The Best 10 Free MMORPGs Coming Out In 2010
Goodbye 2009, hello 2010 (pronounced twenty-ten for those of you who haven’t heard.) The past year was a tremendous one for the free to play gaming scene. We saw the release of retail quality titles in almost every genre. From sports games (MLB Dugout Heroes) to shooters (Battlefield Heroes.) EA even released a free to play fantasy RTS called BattleForge. As for traditional f2p MMORPGs, 2009 was the year of WoW clones like Runes of Magic and Gates of Andaron but a few original titles including Dragonica Online and Grand Fantasia also saw release.
If 2009 proved one thing it was that ‘free’ is no longer a bad word. Both the quantity and quality of free online games have improved exponentially with even major Western studios realizing the market can’t be ignored. As more and more developers and publishers move into the f2p space in 2010, we gamers will be the largest beneficiaries.
Below are the top 10 free games I’m looking forward to in 2010:
10. Priston Tale 2
Publisher: SubaGames
The original Priston Tale was released way back in 2001 and has garnered a massive following in Asia. The game has had a smaller impact in the West but with a growing market for free to play games, SubaGames is in the process of publishing the sequel in North America. Priston Tale 2 has already been released in Korea and is in beta testing in Europe. Expect a NA beta and eventually release sometime in 2010. If Asian users are anything to go by, Priston Tale 2 is sure to cause a splash. Concurrent users have been reported at over 40,000 in Korea.
9. Mytheon
Publisher: TrueGames
Action-RPG fans may be discouraged to hear that Diablo 3 won’t be released this year. Fortunately, a new action RPG with similar visuals and gameplay style is currently in the world by a new f2p studio. TrueGames has already released Warrior Epic and is hard at work on their next title, Mytheon. The game will include a mix of instanced and persistent zones and be equally accessible by casual and hardcore players. Three classes will be available at release but more will likely be added in future updates.
8. Kung Foo!
Publisher: Perfect World Entertainment
Why so serious? Most MMORPGs take themselves too seriously which makes it all the more refreshing when a game like Kung Foo! is announced. It is being developed by PWI, the same Chinese studio behind a slew of Asian MMORPGs including Perfect World, Jade Dynasty, and Ether Saga Online. Kung Foo! promises to be different, the game parodies everything from Kung-Fu movies to game shows and allows players to chose from many disciples (classes) to play as.
7. Prius Online
Publisher: Netmarble
Korean developers have spearheaded the free to play MMORPG genre and while many of the early games coming out of Asia were repetitive grinder fests, newer titles like Prius Online ooze with quality. Prius has a traditional animated fantasy setting but with several unique twists. Players are escorted by a young girl and must foster an emotional relationship with the mas they progress through the game. Netmarble has already released one game in America, Mini Fighter Online, and many other have been announced. Of their entire line up, Prius Online looks the most exciting though Ys Online is also worth watching.
6. Dance Groove Online
Publisher: Outspark
Dance Dance Revolution really did spark a revolution. Musical rhythm based games have exploded from guitars to drums to singing and eventually the whole ensemble. Several music based MMOs that mix classic DDR style gameplay with the online social experience have already been released including Nexon’s Audition Online, Snail Game’s 5street and Acclaim’s Dance Online. With so many alternatives, how does Dance Groove Online hope to compete? The fact that it was developed by a Korean studio owned by Electronic Arts means it has the funding needed to produce high quality visuals, gameplay, and offer a huge list of music tracks from day one.
5. WonderKing Online
Publisher: nDoors
The massive success of Nexon’s MapleStory hasn’t gone unnoticed by the folks at nDoors. There’s just something about brightly colored 2D side-scrollers that attracts gamers worldwide. Other MS imitators like Ghost Online and Wind Slayer have come and gone but WonderKing promises to be different. The game has gone through four beta tests which have honed the PvP and crafting systems in WonderKing. Plenty of quests await players when the final release becomes available some time in 2010.
4. Parabellum
Publisher: K2 Network – GamersFirst
Meaning ‘prepare for War’ in Latin, Parabellum is a first-person shooter MMO designed by the German developer Acony. Parabellum is powered by the U3 engine and has a strong emphasis on character customization. Players will fight on maps based on real life locations such as New York City. K2 Network, the company behind the GamersFirst portal, is publishing the game in North America. As of early 2010, the game is still in closed beta testing but the open beta should start within a few months.
3. Aika
Publisher: Gala-Net – gPotato
Cartoon style graphics have their appeal but many players prefer a more realistic look. Aika mixes a more mature visual style with PvP heavy gameplay. Players in this Korean MMORPG will look forward to large scale Realm vs Realm battles involving up to 1000 characters per side. The game is already popular in Korea and is heading our way later in 2010, look for it on Gala-Net’s gPotato gaming portal.
