List of free massively multiplayer online games

This is a selected list of massively multiplayer online games which are free to play in some form without ever requiring a subscription or other payment. These are commonly MMORPGs or MMOFPSs, but could be of any genre.

Free play

These MMOGs run on a non-profit basis, requiring no payment from the players.

	Developer(s)	Release date	Required OS	Genre	Payment	Synopsis	Type
4th Coming	4GE Net/Dialsoft	July 14, 2008	Windows	Medieval fantasy MMORPG	Free to play	An online RPG similar to Diablo II.	2D
Combat Arms	Doobic Studios	June 26, 2008 (Open Beta)	Windows 2000 and Windows XP	Multiplayer first-person shooter	Free to play	Create a character with customizable body kits and weapons and earn in-game currency and experience through multiplayer matches.	3D
Crossfire	n/a	1992	Multi-platform, including Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and others.	Medieval fantasy MMORPG	Free to play, open source project	A cross between NetHack and Gauntlet.	2D
Gekkeiju Online	Created by Suvi Aalto Produced by Coolhouse	2003	Windows	Medieval fantasy MMORPG	Free to play	Players control an anime like character in a medieval fantasy world. Has many unique features not found in other MMORPGs like a weather system that heavily affects gameplay.	3D
IVAO	Erwin Lion and Morten Hansen	December 16, 1998	n/a	Flight simulation	Free to play	Uses existing flight simulation software with custom plug-ins, players may interact with the network as either pilots or air traffic controllers.
PlaneShift	Atomic Blue	February 10, 2002	Windows, Mac OS X, Linux	Medieval fantasy MMORPG	Free play, open source project	The player starts out as a peasant in search for fame and becomes a hero.	3D
SubSpace	Virgin Interactive/Fan-Community	November 30, 1997	Windows	Action	Free to play	Players fly, fight, and play a variety of games with spaceships.	2D
Underlight: Shades of Truth	Lyra Studios	October 2007 (Org.1998)	Windows	RPG	Free to play	Play as human in a fantastical dream world of the mind. Enforced "In-Character" environment.
Urban Dead	Kevan Davis	July 2005	Browser-based	Survival horror	Free to play	Play as a human or a zombie trying to survive in the undead-infested city of Malton.	Web
VATSIM	n/a	July 2001 (replacing SATCO)	n/a	Flight simulation	Free to play	Uses existing flight simulation software with custom plug-ins, players may interact with the network as either pilots or air traffic controllers.

Free play with advertising

These MMOGs are free to play. They are funded through advertising, either in-game or through pop-ups.

	Developer(s)	Release date	Required OS	Genre	Payment	Synopsis	Type
Anarchy Online	Funcom	June 2001	Windows	MMORPG, Science-fiction	Normally subscription based, currently in free-play until Jan 2009 (where it may be extended again) but with advertisements	Two factions fight for control of the distant desert planet Rubi-Ka.	3D
Cal Ripken's Real Baseball	Netamin	2004	Windows	MMOSG, Sports, Baseball	Free, advertisements as billboards in stadiums.	Home and away teams try to pitch and outhit each other to win.	3D
Jennifer Government: NationStates	Max Barry	2002	Browser-based	Government simulation game	Advertising in the form of ad-bars the novel Jennifer Government.	Players build nations and run them according to their political ideals.	Web
Shadowbane	Ubisoft	2003	Windows or Mac	Medieval fantasy MMORPG	Advertising when players exit the game or their characters die.	Players choose a race and class and have epic PvP matches as well as creating a guild and building a city to fight and make it an empire.	3D
Utopia	Mehul Patel	1999	Browser-based	Medieval fantasy strategy	Free play with advertisements on top and right side of browser.		Web

Free play with micro-transactions

These MMOGs are free to play, but players may optionally purchase in-game items or currency.

