MMOBomb's 10 Most Anticipated MMOs Of 2025

Just a few weeks ago, the MMOBomb team shared the MMOs they played the most in 2024. As the holidays approach and 2025 is close at hand, this week it's time to look forward at some of the most anticipated MMOs coming next year.

Whether you're a fan of full-blown MMORPGs or you're looking for your next massively multiplayer shooter, 2025 has quite the list of upcoming titles. Now, with delays we can't be sure every single one of the titles below will make a full release in 2025, but we do expect them to hit some level of testing or early access that will make them more available to the general public.

We'll be avoiding titles we've heard little about but may be excited to see like Amazon Games' Lord of the Rings MMO (which MAY see some 2025 action but was described this year as still being in "early development") and narrowing in on things we already know quite a bit about.

In no particular order, let's do this!

Aion 2

Ok... I liked Aion quite a bit. At launch in the west it was way too grindy, but, at the time, it was one of the most beautiful MMORPGs out there and I did enjoy it. Later they tried to adjust experience gains, but it may have been too little, too late by then. That said, while I THINK Aion 2 should actually see a release in 2025 thanks to NCSoft's Q3 financials, we've heard the "coming next year" train on this one from NCSoft for years. Don't believe me? Click this article, read the headline, then look at the date.

We expect more of the same beauty as the original MMORPG had thanks to Unreal Engine 5, but it's also an MMO we just haven't seen much from yet...literally, check out the official site.

ArcheAge Chronicles

Now that ArcheAge has shut down in all regions, all eyes shift to the MMO's sequel that we've known about for years now. However, a little bit of a curveball was thrown by XLGames and Kakao Games when they changed the ArcheAge 2 name to ArcheAge Chronicles and a Steam page popped up. Judging by everything we know so far, Chronicles will depart from the original title in quite a few ways.

Expect action combat, a focus on crafting and gathering, PvP (of course), and more traditional MMO features. How much Chronicles will retain some of the land ownership, sandbox content, and other features the original ArcheAge had remains to be seen, but we do have the "vision" the team is striving for thanks to a recent post from the devs.

Stars Reach

How about a game that seems to be catering to as big an audience as possible. If you want to terraform a planet, go for it. Want to explore and chart your own course? Fine. How about play politician and help run a planet? Ok, sure why not. Annoyed with the planet you're currently on? Fly away to another one, Playable Worlds can generate as many as they want.

Utilizing some interesting tech that allows the universe to truly move on with or without you, Stars Reach could be something very special. Wildlife has its own agenda, and flora and fauna will grow like it does outside (remember that place?).

This could truly be one of the most impressive sandboxes we've ever seen and the possibilities are endless for players. While I don't expect Stars Reach to fully release in 2025, I expect it will be open enough that if you really want to play or test it, you'll be able to do so. That, and the game is led by Raph Koster and David Georgeson...so yeah, if you're getting Star Wars: Galaxies vibes, now you know why.

This is one of my personal "most anticipated."

Chrono Odyssey

Honestly, it's funny. This is one of my most anticipated MMOs but its also one we may know the least about right now. We've seen some amazing visuals thanks to Unreal Engine 5, we know that time will play a factor in how the MMORPG is played, and we have a list of some standard MMO features. That's really it though.

Dungeons and raids, harvesting and crafting, character customization, an open world, and action combat are all present. All that sounds great, and getting an item that allows you to rewind time for your character and monsters sounds like a very cool feature.

Story? No clue, but damn does it look pretty. Kakao Games is currently forecasting a late 2025 release (after a delay) on this one. Hopefully we'll learn more throughout the year.

Dune Awakening

Here's one for you survival MMO enthusiasts out there. How the Dune franchise and its many worlds, races, and political intrigue plotlines haven't been made into an MMORPG by now totally befuddles me. That said, don't expect full MMORPG feels with this one. Yes, you'll see other players, yes the game will be open world, and yes there are guilds.

