Well this was not how I expected the Wayfinder story to continue, with the game basically dropping its online elements altogether. Now, it’s not quite that simple, and we’ve even got a full interview about exactly this. But it is a surprising turnaround just the same.
Elsewhere, Abyss has finally moved into early access after numerous delays, although I recommend you read that full story because this is one of those titles where the receipts are important. And we did bring receipts. Tarisland has also announced another test, Seekers of Skyveil opened up testing in the EU, and Palia was impacted by another round of layoffs that is going to leave all of us a fair bit worried about the game’s future. Crap. Are any of the stories this week not worrisome?
The answer to the question in today’s topline summary is “no,” but you can check out our full list of games in testing and maybe you’ll decide some of the answer is “yes” after all! We’ll leave that up to you, and after you’ve checked out those stories we’ll also leave you to check out our full list of games in testing. As always, if you notice something that’s skipped to another test phase without us noticing, let us know down in the comments.
Unleashed’s MMORPG Haven is aimed at parents who grew up playing EverQuest and WoW
Palia studio Singularity 6 has been slammed with yet another layoff round
Full-loot PvP MMO Abyss finally rolls into early access after several delays
Star Citizen’s current development roadmap tentatively plots alpha 4.0 for the third quarter of this year
Wayfinder’s summer Echoes update banishes always-online and microtransaction components
Interview: Wayfinder’s AJ LaSaracina on the Echoes transition, launch, and long-term plans
Pax Dei digests lessons learned from alpha two and shares plans for future adjustments
Monsters & Memories opens registration for *two* June tests – a stress test and playtest weekend
Pax Dei’s alpha two infographic shares data about playtime, activities, and deaths by badger
MultiVersus showcases new gameplay footage of the Joker in action
The Quinfall outlines 50 projects for June’s closed beta test
Tencent discusses plans for Tarisland’s experience, raid, class, and energy optimization
Lost Skies checks in with progress on island assets, a healing drone, and an autumnal region
Valheim’s F2P Ashlands biome patch has finally launched after a year and a half wait
BitCraft announces a June 17 start date for Alpha 2, begins a rebuild of its account management site
Tarisland opens applications for another technical beta test at the end of May
Fractured Veil’s latest patch lets players raise some plants in the zombie apocalypse
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: 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
Ashes of Creation: Alpha two in planning
Ashfall: Closed beta
ASKA: Closed beta, early access on June 20th
Battlebit: Early access
Battle Crush: Second global beta
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
Coreborn: Nations of the Ultracore: Early access
Corepunk: Early access planned for 2024, second alpha delayed yet again
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
ECO: Early access, full launch planned in 2024
Eleven: Closed alpha
Enlisted: Reinforced: Early access delayed for an indeterminate time
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)
The First Descendant: Final test on May 25th
Fractured Online: Paid early access, back on Steam
Fractured Veil: Early access
Frozen Flame: Early access
Ilysia: Early access
Inferna: Early access
Kurtzpel: Closed beta
Legendarium Online: Paid alpha access
Lost Skies: Pre-alpha
Marvel Rivals: Closed alpha
Monsters & Memories: Intermittent pre-alpha
Mortal Exodus: Closed testing
Multiversus: Full launch on May 28th
Nightingale: Early access
Noah’s Heart: Beta
Odd Giants: Alpha
Once Human: Closed beta finally starting after delays
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, 247 canceled
Past Fate: Closed testing
Path of Exile 2: Alpha June 2024
Pax Dei: Closed alpha
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: Beta delayed to 2024
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
Sky: Children of Light: Open early access
Smite 2: Signups open, first alpha May 2nd
Soulframe: “Pre-pre-pre-pre-alpha” testing wrapped up
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
Tribes 3: Rivals: Early access
Trimurti Online: Stress testing, open beta February 13th
Valheim: Early access
Valiance Online: Closed beta
Vindictus: Defying Fate: Open testing
Waven Early access
Wayfinder Early access ahead of full launch
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.