	Developer(s)	Release date	Required OS	Genre	Payment	Synopsis	Type
9Dragons	Indy21	2007	Windows	MMORPG Chinese mythology	Free-play, with Acclaim Coins purchases and in-game advertisement	Player characters learn martial arts to survive in the harsh lands of China.
Angels Online	n/a	2006	Multi-platform, Windows and Playstation 3.	Medieval fantasy MMORPG	Free to play, optional item shop purchases	Players control an anime like character in a medieval fantasy world.	2D
ArchLord	NHN Corporation	October 3, 2006	Windows	Medieval fantasy MMORPG	Free play, players may purchase in-game currency	A human named Zian and his friend, a half-orc named Ugdrasil, find themselves in the midst of a thousand year old conflict for control of five mysterious relics known as Archons.
Ashen Empires	Iron Will Games	March 10, 2003	Windows	Medieval fantasy MMORPG	Free play, but most parts of the game world have certain skills locked and experience points reduced unless a prepaid subscription is purchased. Expansion packs, items, and bonuses can also be purchased.	Players explore a two-dimensional world which boasts an impressive trade-skill system and includes various quests.	2D
Audition Online	T3 Entertainment	2005	Windows	Casual MMORPG	Free to play, using a cash shop system that allows users to use real money to purchase in-game clothes, accessories, etc. to dress up their avatars.	Players compete against others in a style like that of Stepmania and Dance Dance Revolution	3D
Cabal Online	ESTSoft	2006	Windows	Magic, Sci-fi MMORPG	Free to play with cash shop.	An MMORPG with a unique combo battle system and flashy skills.	3D
Conquer Online	TQ Digital	2003	Windows	MMORPG, Chinese mythology	Free-play, with item purchases	The Conquer Online landscape is a 2D rendition of mythical China within a 2.5D environment, with combat-focused game play, incorporating common elements of many MMORPGs such as wealth, fame and character development.	3D
Cyber Nations	Kevin Beaks	January 6, 2006	Browser-Based	Online Geopolitical Simulator	Free to play, with optional advertisements for bonus, and ability to donate for ingame cash and items.	Create a nation and improve it with infrastructure and technology. Cyber Nations centers on politics with the ability to join alliances with hundreds of nations and to coordinate massive attacks on other nations.	Web
DECO Online	Rocksoft	2007	Windows	MMORPG	Free-play, with item purchases	DECO Online is a fully 3D fantasy MMORPG that focuses on unique combo based combat. It has many common elements that can be seen in other MMORPGs such as fame, item enhancement and job changes.	3D
Dream of Mirror Online	Aeria Games	November 12, 2007	Windows XP/Vista	MMORPG	Free to play with cash shop	Styled after ancient Chinese mythology. Second online game of the Sword of Xuan Yuan series.	3D
Drift City	NPLUTO	2007	Windows	Racing	Free to play with an item shop.	Players progress through a linear mission system with multiplayer races.	3D
Entropia Universe	MindArk	January 30, 2003	Windows only	MMORPG/MMOFPS, Science-fiction	Virtual economy with in-game to real-life currency exchange	Massive virtual universe with a virtual economy.	3D
Eternal Lands	Open Source license	February 2003	Windows, Mac & GNU/Linux	MMORPG	Free to play, with in-game items you can purchase from the home page.	A medieval fantasy genre MMOG with combat and trading.	3D
Eudemons Online	TQ Digital Entertainment	2006	Windows	MMORPG, Medieval fantasy	Free play with rare item purchases	Set in the fictional world of YartLand, based on medieval China
Fiesta Online	Netmarble	June 2007	Windows	MMORPG, Fantasy	Free play with non-permanent item purchases	Four human classes (Fighter, Cleric, Archer, Mage), 3D fantasy environment, pvp and lots of quests.	3D
Fly For Fun	Aeonsoft	August 2004	Windows	MMORPG, Aerial combat	Free play with item purchases (except for some countries)	Centers on aerial combat; either fighting monsters, fulfilling quests or player versus player combat.	3D