All those features will cater towards the MMO crowd, but the rest will be more survival than RPG. You'll be gathering on worlds like Arrakis, building protection from enemies and the elements, and trying to gain power through collecting Spice.

Which House will you end up serving?

Soulframe

Soulframe has such a neat looking visual aesthetic to it. Digital Extremes already has Warframe, which is instantly recognizable when you see it, and they may have another visual icon on their hands when Soulframe releases. The MMORPG is very nature-oriented in a magical fantasy world and is already in testing phases.

Early 2025 should see more players getting in to experiment in the MMO's "Prelude" content and as the year progresses testing should open up extensively as the team marches towards a 2025 "opening." Whether that's a full launch or an early access has yet to be determined, but I just can't help but be drawn to the fantasy world this team is showing off below.

One outstanding question for the "MMORPG" is just how MMO will it actually be? Warframe is an MMO, sure, but it's core experience is based around small party content. Will Soulframe's multiplayer components be like that or will things be a bit more "massive"? We shall see.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2 from Grinding Gear Games is a funny one. I almost didn't put it on this list at all since the early access is live, you can buy in right now, and the game is literally full of content. However, I decided to keep it as "anticipated" since the full launch, expected in 2025, will see the title adopt the F2P business model of the original Path of Exile.

Once free, I can see the audience expanding rapidly and opening up to those that maybe want to wait on spending some cash or just don't like buying into early access periods. Yes, it's "out", but it isn't fully launched and launch will tear down a big door, so we'll count the ARPG that shares cosmetics with your original Path of Exile account as "anticipated" still for a large portion of the dungeon-delving audience that will hop in next year.

Pax Dei

Pax Dei is technically another one that you can get into right now if you'd like to do so. However, unlike Path of Exile 2 above, Pax Dei is a bit more "early" in the early access window. As a sandbox MMORPG, you can probably open your doors a bit earlier than theme park MMOs since a large amount of the game's content will be created by players. That said, Pax Dei literally JUST added gold to the game a few days ago.

If you're into player-run economies, exploration, crafting, and creating social hubs with friends that you'll also have to protect, Pax Dei is worth watching as it evolves towards a full 2025 release. If you hopped in right now, you may find yourself a bit disappointed based on what you may be looking for, so maybe just wait until 2025.

Corepunk

Corepunk is probably the MMO that Troy "Noobfridge" Blackburn is personally anticipating the most. Corepunk is kind of a mash-up of MMORPGs and MOBAs. We've got an isometric camera and abilities that are used like you do in something like League of Legends combined with the open world and questing of an MMO. There's also a "fog of war" on the entire open world.

Leaderboards, PvP, PvE, solo and group instanced content, and even an "extraction" type instance are all here. The game is in an early access phase right now but it isn't available on Steam which has raised some red flags for potential players. Check out the video below, hit up your favorite MMO reviewer for thier take, and be informed...or just wait for the 2025 release.

Monsters & Memories

If you're looking for something more inspired by MMORPGs of the past, Monsters & Memories may be one for you to keep an eye on. This title is being made by a very small team and has been in development for quite some time. The team has even called out in their FAQ that this MMO will be very niche. If you look back at MMOs gone by that made you dependent on other players and were more exploration and challenge oriented and miss them...watch this title.

Watch the gameplay below and you'll see what I mean.

While you may sneak your way into some testing in 2025, expect this one to actually hit an early access in Q4 at they end of the year according to the current roadmap...if it isn't delayed into 2026.

That's the list! Obviously there's a slew of other titles that could have made it to the list. Some games like The Quinfall and Shroud of the Avatar are moving ever forward with more testing, and other titles like Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen hit early access late in 2024 and we don't expect a full launch in 2025, so is it really "anticipated" at this point if you can jump in now for a few bucks? Who knows!

Let us know what game you're most excited to see in 2025 in the comments and let's get ready for a great gaming year!