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This is a selected list of massively multiplayer online real-time strategy games . MMORTSs are large multi-user games that take place in perpetual online worlds with hundreds or thousands of other players.
MMORTSs today use a wide range of business models, from completely free of charge (no strings attached) or advertise funded to various kinds of payment plans. This list uses the following terms.
| Title | Developer | Status | Graphics | Setting | Subscription Model | Initial Release Date | Server Close Date | Platform | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8Realms | Jagex | Defunct | 2D | Historical | Free to play | May 5, 2011 | July 1, 2012 | Browser-based | |
| Age of Empires Online | Robot Entertainment, Gas Powered Games | Released | 3D | Ancient | Free to play | August 16, 2011 | July 1, 2014 | Microsoft Windows | Official servers were closed, Project Celeste server emulator started in 2017 and still available for play. [1] |
| Astrolords | Aratog | Released | 3D | Space Strategy | Freemium | June 2014 | |||
| Battle for the Galaxy | AMT games | Released | 3D | Intergalactic | Freemium | November 2014 | |||
| Beyond Protocol | Dark Sky Entertainment | Defunct | 3D | Intergalactic | November 2008 | Microsoft Windows | |||
| Blitzkrieg 3 | Nival | Released | 3D | World War II | Buy game | May 2015 | Microsoft Windows | ||
| Boom Beach | Supercell | Released | 3D | Contemporary | Freemium | June 26, 2014 | Android, IOS | ||
| Call of War | Bytro Labs | Released | 2D | World War II | Freemium | October 21, 2017 | Browser-based | https://www.callofwar.com | |
| Cities War | Willy | Released | 2D | Freemium | August 6, 2018 | Browser-based | http://citieswar.com/ | ||
| DarkSpace | Palestar | Released | 3D | Intergalactic | December 21, 2001 | Microsoft Windows | |||
| Dawn of Fantasy | Reverie World Studios | Released | 3D | Medieval | September 6, 2011 | Microsoft Windows | |||
| Dawn of Gods | Aeria Games, U9 Time | Released | 2D | Real-Time Strategy | February 18, 2016 | Android, IOS | |||
| Dofus | Ankama | Released | Isometric 3D | Fantasy / Anime | Freemium | September 1, 2005 | Cross-platform play | https://www.dofus.com | |
| DomiNations | Nexon, Big Huge Games | Released | 2D | Historical | Freemium | April 1, 2015 | Android, IOS | ||
| Dreamlords | LockPick Entertainment | Released | 3D | Fantasy | February 15, 2007 | Browser-based | |||
| End of Nations | Trion Worlds | Cancelled | 3D | Sci-fi | TBA | ||||
| eRepublik | eRepublik Labs | Released | 2D | Contemporary | Free to play | October 14, 2008 | Browser-based | ||
| Evony | Evony, LLC | Released | 3D | Historical | May 6, 2009 | Browser-based | |||
| Fatelords | Zygimantas Berziunas | Defunct | Sci-fi | 2002 | Browser-based | ||||
| Happy Farm | 5 Minutes | Released | 2D | Contemporary | Q4 2008 | ||||
| Heroes of Gaia | Snail | Released | 2D | Fantasy | Freemium | October 22, 2009 | Browser-based | ||
| Hyperiums | Hyperiums | Released | 2D | Intergalactic | Freemium | January 2001 | |||
| Ikariam | Gameforge | Released | 2D | Historical | February 2008 | Browser-based | |||
| Illyriad | Illyriad Games Ltd | Released | 2D | Medieval fantasy | Freemium | March 31, 2011 | Browser-based | ||
| Imperia Online | Imperia Online JSC | Released | 2D | Medieval | Freemium | August 23, 2005 | |||
| Imperium Galactic War | Kabam , Vavel Games | Released | 2D | Sci-fi | Freemium | February 16, 2013 | Browser, Windows, macOS | ||
| Kingdoms Of Marazia | Fire Dragon Studios | Released | 3D | Medieval fantasy | Buy Game | August 6, 2018 | https://discord.gg/rztMyFK | ||
| Legends World | Released | Freemium | May 10, 2015 | ||||||
| Lord of Ultima | EA Phenomic | Defunct | 2D | Medieval | Freemium | April 20, 2010 | May 12, 2014 | ||
| Mankind | Vibes Online Gaming | Defunct | 3D | Sci-fi | December 1998 | October 2015 | Microsoft Windows | ||
| Mechhero | Intelligence Inside Solutions | Released | 3D | Robots War | Freemium | Link - | |||
| Monopoly City Streets | Tribal DDB | Released | September 9, 2009 | ||||||
| Mudcraft | The LlamaPad | Released | 2D | Fantasy | 2004 | Browser-based | |||
| NeuroSlicers | Dream Harvest | In-Development | 3D | Post Cyberpunk | Pay-to-play Free-to-start | TBA | http://press.dreamharvest.co.uk http://discord.neuroslicers.game http://www.neuroslicers.game | ||