Forumwarz	Crotch Zombie Productions	February 2008	Browser based	Multiplayer browser game, Strategy	Free play with item purchases	RPG parodying internet culture	Web
Gaia Online	-	February 2003	Forum-based	Fantasy, Online Community	Users may purchase special, month-specific items called Monthly Collectibles with real currency.	Online Community Updated With new items a contests as well as having a unique forum system which only needs the page to be refreshed in order to see changes. Soon to have a new second site which will be a battle system.	Web
Granado Espada	imc GAMES	2007	Windows	MMORPG	Free play with the ability to purchase gold for ingame items such as UPCs(Unique Player Character.	Sword of the New World: Granado Espada was developed by Hakkyu Kim, CEO of imcGAMES and creator of Ragnarok Online. It was originally pay-to-play, but became free-to-play on August 21, 2007.	3D
Gunbound	Softnyx	2006	Windows	Shooter, Action	Free to play with cash shop.	A turn-based game similar to Worms.	2D
Gunz: The Duel	MAIET Entertainment	Beta-2003 Official-2005	Windows	MMORPG Fighting	Browser (Windows client available), free-play, no in-game advertisement, where players can buy "G coins" at a rate of 10 G coins=1 American Dollar	Player characters fight on different levels and kill each other to level up.	3D
Habbo	Sulake Ltd.	September 2001	Internet	Chat	Option to buy Credits which can be redeemed for 'furni' (items) and 'Habbo Club' subscription.	Customise your own character and create hotel rooms filled with 'furni' for you and other people to visit. Habbo also features token-redeemable minigames in different areas of the hotel.	2D
Hattrick	Extralives	August 1997	Browser-based	Sports game	Optional "supporter service" and "mobile service"	Players manage a simulated soccer team in competition with hundreds of thousands of other players.	Web
Kingdom of Loathing	Asymmetric Publications	February 2003	Browser-based	Comedy, fantasy, RPG	Free to play with items available for purchase	Players follow a story to free King Ralph whilst interacting with others online.	Web
Kart Rider	Nexon	2007	Windows	MMORPG Racing	Free-play, with an item shop.	A racing MMO with multiplayer and singleplayer capabilities.	3D
Lunia: Record of Lunia War	allm	February 18, 2008	Windows	MMORPG, Action	Free to play with cash shop	An adventure with role playing elements, staging, comboing and PvPing.	3D
MapleStory	Nexon	April 29, 2003	Windows	Free to play, with items and gameplay enhancements available for purchase on website	2D platform mixed with action RPG elements, quests, party quests, and guild quests	2D
Navy Field	SD Enternet	February 8, 2006	Windows	MMORPG/Naval Simulation	Free to play, with additional items and gameplay enhancements available for purchase on website	A naval combat MMOG set during World War II.
Nostale	Entwell	2007	Windows	MMORPG, Fantasy	Free play with item purchases	Player starts as an adventurer and can pick from three different classes in order to complete timestone missions and quests that follows with the game's story.	2D
O2 Jam	02 Media Inc.	March 31, 2006	Windows	Music Rhythm/Beat	Free play, players may purchase in-game currency to buy clothes and other items.	This game involves controls that are similar to a piano. It is a rhythm game that contains over 300 different songs, with more that can be downloaded.
Pangya/Albatross18	Ntreev Soft	(Please add)	Windows	Sports game	Free play with item purchases	Anime-based, arcade-styled golf game. Items are primarily available through in-game money, with equivalent/seasonal items available through purchased 'Astros'.	3D
Perfect World	Beijing Perfect World	July 2005	Windows	Chinese mythology	Free play with item purchases	Perfect World is a full-feature 3D online game that is based on rich Chinese mythology and set in the world of Pangu,created a world with flying monsters and floating cities and ruins, all waiting to be explored.	3D
