The MMO Hammer: Independent Coverage of Every MMORPG
The MMO Hammer is an independent hub for massively multiplayer online role-playing games, covering long-running classics like EverQuest alongside the newest launches and upcoming betas. We write for players who want straight answers about what's changing in their game, what's worth trying next, and how to get more out of the hours they put in. No publisher sets our agenda, so our verdicts are our own.
MMO reset clocks
Times shown in UTCWoW
Americas and Oceania
WoW
Europe
FFXIV
All data centers
RuneScape 3
All worlds
Old School RuneScape
All worlds
Resets are fixed in UTC, so your local reset time moves by an hour when daylight saving starts or ends. Times from Blizzard EU forums, Warcraft Wiki, FFXIV Lodestone patch notes, FFXIV Wiki, RuneScape Wiki, OSRS Wiki.
Most played MMOs on Steam right now
Full player count tracker| Rank | Game | Playing now | 24h peak | 7-day avg peak | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | AION 2 | 250,465 | 265,856 | 243,240 | |
| #2 | Warframe online RPG | 59,502 | 77,724 | 67,147 | |
| #3 | Destiny 2 online RPG | 27,325 | 32,837 | 30,838 | |
| #4 | MapleStory | 21,074 | 21,074 | 15,389 | |
| #5 | Black Desert | 16,962 | 18,091 | 17,507 | |
| #6 | Once Human online RPG | 14,616 | 17,416 | 15,429 | |
| #7 | The Elder Scrolls Online | 11,585 | 12,098 | 9,992 | |
| #8 | Dune: Awakening online RPG | 10,753 | 11,176 | 10,464 | |
| #9 | Lost Ark | 8,758 | 9,013 | 6,911 | |
| #10 | Where Winds Meet | 8,365 | 16,904 | 12,254 |
Steam concurrent players, sampled hourly by The MMO Hammer. Updated Oct 21, 16:08 EDT.
Rising and falling on Steam
All player countsChange in concurrent Steam players over the last 23 hours, games with at least 300 players.
Rising
Falling
Which MMORPG should you play in 2026?
These eight MMORPGs differ most in how they charge you and what they reward. Pick the business model and playstyle that suit your schedule before you install anything.
| Game | Business model | Style | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| World of Warcraft | Subscription plus Midnight expansion; free trial to level 20 | Raids, Mythic+ dungeons, new housing feature | Raiders and competitive dungeon groups |
| Final Fantasy XIV | Subscription; free trial to level 80, no playtime limit | Story-driven themepark with scripted raids | Story fans who want a long free start |
| Old School RuneScape | Free-to-play with paid membership | Skilling, quests and a 2007-era sandbox | Long-term goal setters and mobile players |
| Guild Wars 2 | Free core game, one-time expansion purchases, no subscription | Horizontal progression, dynamic events, WvW | Casual players who dislike gear treadmills |
| Elder Scrolls Online | Buy-to-play; ESO Plus optional; Seasons free to owners | Solo-friendly questing across Tamriel | Elder Scrolls fans and solo questers |
| Throne and Liberty | Free-to-play; moving from Amazon to NC by end of Q4 2026 | Action combat, large guild PvP, console support | Guild PvP players on PC or console |
| Black Desert | Buy-to-play (about $10), often free on promotion | Action combat plus deep life skills | Combo-combat fans and life-skill grinders |
| Albion Online | Free-to-play with optional Premium | Full-loot PvP sandbox, player-run economy | PvPers who accept risk, and market traders |
Bottom line: Start free with Final Fantasy XIV or Guild Wars 2, and only pay for World of Warcraft if raiding is your main goal.
Browse by game and topic
World of Warcraft1 articleThe MMO Hammer's World of Warcraft hub gathers our guides, news and analysis for every way…
Final Fantasy XIV1 articleThis hub gathers The MMO Hammer's coverage of Final Fantasy XIV, Square Enix's long-running MMORPG, from…
RuneScape & OSRS1 articleThis hub covers both RuneScape 3 and Old School RuneScape, Jagex's two long-running versions of its…
More MMORPGs1 articleEverQuest may be in our name, but plenty of great worlds exist beyond Norrath. This hub…Classic MMOsNew sectionThis hub covers the games that built the MMORPG genre, from Ultima Online and EverQuest to…New & Upcoming MMOsNew sectionThis hub tracks MMORPGs from first announcement through closed testing, early access and full launch. It's…Best MMOsNew sectionThe MMO Hammer's Best MMOs hub collects our rankings, recommendations and population coverage for every major…MMO GuidesNew sectionThe MMO Hammer's guide hub collects practical advice for MMORPGs old and new, from picking your…
Launch Guides2 articlesLaunch day in an MMO rewards the players who arrive prepared. This hub collects The MMO…
Player Counts1 articleThis hub collects MMO player counts and population reports built from our hourly Steam tracker. It…Start a New MMO Without Wasting Week One
Your first week in a new MMO sets habits that stick for months. These six steps keep your time going into progress instead of rerolls and backtracking.
