7 Free-To-Play Alternatives To World Of Warcraft

By now, most MMORPG players likely know that Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft will remain as long as the company wants to keep making it. Sure, it’ll have its ups and downs. And, there will always be people who are waiting for the next “WoW Killer”. But, the truth is that even at its worst, it retains a solid enough player base to keep going.

That said, sometimes even the most devout fans want to try out something a bit different – but perhaps not too different. Something in that MMORPG space. Or, perhaps you like the idea of World of Warcraft but the game just doesn’t vibe with you. Or, perhaps you just don’t want to lay down a sub for something you might play on and off for a bit of adventure.

The good news is, there’s a good number of free-to-play theme-park-style MMORPGs out there. All of them have some sort of monetization scheme, but very often, you can get away without having to lay down cash if you don’t want to. We’ve compiled a list of some of them here.

Neverwinter

An action MMORPG set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, Neverwinter fills that fantasy itch. Set around the city of the same name, Neverwinter is designed around the 4th edition of the tabletop game. This is an added benefit for fans of the IP. It’s available to play on PC and console.

Rift

Originally a pay-to-play game, Rift has long since gone free-to-play. When first launched players compared it with World of Warcraft continuously, as it shared many of the features fans of the Blizzard game are familiar with. It’s worth noting that while the game is free-to-play these days, there is also a premium version that offers bonuses to paying players.

RuneScape

One of the earliest MMORPGs, RuneScape is still going strong with regular updates. It’s available on multiple platforms and even has a mobile version. It’s not as pretty as more recent games, but that’s okay, people are still happily logging in.

Guild Wars 2

A fantasy MMORPG from ArenaNet, Guild Wars 2 is an open-world fantasy game. Rather than being led from point to point, players get to direct their own journey, setting off in any direction they see fit. That said, the game does offer some direction in the form of a content guide that offers suggestions. As far as monetization goes, the base game is free-to-play. However, players will have to buy expansions if they want to continue the story.

The Lord of the Rings Online

This one does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s Lord of the Rings in MMORPG form. Players can interact with J.R.R. Tolkien’s world, exploring Middle Earth and meeting all the beloved characters. Explore the Shire. Have a drink at the Prancing Pony. It’s all there.

Runes of Magic

A very WoW-like game, Runes of Magic is a classic fantasy MMO set in the world of Taborea. The game features thousands of quests, PvP content, and more. Players can choose one of three fantasy races to play as. They can also specialize their character by combining different classes to create the perfect one.

Star Wars: The Old Republic

Yet another game that started out with a subscription, Star Wars: The Old Republic is a story-centric MMORPG set in the Star Wars universe. Building on the Bioware brand of storytelling, it creates a world players can live in, even romancing some of their allies. As with other games, it has a premium version that offers additional content – including story content. Like some games, the monetization has been called into question as well. That said, it’s the only current MMORPG that can offer players a Star Wars fix.