PoxNora	Octopi, Inc.	August 2006	Java	Real-time strategy, Fantasy	Free play with item purchases
Puzzle Pirates	Three Rings Design	December 8, 2003	Windows, Mac, Linux	Piracy	Free play with special items and privileges available for purchase with secondary in game currency. Secondary currency may be traded between players or purchased with real money.	Players perform tasks as pirates by playing a number of puzzle-style mini games.	2D
Rakion	softnyx	2005	Windows	MMOFPS	Free play with in-game currency and improved status available for purchase.	A room based game, were people create a room with a different game play type. Examples of this are PvP or Team PvP.
Rappelz	nFlavor	2006	Windows	Fantasy	Free play with special items available for purchase		3D
Regnum Online	NGD Studios	2007	Windows, Linux	Fantasy	Free play with premium item available for purchase	Players join a realm in a fight against 2 other realms. Apart from the usual PvP, forts and castles are available to be captured.	3D
Rising Force Online	Codemasters	2006	Windows	Sci-Fi/Fantasy	Free play with cash shop	Set in a distant planet where magic and technology co-exist, emphasizes a 3-way race vs. race vs. race PVP system	3D
Second Life	Linden Lab	2003	Windows, Mac OS X, Linux (Alpha Release)	Virtual world	Basic accounts are free, real world currency can be converted to in game currency.	Freeform with in-game build system. Players can sell their own virtual creations.	3D
Secret of the Solstice	DNC Entertainment	2008	Windows	Fantasy	Free play with non-permanent item purchases	Set in the world of Xen, players complete quests and customize characters using branching job trees.	3D
Shaiya	Aeria	Unavailable	Windows	Medieval fantasy MMORPG	Free to play, with premium items available to purchase.	Medieval combat and trading with PvP-centric gameplay.	3D
Shot Online	OnNet Co. Ltd.	2004	Windows	Sports, MMORPG	Free to play with cash shop.	A sports MMO that is revolved around the sport of golf.	3D
Silkroad Online	Joymax	2005	Windows	Chinese history, trade	Free play with items available for purchase	A mass online MMORPG based on the accurate scoring of ancient China's history revolving around a Triangular-Conflict trading system.	3D
Soldier Front	Dragon Fly	2007	Windows	Shooter. Action	Free to play with an item shop.	A FPS with a synopsis similar to Counter-Strike.	3D
Sudden Attack	GameHi	2005	Windows	First-person shooter	Free play with a cash and point shop.	A team based Military First-person shooter with its Ranking levels similar to the Republic of Korea's military rank system.	3D
Tales of Pirates	MOLI	March 30, 2007 (Beta)	Windows	Piracy	In open-beta; free-play, with items for purchase		3D
There	There inc	2003	Windows	Virtual world	Basic accounts are free, Premium Membership is One-Time fee of $9.95 (Lifetime). real world currency can be converted to in game currency.	Freeform play / chat. Players can sell their own virtual creations.	3D
Travian	Travian Games GmbH	(Please Add)	Browser-based	Historical strategy	Additional game tools are available for a fee.	Players interact in a virtual world set roughly in Classical antiquity at the time of the Roman Empire.	Web
Trickster Online	Ntreev Soft	April 2003 (Korea)	Windows	Fantasy	Free to play, with items available for purchase	2D with 8 classes to choose from.	2D
Voyage Century Online	Snail Game / IGG	December 22, 2006	Windows	Historical nautical	Free play with items available for purchase	Set in the 17th century and features accurate historical representations of several coastal cities.	3D
Xiah	Taewool Entertainment	2006	Windows	Martial arts	Free play with items available for purchase	Xiah was designed for players to enjoy martial arts in the form of an MMORPG.
Yulgang	IGG	2005	Windows	Martial arts	Free play with items available for purchase	Based on the Korean martial arts comic which shares its name.