- Pick your server with intent: Choose a region close to you for lower latency, and check population and queue times before committing. Transfers are often paid or restricted, so a rushed pick can cost you later.
- Choose a class you enjoy, not the tier list: Launch balance shifts quickly as early patches land. A playstyle you genuinely like will outlast whatever is strongest on day one.
- Set up controls and UI first: Spend ten minutes on keybinds, camera distance and interface scale before you start questing. Changing them at max level means relearning muscle memory.
- Follow the main story early: In most MMOs the main questline unlocks mounts, fast travel, dungeons and core systems. Side content will still be there next week.
- Join a guild in the first few days: An active guild answers questions fast, fills dungeon groups and often shares crafting materials.
- Hold your gold and premium currency: Market prices swing wildly while a new economy settles. Save for core upgrades like mounts, inventory space and gear, and read up on cash shop items before buying.
Old realms and new worlds
Latest from the hub
MMO Terms Every New Player Meets Early
Most MMORPGs share a core vocabulary, and learning these twelve words makes group chat, guides and patch notes far easier to follow.
- Aggro
- The attention an enemy pays to a player, usually governed by a hidden threat or hate system that decides who the monster attacks.
- Tank
- The durable role that holds aggro and absorbs damage so the rest of the group can fight safely.
- Healer
- The support role that restores health, removes harmful effects and keeps the tank and party alive.
- DPS
- Short for damage per second, the term covers both a measure of damage output and the role whose main job is defeating enemies quickly.
- Raid
- Large-group content, commonly built for anywhere from 8 to 40 players depending on the game, centered on tough bosses that demand coordination.
- Dungeon / instance
- An instance is a private copy of an area created only for your group, and dungeons are the smaller instanced runs usually tuned for four or five players.
- BiS
- Best in slot, meaning the strongest available item for each gear slot for a given class, role or build in the current patch.
- Loot table
- The list of items an enemy or chest can drop, along with the chance of each one appearing.
- World boss
- A powerful enemy that appears in the open world on a timer or during an event and typically takes many players, often from separate groups, to defeat.
- PvE
- Player versus environment, covering content where you fight computer-controlled enemies, such as quests, dungeons and raids.
- PvP
- Player versus player, covering duels, battlegrounds, arenas and open-world fights against other people.
- Guild
- A persistent player organization with its own name, chat and roster that brings members together for socializing, raiding and shared goals.
Frequently asked questions
Quest log: 6 quests
Can you play MMORPGs for free?
Yes, but how much you get for free depends on the game. Final Fantasy XIV’s free trial lets you play up to level 80 for free with no restriction on playtime, and it covers A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, Stormblood, and Shadowbringers. World of Warcraft’s trial is much smaller: it covers levels 1-20 with no guild participation, no Auction House access, no trading, and a 10-gold cap.
How much does an MMO subscription cost?
In the US, the base World of Warcraft subscription is $14.99 per month, and the price drops to $12.99 per month on 6-month or 12-month plans. The subscription doesn’t include the current expansion, which you buy separately. The Elder Scrolls Online uses a different model. ESO Plus is an optional subscription offering full access to DLC Game Packs, 1,650 monthly crowns and unlimited crafting storage, and it costs $14.99 a month on console stores.
How many people actually play World of Warcraft?
No official figure has been published for years. Blizzard’s last disclosure was 5.5 million subscribers in late 2015. The best modern clue is a chart shown at GDC 2024 that put Q1 2024 subscribers at roughly 7.25 million. Any 2026 “player count” you see is a third-party estimate, so treat it with caution.
Can you play MMORPGs solo?
In most big MMOs, yes. In Final Fantasy XIV, as of patch 7.5, all main scenario dungeons, optional dungeons in Duty Roulette: Leveling, and 4-player main scenario trials are supported by Duty Support’s NPC parties. In WoW, Delves are short, scalable solo dungeons with their own progression track.
What should returning players know before resubscribing?
FFXIV veterans should know that once you purchase the game, you must continue to pay a subscription to have access. You can’t drop back to the free trial. In WoW, one subscription covers modern (retail) WoW, WoW Classic, and seasonal servers. If you’re coming back to ESO, players report that content released from 2026 onward is free through Seasons.
Can you pay for WoW with in-game gold?
Yes. You can pay using in-game gold by purchasing a WoW Token. The gold price changes all the time with the in-game market, so check the current price in game before you start farming.
Live MMO player counts
471,361 players across 29 tracked games on Steam right now