| OGame | Gameforge | Released | 2D | Sci-fi | 2002 | Browser-based | |||
| Pirates: Tides of Fortune | Plarium | Released | 2D | Historical | 2012 | Browser-based | |||
| Rivality | FunRock | Defunct | 2D | Contemporary | Free to play | October 1, 2008 | August 2022 | Browser-based | |
| Saga | Wahoo | Released | 3D | Fantasy | March 4, 2008 | Microsoft Windows | |||
| Samurai Taisen | PST Team | Released | 2D | Sengoku period | Freemium | May 6, 2013 | Browser-based | ||
| Screeps | Screeps, LLC | Released | 2D | Programming | Subscription | November 16, 2016 | Microsoft Windows, MacOS, Linux, Browser | Live demo (no registration required) | |
| Shattered Galaxy | Kru | Released | 2D | Sci-fi | August 30, 2001 | Microsoft Windows | |||
| Society | Stardock | In-Development | Fantasy | TBA | Microsoft Windows | ||||
| Soldiers Inc. | Plarium | Released | 2D | Contemporary | 2013 | Browser-based | |||
| Sparta: War of Empires | Plarium | Released | 2D | Historical | Freemium | 2014 | Browser-based | ||
| Starborne: Sovereign Space | Solid Clouds | Released | 3D | Intergalactic | April 2020 | Microsoft Windows | |||
| Starfall Online | Snowforged Entertainment | Released | 3D | Intergalactic | February 20, 2020 | Microsoft Windows | |||
| StarPeace | Oceanus Communications | Released | 2D | Sci-fi | 2000 | Microsoft Windows | City-building game, much like SimCity . | ||
| Stormfall: Age of War | Plarium | Released | 2D | Fantasy | Freemium | 2012 | Browser-based | ||
| Stronghold Kingdoms | Firefly Studios | Released | 2D | Historical | Freemium | October 17, 2012 | Browser-based | ||
| Time of Defiance | Nicely Crafted Entertainment | Defunct | 3D | Sci-fi | Buy Game | August 21, 2002 | July 28, 2010 | Microsoft Windows | |
| Travian | Travian Games GmbH | Released | 2D | Historical | Freemium | September 5, 2004 | Browser-based | ||
| TribalWars | Innogames | Released | 2D | Historical | 2006 | Browser-based | |||
| Vega Conflict | Kixeye | Released | 2D | Sci-fi | 2013 | Windows, Android, IOS | |||
| War of Legends | Jagex | Defunct | 2D | Ancient China | January 19, 2010 | December 22, 2014 | Browser-based | Available in English and German | |
| World War Online | Chilltime | Released | 3D | Modern Warfare | Freemium | August 2010 | Link - | ||
| X-Wars | Mediatainment | Defunct | 3D | Modern Warfare | Freemium | August 2002 | April 2012 | Browser-based | |
| Ymir Online | Thibaud Michaud | Early Access | 2D | Stone Age | Buy Game | March 2019 | Link - | ||
| Zandagort | Zanda Games | Defunct | 2D | Sci-fi | Absolutely Free | Q3 2008 | November 29, 2012 | Available in English and Hungarian |
A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game.
Anarchy Online is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) published and developed by Norwegian video game development company Funcom. Released in June 2001, the game was the first in the genre to include a science-fiction setting, dynamic quests, instancing, free trials, and in-game advertising. The game's ongoing storyline revolves around the fictional desert planet "Rubi-Ka", the source of a valuable mineral known as "Notum". Players assume the role of a new colonist to Rubi-Ka. With no specific objective to win Anarchy Online, the player advances the game through the improvement of a character's skills over time. After more than 20 years, Anarchy Online has become one of the oldest surviving games in the genre.
A massively multiplayer online game is an online video game with a large number of players on the same server. MMOs usually feature a huge, persistent open world, although there are games that differ. These games can be found for most network-capable platforms, including the personal computer, video game console, or smartphones and other mobile devices.
Istaria: Chronicles of the Gifted is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by American studio Virtrium and originally released by developer Artifact Entertainment and publisher Atari as Horizons: Empire of Istaria. Tulga Games, LLC acquired the game and all related assets on January 25, 2005 and sold them to EI Interactive in July 2006. On July 18, 2007, Virtrium LLC (Vi) acquired the rights to the game.
