8 biggest MMORPG releases to look forward to in 2025 and beyond

MMORPG fans will eat really well over the next couple of years. Far beyond 2025 releases, some pretty major games are going to come out over the next few years; this doesn’t even count expansions that are already out. Here, we’re focusing on mostly the traditional MMO experience, but there are some games in the MMO subgenre we’re excited for, like Soulframe.

The following list is a series of MMORPGs that will no doubt be releasing over the next few years. There is one game we wanted to list but didn’t, and that’s whatever the Riot MMO will be. Riot Games’ Marc Merrill insists it hasn’t been canceled, but there’s just so much we don’t know about it yet. Here are some games we know are on the way.

Which MMORPGs should players look forward to in 2025 and beyond?

Unfortunately, we may not have a lot of information about the following list of MMORPGs coming across 2025 and beyond. We’ll give you what we have, in those cases. However, there’s still a lot of buzz and excitement around these games. Some major IPs are returning to the world of MMORPGs, and that’s a great thing.

Warhammer MMO
ArcheAge Chronicles
FFXIV Mobile
Dune: Awakening
LOTRO MMO
Chrono Odyssey
Aion 2
Pax Dei

1) Warhammer MMO

This one's still very much a secret - maybe it will be in 40K. Who knows? (Image via Games Workshop)

Developer: Jackalyptic Games
Release: Unknown

The upcoming Warhammer MMORPG is a real mystery to us right now. We do know that Jackalyptic Games and Netease are working on this upcoming grimdark MMO. We don’t even know where in the timeline it will be. However, we do know that it’s going to be primarily PVE, which makes sense.

Very few PVP-focused MMOs find success, and either have to pivot to PVE, or flounder. Either way, it’s a very exciting concept, as someone who played the original Warhammer MMORPG.

2) ArcheAge Chronicles

ArcheAge CHronicles has some hype behind it - it will be interesting to see how it goes down (Image via Kakao Games)

Developer: XL Games
Release: Summer 2026

Once known as ArcheAge 2, this upcoming MMORPG, slated to be published by Kakao Games, is a PVE with PVP MMO. We also know it’s supposed to feel more like an Action RPG, when it comes to the gameplay — perhaps like Black Desert Online.

It feels like a refresh of the original ArcheAge/ArcheAge Unchained. The original MMO received a lot of flak online for its pay-to-win mechanics, which ultimately led to ArcheAge Unchained. ArcheAge Chronicles is going to have to work hard to avoid the label its predecessor received.

3) FFXIV Mobile

Fans of A Realm Reborn will want to give this a shot on launch (Image via Square Enix)

Developer: Lightspeed Studios
Release: Unknown (2025?)

If you’re a fan of Final Fantasy XIV’s A Realm Reborn content or simply don’t have the time/money to play the PC/console version, this MMORPG is just for you. Final Fantasy XIV Mobile only covers the original content the game launched with, when ARR became available.

It will also use the original jobs, but with a control scheme built for mobile gamers. We don’t know exactly when this is coming, but it is currently being tested in China. Hopefully we will learn more about this f2p version of FF14 later in the year.

4) Dune: Awakening

Hopefully, Dune: Awakening captures what Conan Exiles didn't (Image via Funcom)

Developer: Funcom
Release: Early 2025 (Early Access)

Funcom is no stranger to survival MMOs — after all, it works on Conan Exiles. However, PVPVE MMORPGs don’t often see quite the level of success as more traditional MMOs do. Dune: Awakening is going to be a survival title set on the familiar desert world of Arrakis.

However, you also won’t play as Paul Atreides; instead, there’s an alternate timeline where he doesn’t wind up becoming the Muad’Dib. It’s quite a bold strategy, and one we hope pays off in the long-run. Dune has a pretty diehard following, after all. While I personally don’t really go in for survival MMORPGs, there’s a lot of potential in this, especially if it’s not some sort of forced PVP nonsense.

5) LOTR MMO

We have no idea what this game will entail, but we are excited for it (Image via Amazon Games)

Developer: Amazon Games
Release: Unknown

The original Lord of the Rings Online was around in the heyday of World of Warcraft, and while it didn’t truly compete, it held its own. In fact, it’s still around to this day. However, Amazon Games, alongside Middle-Earth Enterprises, are working on an MMO inspired by the original Tolkien books.

Unfortunately, information is incredibly scarce on this project. We only know it’s on the way and will feature content and locations based on The Hobbit, and the Lord of the Rings titles. It doesn’t sound like we can look forward to much Silmarillion content.

6) Chrono Odyssey

If nothing else, Chrono Odyssey has a memorable art style (Image via Kakao Games)

Developer: Chrono Studio
Release: Late 2025

Chrono Odyssey is perhaps the game I know the least about on this list. I know it was revealed in 2020, and is coming from Kakao Games. Set in Setera, we do know that time control/manipulation will be a factor - which makes sense given the title of this MMORPG.

However, I know what some of you are thinking — this is a Korean MMO, so it’s no doubt going to have ridiculous pay-to-win mechanics. It’s incredibly common in those games - however, that’s not going to be the case in the Western release. It will release with six classes and a multitude of weapons to choose from, so it ought to be pretty interesting on launch.

7) Aion 2

There's hope that Aion 2 breaks the mold the first game set in place (Image via NCSoft)

Developer: NCSoft
Release: 2025

The original Aion was not a game that really hooked me at launch - the PVP focus was something I was pulling away from at the time. The sequel MMORPG is supposed to be more focused on PVE than the previous one, but only time will tell on that. However, it’s also going to be on both PC and Mobile, which creates its own concerns about balance, and things of that nature. It will also have microtransactions, because of course it will.

The original Aion was often accused of being a pay-to-win game, or at the very least, pay-to-go-faster. Hopefully it won’t go down that same route — my interest will flicker out almost immediately.

8) Pax Dei

The concept of players controlling the world is a fascinating one, for sure (Image via Mainframe Industries)

Developer: Mainframe Industries
Release: 2025 (Early Access supposed to end in middle of year)

Pax Dei is an interesting, upcoming MMORPG, where players create the communities and the world around them. This is for players who want to establish communities, kingdoms, trade routes, things of that nature. The players themselves create the world, the story, and the fun.

However, it had a rather disappointing early access, according to some. I like the idea of giving players control over what goes on in the world, but as someone who has been an MMO player for decades, I don’t really trust your average player with that kind of agency. I am nonetheless curious to see how it will all shake out.

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Edited by Angad Sharma