Optional paid subscriptions

These MMOGs offer optional additional game content through paid subscription, but are otherwise free to play.

	Developer(s)	Release date	Required OS	Genre	Payment	Synopsis	Type
Ars Regendi	Redmaze	January 01, 2008	Internet	Economic simulation and political game	Free or premium (paid) accounts available	Players reign an own country and have to decide about political and economic issues	2D
Club Penguin	Club Penguin Entertainment Inc and Rocketsnail Games	August 28, 2005	Internet	Chat	Free or premium (paid) accounts available	Players play mini games to earn coins to spend on things for their character or house	2D
Dofus	Ankama Games	September 2004	Windows, Mac, Linux	Medieval fantasy MMORPG	Extra features available to subscribers		2D
Dungeon Runners	NCSoft	2007	Windows	MMORPG, Fantasy	Free to play, with an optional monthly subscription for extra content	Satirical Roguelike multiplayer RPG with randomly-generated, instanced dungeons.	3D
Horseland	Horseland LLC	1998	Internet	Chat, Horses	Free to play. Option to pay to own your own stables and other privileges.	An online community where you can raise horses and dogs.
Knight Online	MGame Corporation	2004	Windows	Medieval war	Some servers are free to play		3D
Mabinogi	Nexon	June 2004	Windows	Fantasy	Free play with special items and privileges available for purchase through subscription or direct payment	An MMORPG based on Welsh mythology, with an emphasis on "Fantasy Life" rather than simply hack-and-slash.	3D
OGame	Gameforge Productions	October 15, 2007	Browser-based	Science-fiction strategy	The free-to-play version is advertising-based. Paid subscriptions and premium benefits are also available.	The gameplay revolves around building and maintaining a galactic empire.	Web
Pirates of the Caribbean Online	Disney	October 31 2007	Windows, Mac	Pirate Fantasy	Can play free, though paying option offers numerous more upgrades and features.	Players create their own pirate, and do quests while interacting with characters and following a similar storyline from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.	3D
Puzzle Pirates	Three Rings Design	December 8, 2003	Windows, Mac, Linux	Piracy	Some servers require a monthly subscription to play on, while others are free but require microtransactions for some items.	Players perform tasks as pirates by playing a number of puzzle-style mini games.
Runescape	Jagex	2001	Browser-based 3d rendering	Medieval fantasy, MMORPG	Free play or paid accounts available, paid accounts have access to more skills, areas, weapons, and quests.	Players can do quests, fight, or raise their levels. The game is based around getting stats to 99 as well as completing quests.	3D browser-based
Rubies of Eventide	Mnemosyne, LLC	2003	Windows	Medieval fantasy	Free play or paid accounts available, with server priority given to the latter	Players can pick from almost 50 classes and 7 races, making tons of combos. There's a server for just rping, a server for serious pvp, and a server for normal play, depending on which style you like. You get to decide how you play, where you play, and which side you're on.	3D
Tibia	CipSoft GmbH	1997	Windows, Linux	Fantasy	Free to play with restricted content. Can upgrade to a "Premium Account" for full content.	One of the oldest MMORPGs. Character development based on killing monsters and (optionally) doing quests and fighting other players.	2D
Toontown Online	Walt Disney Internet Group	June 2, 2003	Windows	Cartoon	Free to play, quite restricted. You can purchase membership to unlock items, clothing, neighbourhoods, etc.	Disney's Toon Town Online is a 3D child-friendly environment where you play as cartoon characters in a battle against 'The Evil Cogs'. Complete Toontasks to earn weapon upgrades such as cakes and water squirters.	3D
Wurm Online	Mojang Specifications Sunsplash Creations	2006	Java	Medieval fantasy MMORPG, MMOFS	Free or premium (paid) accounts available	Community-centric fantasy MMOFS developed in Java and OpenGL that strives to emulate real life in a fantasy medieval setting.	3D

Free play in open or closed beta

These MMOGs are free to play. They are still in beta, or development, stage.

	Developer(s)	Release date	Required OS	Genre	Synopsis	Type
Dream of Mirror Online	Softstar Entertainment	Unavailable	Windows	MMORPG	Players are introduced to a story plot, but it is entirely optional. Players can choose to do either quests or other activities. This game contains a multi-class system.	3D
Mythos	Flagship Studios	Unavailable	Windows	Fantasy MMORPG	An action heavy MMORPG from the makers of Fate and Diablo.	3D
Shadow of Legend	SmartCell Technology	December 2006	Windows PC, Windows Mobile, PDA, Smartphone	Adventure MMORPG	2D MMORPG that can truly realize the interaction between mobile devices (smartphone & PDA) and PCs, allows players to enjoy adventuring anytime and from anywhere.	2D
Domain of Heroes	Tandem Games	June 2008	Windows, Mac OS, Linux	Fantasy MMORPG	Web-based MMORPG. Faction based w/territory control. Free to play; optional upgrades for customization and convenience features.	Web

See also

• BYOND
• List of MMOGs
• List of MMORPGs
• List of multiplayer browser games