Betawatch: We have Opinions about Brighter Shores’ early access

    
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This is what I always wanted.

If you find yourself on Steam saying that you want the RuneScapeiest game the platform has before shaking your head and saying that no, RuneScape is too RuneScape-y, Hans Moleman style? Well, you’ll be happy to know that Brighter Shores is now in early access and you can give it a shot for free! Although there is what amounts to a subscription because, y’know. Developers gotta get paid, y’all. Our own Chris and Justin took it for a spin! They had things to say about it! Important things! You should read their articles.

You should also know that ArcheAge Chronicles has been delayed once more, which is probably the first time you remembered that this is what the game is now named instead of just ArcheAge 2 and that rename was a bad decision. But Ashes of Creation is spinning its second alpha test, and Stars Reach is now showing off the improvements it has already made along with a partial list of professions. So those are things to be happy about, even if delays are disappointing.

“Wait,” you cry, “I still need closure on those articles you mentioned about Brighter Shores!” And to that I say… you’ve got some nerve, bucko. Besides, I didn’t forget about you! Those articles are in our roundup of beta news this week just below, along with many more beta stories for you to marvel at. And below that? You know it’s our list of games in testing! As always, let us know in the comments if we’ve missed anything.

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 Open testing
Closed Testing Closed testing
Paid Access Paid access
Legitimate MMORPG Legit MMORPG
Multiplayer Multiplayer
Malingering in Perpetual Testing Malingering