An online game is a video game that is either partially or primarily played through the Internet or any other computer network available. Online games are ubiquitous on modern gaming platforms, including PCs, consoles and mobile devices, and span many genres, including first-person shooters, strategy games, and massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG). In 2019, revenue in the online games segment reached $16.9 billion, with $4.2 billion generated by China and $3.5 billion in the United States. Since the 2010s, a common trend among online games has been to operate them as games as a service, using monetization schemes such as loot boxes and battle passes as purchasable items atop freely-offered games. Unlike purchased retail games, online games have the problem of not being permanently playable, as they require special servers in order to function.
Free-to-play video games are games that give players access to a significant portion of their content without paying or do not require paying to continue playing. Free-to-play is distinct from traditional commercial software, which requires a payment before using the game or service. It is also separate from freeware games, which are entirely costless. Free-to-play's model is sometimes derisively referred to as free-to-start due to not being entirely free. Free to play games have also been widely criticized as "pay-to-win"— that is, that players can generally pay to obtain competitive or power advantages over other players.
Freemium, a portmanteau of the words "free" and "premium", is a pricing strategy by which a basic product or service is provided free of charge, but money is charged for additional features, services, or virtual (online) or physical (offline) goods that expand the functionality of the free version of the software. This business model has been used in the software industry since the 1980s. A subset of this model used by the video game industry is called free-to-play.
Cal Ripken's Real Baseball, also known as Real Baseball Online or Ultimate Baseball Online, was the first free-to-play baseball based massively multiplayer online sports game (MMOSG). Operating from 2003 until 2008, the game was developed and published by American company Netamin Communication Corporation. The game was designed to allow 18 human-controlled players to compete simultaneously in virtual game, though the number was later reduced due to lag issues. Former Major League Baseball player Darrell Evans served as the game's spokesperson/ambassador prior to Cal Ripken's endorsement of the game. After it ceased operation in 2008, a fan-led open source project was attempted before Real Baseball's successor, Big League Online, was released for beta testing in early 2011.
Age of Empires Online is a multiplayer online real-time strategy game developed by Robot Entertainment and Gas Powered Games that was released on August 16, 2011. Based upon the gameplay of the Age of Empires series, it was originally developed by Robot Entertainment, but on February 24, 2011, Gas Powered Games, took over production. The game was published by Microsoft.
An online pass is a digital rights management system for restricting access to supplemental functionality in a product by using a single-use serial number. Online passes are primarily intended to hinder or discourage the second-hand purchase of a product, and to allow the producer of a product to still return profits from second-hand copies of the product.
Ashen Empires is a two-dimensional massively multiplayer online role-playing game created by American developer Jason "Lothgar" Ely and now owned by Iron Will Games. It was released for a free, open beta in 2002 and later officially released in 2003.
This is a non-comprehensive list that includes terms used in video games and the video game industry, as well as slang used by players.
Massively multiplayer online real-time strategy game (MMORTS) mixes the genres of real-time strategy and massively multiplayer online games, possibly in the form of web browser-based games, in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual world. Players often assume the role of a general, king, or other type of figurehead leading an army into battle while maintaining the resources needed for such warfare. The titles are often based in a sci-fi or fantasy universe and are distinguished from single or small-scale multiplayer RTSes by the number of players and common use of a persistent world, generally hosted by the game's publisher, which continues to evolve even when the player is offline.
Video game monetization is a type of process that a video game publisher can use to generate revenue from a video game product. The methods of monetization may vary between games, especially when they come from different genres or platforms, but they all serve the same purpose to return money to the game developers, copyright owners, and other stakeholders. As the monetization methods continue to diversify, they also affect the game design in a way that sometimes leads to criticism.
Buy-to-play (B2P) is a revenue model for video games where a game can be played after a one-time purchase, as opposed to a subscription model where the player must pay a subscription at regular intervals to continue having access to the game. Buy-to-play, while a form of premium games, generally apply to games where there is continued ongoing content or support from the developer or publisher well beyond the period of purchase, such as through maintenance of online servers or through the production of ongoing content and expansions, as often the case in massively multiplayer online games (MMO). This support is monetized through additional microtransactions or through an ongoing subscription fee. Microtransactions are becoming evermore entwined with the Buy-to-play revenue model as most recent games allow for some sort of additional purchase. For example, buy-to-play title Guild Wars 2 allows players to purchase additional in-game items with microtransactions, while Destiny 2 lets users purchase season passes for additional content.
In the video game industry, games as a service (GaaS) represents providing video games or game content on a continuing revenue model, similar to software as a service. Games as a service are ways to monetize video games either after their initial sale, or to support a free-to-play model. Games released under the GaaS model typically receive a long or indefinite stream of monetized new content over time to encourage players to continue paying to support the game. This often leads to games that work under a GaaS model to be called "living games", "live games", or "live service games" since they continually change with these updates.