightingale has released its whole big reset-and-relaunch Realms Rebuilt update this week (with an option to play your legacy characters offline if you prefer) or how Wayfinder is trucking along with its latest patch and some Critical Role support.
See how much cooler things are when you focus on cool things? I think cool stuff is cool. I find cool things highly enjoyable. Let’s all have a cool time checking out our full (cool) list of beta news stories from the past week, and then let’s be extra cool by reading our full list of games in testing (super cool) and even being cool down in the comments if something is missing or swapped to a new test phase without us noticing. Cool times abound.
Rumor: Star Citizen fans uncover a trademark filed by CIG for a potential third game
Vitae Aeternum: New World Aeternum’s open beta build is actually pretty good – but will it be enough?
Raph Koster shows off Stars Reach’s updated world graphics in new footage
Throne and Liberty answers ‘top questions’ about its business model
New World’s Aeternum open beta on PC and console has officially begun
EVE Online blockchain spinoff Project Awakening rebrands as EVE Frontier ahead of ‘founder access’
Interview: Wayfinder on the latest patch, October launch, mod support, and Critical Role collab
Pax Dei provides first details of an autumn refinement update while explaining its ‘very raw’ early access
Early access survival sandbox Nightingale just released its huge Realms Rebuilt update
Satisfactory launches into 1.0 with console versions promised for the future
Throne & Liberty plans a two day-long Siege the Day broadcast to showcase its PvP modes
Star Citizen showcases alpha 3.24.2’s Zeus mk.II ships and multi-function display updates
Crimson Desert shares about an hour of new gameplay footage as it makes its way to TwitchCon
Guild Wars 2 presents PvP Push pre-test plan as plushies pounce your purse
Eternal Tombs extends its pre-alpha for another two days or ‘until the wheels fall off’
Last Oasis heralds Season 6’s full-throated return to FFA PvP as it puts out a call for testers
You can still play your old Nightingale characters offline even after Realms Rebuilt launches
SMITE 2 showcases visual updates to its conquest map and shares a ‘general roadmap’ of update plans
Pantheon Rise of the Fallen confirms the arrival of guild functionality in its next update
Temtem Swarm begins its latest closed beta test – here are the patch notes
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
Arc Raiders: Launch in 2025, tech beta signups for October
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 Mobile: Closed beta in China, full game is shutting down
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: Fourth alpha, 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?)
Dawn of Defiance: Early access
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: Pre-alpha
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)
Fellowship: Closed testing on August 15th
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 beta concluded, launching 2025
Midnight Murder Club: Closed testing this weekend
Monsters & Memories: Intermittent pre-alpha
Mortal Exodus: Closed testing
Necesse: Early access
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: Early access November 15th
Pax Dei: Early access
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: 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, closed beta in September
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: 24/7 closed alpha for paying members
Soulframe: “Pre-pre-pre-pre-alpha” testing wrapped up
Spellfarers: Early access
Star Citizen: Backer alpha
Starbase: Early access open alpha
Stars Reach: Pre-alpha started
Temtem Swarm: Closed beta
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.
