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MMORPGs would become one of the defining genres of the 2000s, and blossomed into something incredible as average internet speeds rose over the decades. However, things were a bit rocky to start with. The genre took a while to properly get off the ground, and the first batch of MMOs is a mixed bag.
The experience of being able to play alongside many players was mind-blowing to many, but not all of them had a worthwhile game past that achievement. On the other hand, some of these first MMORPGs laid the groundwork for what was to come, and are still beloved icons of gaming today.
8 Meridian 59 - 1996
Meridian 59 has the honor of being the first 3D MMORPG, but that's about as far as its achievements go. Looking back from the modern era, a 3D MMO released in 1996 seems like it'll be pretty bare-bones; a sentiment reviewers and players of the time generally agreed with.
It still saw pretty good numbers at the time, but in hindsight, it seems more like a tech demo for what was to come. It generally played second-fiddle to the other popular MMOs of the time, but it held enough of a fanbase to survive one shut-down, closing in 2000, being revived in 2002 before shutting down for good in 2010.
7 Legends of Kesmai - 1996
Legends of Kesmai is a really odd case, as it is the direct successor to the 1985 game, Island of Kesmai. That game is what is known as a Multi-User Dungeon game, a genre that can now be described as a chat room where the participants are trying to progress through a dungeon. The genre as a whole is considered the forerunner to MMOs.
Legends of Kesmai implemented the graphical elements of the game to become a proper MMO, and it did fine. It had some name recognition for players, but unfortunately, with the upgrade of adding a graphical interface came the downgrade of content being stripped back. It somewhat floundered technologically whilst many of its competitors were starting to flourish. As a result, it was bought by EA in 1999, who shut it down a year later.
6 Tibia - 1997
There's nothing wrong with Tibia, taking it as a whole, and is still online today as a free game. However, it has become pretty insulated, and the majority of people who still play today are people who have been playing it since its heyday.
The game was a slow-burner after release, starting life as a passion project from a few German developers. A paid subscription service wasn't even implemented until 2001. From there, the game slowly grew over the 2000s, peaking in 2007 with just over 64,000 players . Numbers like that, are relatively impressive for an independent MMO in a post-World of Warcraft world.
5 Neverwinter Nights - 1991
Generally accepted as the very first MMORPG, Neverwinter Nights is a Dungeons & Dragons video game that implemented a graphical interface on the typical MUDs of the day. Player input and interaction with the world are still very similar to that of a MUD, but the visuals made things more exciting.
The game saw just 50 players in 1991, although that was mostly due to the technology of the time. However, even by 1995, it hadn't grown much, seeing just 500 players. Eventually, the game was packaged as a free add-on to AOL's service, which boosted the numbers to 115,000. The game has quite the legacy, too, with its name-taking being used for a 2002 RPG based on D&D, which saw a remaster in 2018.
4 The Realm Online - 1996
The Realm Online did really well for its time but has very slowly been petering out ever since. Using a turn-based system, players were significantly more restricted than in most MMOs, however, it was a boon to those with bad internet connections.
Its innovation in the genre was enough to earn 25,000 players within a year of launch, which is a pretty great number for the time. Unfortunately, it didn't retain any of that momentum over the years, and it was passed around several companies, often seeing less than 100 players at once. It is still available to play for free, after seeing a complete server reboot in 2018.
3 Nexus: Kingdom of the Winds - 1996
Coming from Korea, Nexus: Kingdom of the Winds, like most MMOs of this time, started huge but is now pretty obscure. However, there is still plenty of intrigue behind this one today. Set across three kingdoms, the gameplay is fairly standard for an MMO of this era, and it saw relative success, setting a record in 1999 for the most players on a server at once, at just over 12,000.
The game is pretty small now, having just 300 users in 2021, however, it is an extremely tight-knit community because of it. The game features a strict social hierarchy that sees players rise the ranks in the game by rising the ranks in the community. It's one of those fascinating time capsules that are worth investigating.
2 Ultima Online - 1997
One of the most famous MMOs from this era, Ultima Online is much more like a modern MMO in its systems and world design. With the biggest budget, an MMO had seen to that point, a much more expansive world was created, with a great story buried in there, and it garnered a very loyal community.
Interestingly, it wasn't favored by reviewers very much, averaging just 59 on Metacritic, however, players disagreed, and the game enjoyed great popularity, seeing over 250,000 players at its peak in 2003. Games like RuneScape and World of Warcraft eventually stole its thunder, but the fanbase held it dear enough to keep it alive to this day.
1 EverQuest - 1999
EverQuest can be seen as the culmination of all that game before it, and still holds up today. While Meridian 59 was the first to create a 3D MMO, EverQuest was the first to be successful with it, as the tech had finally caught up to make it a densely populated world that players could lose themselves in.
It was an instant hit at launch, averaging 85 on Metacritic. It was considered to be the peak of the genre at the time and surpassed all previous subscription records. It dropped off in the mid-2000s, thanks to World of Warcraft, and a sequel, EverQuest 2. Both games are still online today and received an expansion as recently as 2021.