Today's “always online” gaming industry would be unrecognizable without the influence of MMORPGs. Still, in the age of shared-world shooters and battle royales, the true definition of an MMORPG is increasingly difficult.
While there are debates over whether or not MMORPGs are dead, it's hard to deny that the peak of the genre will forever be associated with the 2000s. So let's go back to the era of cartoony graphics, freemium progenitors, and endless grinding to see which games did it best .
10 lord of the rings online
With some of the best graphics of its generation (especially in the landscape), Lord of the Rings Online understands what it means to immerse players in the world of Middle-earth. This did not require an exact replication of the action fencing from the films, but rather the rich and deep world-building of Tolkien's books.
Lord of the Rings Online knows it caters to book fans, so there's undoubtedly a lot of text reading in the game's quests. But as the game approaches its 20th anniversary, it's clear that Lord of the Rings Online is giving players who want to explore the mines of Moria, the Shire, and Mordor exactly what they're looking for.
9 Toontown Online
If you watched the Disney Channel in the early 2000s, you probably remember the Toontown commercials. Throw pies at robots who were just minding their boring business? It doesn't get much better.
True to its “toon” theme, the fight revolved around grotesque gags such as seltzer water in the face or an anvil being dropped on the head. But what really set Toontown apart (and made it so family-friendly) was the emphasis on non-combat activities like go-kart racing, golf, and fishing as well.
8 Silkroad Online
If you think some of today's platinum trophy requirements and achievements are ridiculous, you probably wouldn't like Silkroad Online quests. The game was notorious for grinding, with quests asking players to kill over 1,000 enemies at once. It also had a freemium structure that would make even defenders of the game shake their heads.
But all was forgiven once you tried the Silkroad trading system. Players would choose to be merchants, traders, or thieves. Then the merchants would protect the merchants from thieves, which led to many allied merchant caravans being ambushed by roving thieves. There were constant victories and upsets, and few games proved that trading was so high.
7 Aion
Aion (or Aion: The Tower of Eternity) boasted a robust character creator, impressive graphics, and a beautiful soundtrack. The game is certainly hard to grind, but what MMORPG isn't? And Aion's grind offers enough challenges to make high levels possible, but still rewarding when you manage to achieve them.
Created by South Korean publisher NCSoft, Aion's Eastern art style was refreshing to many players who were more accustomed to Western aesthetics. But even if you have no intention of playing Aion, do yourself a favor and check out its soundtrack.
6 Guide 101
Another game with memorable ads, Wizard101 has survived almost 20 years and still sees consistent players. Of the MMORPGs aimed at a younger audience, Wizard101 had a lot more going for it than a game like Toontown.
The battle system is relatively unique to MMORPGs, as players cast spells in a turn-based combat system similar to TCGs like Magic: The Gathering. The game also had interesting celebrity tie-ins, such as a quest where players could obtain a statue and portrait of Selena Gomez. Nick Jonas even lent his musical talents to the game, creating seven tracks for the Wintertusk expansion.
5 Star Wars Galaxy
Like many of the games on this list, there was a time when Star Wars Galaxies was awesome, and then a time when it wasn't. Let's focus on its heyday, before the game was overhauled (twice). With a popular crafting system and the ability to be almost anything you wanted, this was a game that really delivered on the promise of making you feel like you were living in the world of Star Wars.
You weren't limited to being a Jedi or a soldier. You can be a droid mechanic, politician, entertainer and many more. After several updates that hurt the game more than it helped it, Star Wars Galaxies was finally shut down to make way for Star Wars: The Old Republic in 2011.
4 RuneScape
There's a lot of mixed feelings about the current state of RuneScape, but that's often because people remember the game when it was at its best. The original version of RuneScape was so popular that publisher Jagex even created Old School RuneScape to give players the game they remembered.
And what led to such popularity? Maybe it was because RuneScape was free to play, or because it offered players a wide variety of skills and tasks. But the most likely answer is that RuneScape offered the perfect middle ground between silly, light-hearted games like ToonTown and intimidating MMORPGs like EVE Online. It was easy to start and just as fun to come back to years later.
3 EVE Online
Plenty of games have deep lore, but far fewer have an entire history dedicated to what the players did rather than what the game's creators wrote. EVE Online was even exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York with a video detailing key historical events.
New Eden is a rich world full of mining, trading, piracy and community. Sure you can participate in epic space battles, but you can also be a space trucker. And if you can play Han Solo, an accountant and business tycoon in one game, you're probably playing EVE Online.
2 World Of Warcraft
World of Warcraft, the top name in MMORPG gaming, has entered the scene with several new takes on the genre that have helped boost its popularity. This included faster health regeneration across classes, a relatively forgiving death system, and a “rest bonus” that allowed new players to level up faster and join their friends.
All of this resulted in World of Warcraft feeling like a truly accessible MMORPG for a mainstream audience. It didn't punish you for wanting to play solo, its cartoony art design was inviting, and the quests had clear goals.
1 EverQuest
Socialization is and the defining factor of MMORPGs, and that's what EverQuest excelled at. While some MMORPGs make it easy to play the game solo, the fun in EverQuest requires teamwork. In fact, some people disliked EverQuest for this very “forced grouping” reason.
However, socialization helped EverQuest feel like a true self-contained world in which the player could get lost. The game didn't hold your hand and definitely punished you when you made a mistake. If MMORPGs peaked in the 2000s, they may have peaked with EverQuest.
