6 Best MMORPGs for first-timers in 2026

MMORPGs are in a great place in 2026, and while there are plenty of great games and expansions coming this year, what about a good place to start? It really depends on what you’re after as an MMO player as a newcomer to the genre. If you want some kind of retro grindfest, you might want to try Old School RuneScape, or Final Fantasy XI, for example. Both of those games deliver exactly what you’re looking for.

Before I get into what the best MMORPGs for first-timers/beginners are, I do want to highlight Diablo 4 as an honorable mention. Not everyone considers it an MMO, but I do. It’s a fantastic ARPG/MMO, and the recent season (Season 11) has made for an incredibly fun experience, regardless of class.

Below I’ll go over what I think the best picks are, and what you need to know before getting into them, whether it’s positive or negative. No game is perfect, after all.

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Which MMORPGs are best for first-timers in 2026?

1) World of Warcraft (or WoW Classic) is one of the biggest MMORPGs on the planet for a good reason

Pros

• 20 years of content that you don’t have to play in any particular order.
• Tons of classes, specs, and game modes, so you’ve always got something to do and try.
• Massive community as one of the biggest MMOs in the world, so it’s not hard to find groups.

Cons

• It is a subscription-based MMO.
• Can have some incredibly toxic, gatekeeping players in the higher echelons of content.

WoW has a decent free trial and is incredibly easy to get into (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

As someone who has played MMORPGs since the 90s, World of Warcraft is one that hooked me immediately when it first came out. It’s had some highs and lows, but I think it’s a game that has had a serious resurgence in terms of quality content.

Subscribing to the game gives you access to the current Retail version, as well as a variety of Classic/Retro versions of the game, so no matter what you’re after, they’ve got you covered (even a Hardcore server). One major downside can be the community, though.

It’s not as bad as it was, but if you’re trying to get into Mythic+, for example, you’re likely to run into serious, gatekeeping jerks who don’t want to run with you if you aren’t running the most perfect, ideal build for them. It’s not always the case, but it is something to be aware of. It’s also not free, but it is relatively cheap to get into, and the subscription is reasonably priced (~15 USD). It’s easy to get into, and it’s incredibly fun. It’s on top for a very good reason.

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2) Final Fantasy XIV has an unparalleled free trial

Pros

• Easily the best free trial for any MMO on the market.
• Incredible storytelling and mountains of content so you’ll never be bored.
• Visually stunning, with plenty of references to classic FF games.

Cons

• Having to play every lengthy expansion story in order means you will take a long time to catch up to friends already playing.
• Also a subscription-based game.

Final Fantasy XIV is an MMORPG that blends great storytelling with familiar nostalgia (Image via Square Enix)

I remember when Final Fantasy XIV was one of the worst MMORPGs on the planet. 1.0 was a very dark time for the game, but A Realm Reborn did a lot to fix it. It’s still a flawed game in some ways, but it’s also still one of the best MMOs for beginners. You just have to be aware that the A Realm Reborn storyline is very long, and you cannot skip around in the story. It’s a serious commitment in terms of time.

However, you also have a free trial that lets you play through all of the content from the base game, the Heavensward and Stormblood expansions with a level cap of 70. That means you can play the game for free, and see if that long story is for you or not. It is also requires a subscription, but that’s not altogether uncommon these days.

Combat is slower than World of Warcrafts, and several other MMOs, but I don’t think that’s a negative. If you’re looking for something fast-paced, this isn’t the game for you. While the story is quite long, and not always perfect, it’s still memorable, and I think fans looking for a welcoming community and a huge MMORPG are going to find it here.

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3) Guild Wars 2 is free to play and easy to pick up (expansions are not free though)

Pros

• The base game is free, so you’re welcome to try it out without too many restrictions.
• Easy game to play solo, with lots of variety for the professions (classes).
• Action-packed combat blended with sharp storytelling makes for a fun experience.

Cons

• Aggressively monetized, despite having no subscription.
• While still regularly updated, it has a smaller population than some of the other MMOs here, making some older content frustrating to do.

I love coming back to Guild Wars 2 every so often (Image via ArenaNet)

Guild Wars 2 is the MMORPG that I wish I had more time to play. Well, one of several that I wish that for. It has a mountain of content, and a compelling story. The character classes (professions) are awesome, and pretty flexible in how they can be used in the world, making for lots of variety.

It’s really on the upswing right now, with some potentially great content on the way in 2026, and is seeing more players return to the game. If you’re an MMORPG player that wants to play solo, you certainly can do that here, in a game that’s not very heavy on PC requirements.

The sad fact is that it’s just not as populated as some of the other games on this list, but that doesn’t make it a game to avoid. You will have to pick up the other expansions to go beyond the base game and see everything, but that’s again, pretty common in MMOs.