Closed TestingMultiplayer33 Immortals: Closed testing, early access delayed to 2025
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOAbyss: Early access
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOThe Adventurer’s Domain Online: Early access
Open TestingLegitimate MMOAero Tales Online: Early access
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOAge of Water: Early access
Paid AccessMultiplayerAloft: Early access in January 2025
Paid AccessMultiplayerAmmo and Oxygen: Early access starts November 7th
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOAnvil Empires: Intermittent alpha
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOArcane Waters: Early access
Closed TestingMultiplayerArc Raiders: Tech beta live, launch planned for 2025
Open TestingLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingArcfall: Pre-alpha
Closed TestingMultiplayerARK 2: Paid early access
Open TestingMultiplayerAscendant: Open testing in August
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOAshes of Creation: Alpha two
Closed TestingMultiplayerAshfall: Closed beta
Paid AccessMultiplayerASKA: Early access
Paid AccessMultiplayerBattlebit: Early access
Paid AccessMultiplayerBattle Crush: Early access
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOBellatores: Closed testing
Paid AccessMultiplayerBellwright: Early access, developers of abandoned Last Oasis
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOBitcraft: Third alpha starts the week of November 11th
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOBlue Protocol Mobile: Closed beta in China, full game is shutting down
Paid AccessMultiplayerBook of Travels: Early access
Open TestingLegitimate MMOBrighter Shores: Early access
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingCamelot Unchained: Closed beta, planning to launch in late 2025
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingChronicles of Elyria: Pre-alpha, again
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOChrono Odyssey: Closed testing, launch planned for Q4 2025
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOCinderstone Online: Closed beta
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingCity of Titans: Alpha
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOCoreborn: Nations of the Ultracore: Early access
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOCorepunk: Fourth alpha, early access planned for November 26th
Paid AccessMultiplayerCraftopia: Early access
Closed TestingMultiplayerThe Crew Motorfest: Closed testing
Paid AccessMultiplayerMalingering in Perpetual TestingDark and Darker: Paid early access, legal troubles.
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingDark and Light: Early access (abandoned?)
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingDarkbind: Closed beta (probably abandoned?)
Paid AccessMultiplayerDawn of Defiance: Early access
Closed TestingMultiplayerDestiny Rising: Closed alpha starts November 1st
Open AccessLegitimate MMODreamworld: Pre-alpha, transitioning to Steam on October 10th
Closed TestingLegitimate MMODune Awakening: Closed testing, signups now
Paid AccessMultiplayerDungeonborne>: Early access
Paid AccessMultiplayerECO: Early access, full launch planned in 2024
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingEleven: Closed alpha
Paid AccessMultiplayerEnshrouded: Early access
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOEternal Tombs: Pre-alpha resumes October 11th
Closed TestingMultiplayerEVE Vanguard: Early access planned post-November
Paid AccessMultiplayerEvercore Heroes: Paid testing, updates stopping with a focus on a redesign
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOEverCraft Online: Weekend-long open test starts April 19th
Paid AccessMultiplayerFinal Stand: Ragnarok: Early access (officially, really)
Closed TestingMultiplayerFellowship: Closed testing on August 15th
Closed TestingMultiplayerFragPunk: Closed alpha
Paid AccessMultiplayerFrozen Flame: Early access
Closed TestingMultiplayerHavenhold: Second alpha June 20th
Open TestingLegitimate MMOHomestead: Open alpha
Paid AccessMultiplayerIfSunSets: Early access
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOIlysia: Early access
Open TestingLegitimate MMOInferna: Early access
Open TestingLegitimate MMOKurtzpel: Closed beta
Open TestingLegitimate MMOLegend of Ares: Open testing ahead of relaunch
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOLegendarium Online: Paid alpha access
Closed TestingMultiplayerLost Skies: Pre-alpha
Closed TestingMultiplayerMarvel Rivals: Closed alpha
Closed TestingMultiplayerMecha Break: Open beta concluded, launching 2025
Closed TestingMultiplayerMidnight Murder Club: Closed testing this weekend
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOMonsters & Memories: Intermittent pre-alpha
Open TestingMultiplayerMonster Hunter Wilds: Open beta
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOMortal Exodus: Closed testing
Paid AccessMultiplayerNecesse: Early access
Paid AccessMultiplayerNightingale: Early access
Open TestingLegitimate MMOOdd Giants: Alpha
Paid AccessMultiplayerMalingering in Perpetual TestingOsiris: New Dawn: Back from the dead, not on Steam any longer
Paid AccessMultiplayerMalingering in Perpetual TestingOutlaws of the Old West: Early access
Closed TestingMultiplayerPalia: Open beta
Paid AccessMultiplayerPalworld: Early access
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOPantheon: Backer alpha, early access planned for December
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOPast Fate: Closed testing
Closed TestingMultiplayerPath of Exile 2: Early access December 6th
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOPax Dei: Early access
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOPerfect New World: Closed beta
Open TestingLegitimate MMOPow Vista: Open beta (mobile)
Closed TestingMultiplayerProject Crawl: Closed testing
Closed TestingMultiplayerProject F4E: Closed testing
Closed TestingMultiplayerProject Friendship: Beta signups open now
Closed TestingMultiplayerProject Genom: Closed alpha (servers offline, abandoned?)
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOProject Gorgon: Early access beta
Closed TestingMultiplayerProject Loki: Closed beta
Open TestingMultiplayerProject ST: Closed testing, open event ended
Open TestingMultiplayerProsperous Universe: Early access
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOQuinfall: Third closed beta has ended
Closed TestingMultiplayerReturn Alive: Closed beta
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOReign of Guilds: Early access
Open TestingMultiplayerRodent Rumble: Launching next year, playtest on October 11th
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOSamuTale: “Paid closed alpha early access” according to the developer, which is just early access, come on dude
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOScars of Honor: Next test October 26th
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingSeed: In pre-release, test run starts October 24th
Closed TestingMultiplayerSeekers of Skyveil: Continuing alpha testing, closed beta in September
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOShip of Heroes: Beta testing
Paid AccessMultiplayerShips at Sea: Early access
Open TestingLegitimate MMOSky: Children of Light: Open early access
Paid AccessMultiplayerSmite 2: 24/7 closed alpha for paying members
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOSoulframe: Open pre-alpha planned for 2025
Paid AccessMultiplayerThe Spell Brigade: Early access
Paid AccessMultiplayerSpellfarers: Early access
Open TestingMultiplayerSupervive: Open testing November 20th
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingStar Citizen: Backer alpha
Paid AccessMultiplayerStarbase: Early access open alpha
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOStars Reach: Pre-alpha started
Closed TestingMultiplayerTemtem Swarm: Closed beta
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOTombstone: Closed testing, release planned for this year
Paid AccessMultiplayerTower of Aghasba: Early access planned for November 19th
Paid AccessMultiplayerTribes 3: Rivals: Early access, development slowing/stopping
Open TestingLegitimate MMOTrimurti Online: Stress testing, open beta February 13th
Paid AccessMultiplayerValheim: Early access
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingValiance Online: Closed beta
Open TestingMultiplayerVindictus: Defying Fate: Open testing
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOWalkScape: Closed beta until June 15th
Open TestingLegitimate MMOWaven 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.

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