It would be unfair to claim that Pantheon’s upcoming early access launch is somehow ambiguous. The developers at Visionary Realms have been very clear about how and when early access is starting. But it’s important to note that the game’s release in December will not be a soft launch. It will be an incredibly hard launch. Dense as diamond. This launch will be so solid that… wait, sorry, it says here that it will be a proper early access period that will be a seamless transition from its existing test phases. Sorry. So it’s actually the opposite of hard launches!
Speaking of hardness, Vigor hard-launched directly into a hard wall of negative reviews from players. Not ideal! New World released some stats from its beta testing and it also saw a small bump in terms of PC players along with more console pre-orders, so let’s see how this particular one plays out before making jokes about hardness or softness. And on that general note, Throne & Liberty’s global launch will be here soon, so it has released its patch notes ahead of time. Unlike Blue Protocol, this game is actually happening!
Am I bitter? Yes, I’m bitter. I got my hand too close to Throne & Liberty’s soft tummy and then it latched its claws into my skin. This is everybody’s fault but mine. Celebrate that mental image with our list of beta news just below, and you can check out our full list of games in testing just below that. If something skipped to a new test phase without us noticing, let us know down in the comments! We appreciate you, dear readers.
Star Citizen’s latest purchasable vehicle ignites a firestorm among players
Fight or Kite: Guild Wars 2’s new PvP mode Push actually has a lot of potential
Stars Reach’s technical testing provoked emergent landscaping, player creativity, and the lag monster
New World releases a new ‘survival’ arc for its Aeternum vids as preorders climb on console
New World’s Aeternum open beta ends with a small lift in concurrent PC players
Throne & Liberty releases patch notes ahead of early access, teasing everything from lifeskills to better PvE
Preview: My Time at Evershine promotes players from cozy townie to ‘adventurous’ town manager
Pantheon’s new trailer reiterates December early access, monetization revamp: ‘This is not a soft launch’
Bohemia officially moves Vigor from PC early access to launch as Steam reviews tank
Palia’s Autumn Awakening update drops next week with fall trees and minigames
Pax Dei’s next early access patch is a major revision for movement and combat
Star Citizen discusses plans for engineering gameplay in alpha 4.0’s launch and beyond
NCsoft renames Blade & Soul Neo Classic to BNS NEO, confirms western launch
‘Bullet-heaven’ co-op game The Spell Brigade is now available in early access
Corepunk delays beta wipe as combat overhaul is unfinished, talks up the PvP/PvE mode
Nightingale’s first post-Realms Rebuilt patch addresses bugs, boxes, and beards
New World testers killed almost 40M overland mobs during last weekend’s Aeternum beta
Ultima Online wraps up eighth New Legacy beta weekend as launch window looms
PvP sandbox Profane outlines its development plans on the eve of testing
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
The Spell Brigade: Early access
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.