Not having a subscription does make that more worth doing, though. One of the things that does turn people off from Guild Wars 2 though is how aggressively it’s monetized. It’s not pay-to-win, but it does push its shop pretty hard.

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4) Elder Scrolls Online offers flexible gameplay and lets players travel/play as they please

Pros

• Really embraces the Elder Scrolls Online fantasy of being able to go anywhere, and do anything.
• The addition of multi-classing adds even more flexibility to the power fantasy.
• One of the better storylines in the MMO genre, whether major campaigns or side quests.

Cons

• Buy to play with an optional (but useful) subscription.
• Having to buy all the expansions and DLC to see everything might be annoying.

ESO is a huge game, that takes you across some wild, familiar (and unfamiliar) territory (Image via ZOS)

Elder Scrolls Online is an MMORPG that again, has really come a long way since its initial launch. From people screaming that there are “people in their Skyrim’, and being level locked, to being a true open-world experience, it’s amazing to see how far the game has come from the perspective of someone who played the alpha.

It is a buy-to-play game, though, and does have an optional subscription (ESO+), but it’s honestly worth having. It gives you access to all the DLC the game offers, gives you real-money currency every month, and more. When I’m actively playing, I always resub to ESO+.

The game’s going in some really interesting directions in 2026, too. They’ve shifted away from the major expansion model to a seasonal model, and we’ll just have to see how the community embraces that after a year or so of content through the Content Passes.

As long as it’s reasonably priced and available, I think it will be fine. This model has already begun, but the test will be to see how it continues to perform. Even with a monetary commitment, I love ESO as an MMORPG. Being able to play a Necromancer with Warden powers, for example, thanks to multiclassing, has really expanded what the game can be.

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5) Fans of Science Fiction cannot go wrong with Star Wars: The Old Republic

Pros

• Arguably one of the best Star Wars experiences you’ll find in video games, period.
• Familiar, traditional MMO gameplay that’s easy to get into, regardless of class.
• A compelling story that will immerse players in the Star Wars universe.

Cons

• A miserable (but improving) economy can frustrate players by needing millions of credits to buy things.
• While free-to-play, the optional subscription may turn off players.

SWTOR is one of the best Star Wars games I've played, and also a solid MMORPG (Image via EA)

Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR) is an MMORPG that honestly doesn’t get talked about enough. With specific storylines for each class, decent flexibility, and easy mechanics to grasp, it’s a great MMORPG to just jump into and play casually.

It’s also free to play, but there is an optional subscription, similar to ESO+. It’s also quite useful, and some people recommend you pick it up at least once, to make a character from a race that isn’t one of the baseline options.

If you even like Star Wars a little bit, SWTOR is going to be a must-play. It’s such a great look into the past of the Star Wars universe, that’s for sure. However, it has a pretty awful economy. Reportedly, it’s improving, but having to farm millions of credits to buy cool items or cosmetics is not a fun experience.

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6) Fallout 76 had a rough start, but is in a great place for fans of the franchise to dip their toes into MMORPGs

Pros

• Easy to play with a very friendly, helpful community.
• A huge map full of amazing storylines, and nods to the original games.
• Not a class-based game, so players are free to play however they like, and can even unlock the ability to play as a Ghoul.

Cons

• Features an optional (but largely unnecessary) optional subscription.
• Farming caps (currency) can be a little on the tedious side.

Even Ghouls need to fish sometimes (Image via ZOS)

Honestly, Fallout 76 went from “worst MMORPG in over a decade” to one of the best, most fun games to play casually out there. Most people probably remember it’s tragic start, but just look at it now! Fantastic updates and map expansions like Burning Springs, and cameos such as Fallout TV’s The Ghoul.

It’s a flexible and easy MMORPG to get into, and the Perk system is a decent enough way to increase your power. It’s not hard to get amazing loot, and the community is incredibly friendly, and in my experience, always willing to help newcomers and returning players alike. Sure, it has an optional subscription, Fallout 1st, but it’s not as necessary as in ESO.

Perhaps its only real negative for me is that it doesn’t feel quite as connected to the whole of Fallout. The campaign isn’t very long, and I’d like to see more connections to the franchise, despite it taking place at the “beginning” of the Fallout timeline. Considering it’s in Appalachia, I can see why there aren’t as many links to the other games, but it’s something I’d like to see in the future.

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Check out our other MMORPG guides and features

• How to tame Solwyn in ARK Survival Ascended Lost Colony
• Diablo 4: What to do with Unique Purified Essence
• All Guild Wars Reforged professions: What’s the best class for you?
• 5 Evergreen MMOs to try in 2026 (with pros and cons)

Edited by Jason Parker