After what feels like it has been forever – well, wait, that’s not fair. Nightingale has actually been in not-early-access for a reasonable length of time. It’s just that it kept getting delayed, so it felt like it took longer. But it hit early access to plenty of players this week (and some mixed reviews, but as you do), as did Last Epoch for those of you who are on that ride. It’s an early access buffet, event!
Well, unless you were one of the people looking to sit down for Paragon: the Overprime. Then your buffet is over. Perhaps you’d be on board for the whole Myth of Empires thing now that the drama there is resolved? It was some spicy drama.
I cannot promise that the list of beta news this week is spicy, but it is certainly abundant. There is a ton of stuff in there! Seriously, check out all of those news stories. And we still have our full list of games in testing down below that. It seems clear that you can find some spice in there, but on the off chance you can’t, leave us some spicy takes down in the comments.
Choose My Adventure: The Wagadu Chronicles is off to an extremely rough start
Survivalbox Nightingale pivots on co-op design, promises offline mode ‘as soon as feasible’
Last Epoch wrestles with online server issues while handing out bee pets and autumnal wraps to everyone
Pantheon Rise of the Fallen discusses its first season progress and reception, season two plans, and monetization
Nightingale’s early access launches to mixed Steam reviews, performance hotfixing, and a growing playerbase
Project Gundalf is an upcoming ‘next generation massive’ MMOBA title headed for release in 2025
Kickstarted OARPG Last Epoch officially launches as players overwhelm its servers
Bandai Namco reports YoY sales drop, admitting Blue Protocol JP ‘significantly fell short’
Tencent’s Victorian gaslamp survivalbox Nightingale finally hits early access today
Star Citizen talks flight and combat in alpha 3.23, sets next CitizenCon for October 2024
The Wagadu Chronicles plans quality-of-life, sailing, pets, and a new partnership in 2024 roadmap
Pantheon Rise of the Fallen officially begins its seasonal testing with the Into the Pass release
The Quinfall shows off a couple of its melee fighting styles
Reign of Guilds has begun its last playtest ahead of the ‘final sprint’ to early access
Ultima Online plans a New Legacy beta by summer ahead of the launch this fall
Corepunk boss says early access launch in 2024 is ‘very realistic’
Emmy-winning composer Russell Brower talks about making Tarisland’s soundtrack
Temtem studio reveals another new co-op multiplayer spinoff: Temtem Swarm
Netmarble’s Paragon spinoff Paragon: The Overprime is slated for sunset on April 22
The Stream Team: Backseat Streaming takes a look at Nightingale
Fractured Online’s Endgame Changer patch was delayed over tech problems but should be live today
Past Fate retools the Blackfang Keep zone and releases its first pass at an armor upgrade system
Cozy multiplayer sandbox Palia heads to Steam early access on March 25
Zenith’s spin-off game Infinite Realms has begun its free open beta
Age of Water provides a brief peek at its crew management features
Survival sandbox MMO Myth of Empires launches its 1.0 build on Steam today
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
MalingeringAbyss: Closed alpha
The Adventurer’s Domain Online: Early access
Aero Tales Online: Early access
Age of Water: Paid closed beta
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: Closed beta
Battlebit: Early access
Battle Crush: Beta
Bellatores: Closed testing
Bitcraft: Alpha planned for 2024
Blue Protocol: Launching worldwide in 2024, technical tests starting November 8th
Book of Travels: Early access
Camelot Unchained: Closed beta
Chronicles of Elyria: Pre-alpha, again
Chrono Odyssey: Closed testing
Cinderstone Online: Closed beta
City of Titans: Alpha
Coreborn: Nations of the Ultracore: Early access
Corepunk: Early access planned for 2024
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?)
The Division Heartland: Closed testing
Dreamworld: Pre-alpha
Dune Awakening: Closed testing, signups now
ECO: Early access
Eleven: Closed alpha
Enlisted: Beta
Enshrouded: Early access
EVE Vanguard: First beta test concluded
Evercore Heroes: Paid testing, updates stopping with a focus on a redesign
The First Descendant: Crossplay beta
Fractured Online: Paid early access, back on Steam
Fractured Veil: Early access
Frozen Flame: Early access
Genfanad: Beta
Ilysia: Early access
Inferna: Early access
Kurtzpel: Closed beta
Legendarium Online: Paid alpha access
Lost Skies: Pre-alpha
Monsters & Memories: Intermittent pre-alpha
Mortal Exodus: Closed testing
Multiversus: Returned to closed testing
Nightingale: Early access
Noah’s Heart: Beta
Odd Giants: Alpha
Once Human: Beta on December 7th
Outlaws of the Old West: Early access
Palia: Open beta
Palworld: Early access
Pantheon: Backer alpha, 247 canceled
Past Fate: Closed testing
Path of Exile 2: Beta June 2024
Pax Dei: Closed alpha
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: Beta delayed to 2024
Return Alive: Closed beta
Reign of Guilds: Beta event through February 26th, early access planned for 2024
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
Smite 2: Signups open, wipe-free beta mid-2024
Soulframe: “Pre-pre-pre-pre-alpha” testing wrapped up
Spellcraft: Alpha
Star Citizen: Backer alpha
Starbase: Early access open alpha
Tarisland: Second closed beta
Throne & Liberty: Western launch delayed into 2024, live in South Korea
Tombstone: Closed testing, release planned for this year
Trimurti Online: Stress testing, open beta February 13th
Valheim: Early access
V Rising: Early access
Valiance Online: Closed beta
The Wagadu Chronicles: Early access
Waven Early access
Wayfinder Early access ahead of full launch
Zenith: Infinite Realms: Open testing
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.