2. Mabinogi Heroes
Publisher: Nexon
Released in Korea in 2009, Western gamer will finally get their hands on the long awaited Mabinogi Heroes. While the game shares its name with the already available animated fantasy MMORPG, Heroes promises to be a totally different experience. Developed on Valve’s Source engine, Mabinogi Heroes is a fast paced action MMO with realistic graphics. Player will hack & slash their way through hordes of monster, dodge obstacles, throw barrels and other objects and take on huge boss monsters in real-time. While no specific release date is yet set, look for closed beta testing to begin shortly.
1. Allods Online
Publisher: Gala-Net – gPotato
WoW clones have sprung up like mushrooms over the years but the latest World of Warcraft inspired fantasy MMORPG by the Russian studio Astrum Nival promises a totally new experience. With elements of sci-fi and steampunk mixed in, players will explore a lush world from land, sea, and the skies above. Unique playable races such as robotic undead make an appearance in Allods Online. The game will be published in North America and Europe by Gala-Net’s gPotato gaming portal.
Well that’s it for now. I’m sure dozens more games will be announced and released in the months ahead so this is in no way a comprehensive list. Please share your opinions on the most exciting free games slated for 2010 and thanks for reading!
By, Erhan Altay
February 7, 2010
#
I agree with Allods Online
But one question, how do you guys know Mabinogi Heroes will be f2p?
plz answer
February 8, 2010
#1
because nexon wants to become a world known f2p company so haveing a great mmo as a p2p would sorta backfire on that plan
August 3, 2010
#2
all of nexons games are f2p
October 23, 2010
#3
Yeah, but nexons games require you to spend your money on game cards to get enough cash for good items.
August 12, 2010
#4
check nexons website its now called Vindictus in america
September 29, 2010
#5
Mabinogi Heros is in Early Access Beta at the time. I’m capped out in level, but far from capped on Skill Ranks. It doesn’t go by Mabinogi Hero’s however, it goes by Vindictus. It IS f2p, and like Mabinogi, when the full release/open beta truely starts, I’m sure Nexon will open the NX shop for those willing or able to spend their hard earned money on trips, traps, and toys to help them along.
LithBlade lvl 26, East Server.
November 5, 2010
#6
Allods is a fairly good game but lacks a few good qualities that make it a great game.
January 12, 2011
#7
its vindictus in us and canada and ya its free and no way allods is better <.<
February 24, 2011
#8
Allods sucks big time,spoiled when gpotato got way too greedy,shame lmao
February 12, 2010
#9
how can they expect us to choose?!?! so many great games i want to play them all!!!!!
April 14, 2010
#10
lmfao you guys say; “how will we choose” …crap, i know, right?!
i play audition onlne(; my Ign : And
…dude, it kills..everyone has ditched in order to play Wonderking & AIKA D: lols
i heard mabinogi heroes is pretty good(:
kinda wanna try that Dance Groove Online; i quit 5street long time ago ;;
February 17, 2010
#11
Aika at No.3 yet you give it a “good” review, disapointing much?
March 6, 2010
#12
no altis gates on here? that seems a bit ridiculos to me
April 8, 2010
#13
one thing thats good about nexon is, F2P games and balanced cash shop. altho the cons i have experienced in maplestory would be a downfall. nexon does not help hacked victims =\
April 21, 2010
#14
I went to the mabinogi heroes link on nexon you had listed, its website is in korean why is this ?
May 12, 2010
#15
It hasn’t been released in North America yet.
May 1, 2010
#16
Can I correct the Writer of this article on calling Allods a “WoW clone” because WoW is a clone of original MMOs, just because WoW is the most well-known does NOT make every MMO it’s clone, nor is Allods “Inspired” by WoW. All MMOs unless “unique” have the same basic set-up and mechanics. They are NOT WoW clones. >.>…fix the article.
~MMO gamer
Crux
May 28, 2010
#17
Dude, have you looked at the screenshots?? The art is largely ripped off of WoW. Thats why its called a WoW clone.
June 25, 2010
#18
omg another WoW nerd, WoW its a copy of another game and allods have manything WoW dont and will never have, Ships! Astral space that u can travel in a ship with ur group, and every group have a role in the ship.
November 18, 2010
#19
For all of you tards that know nothing about mmo slang or what WoW clone even means apparently. Bassmnky413 is the only on that knows what he is talking about. A WoW Clone is a game that uses WoW texture and art elements so that it looks like WoW graphically. They do this in hopes to pull ex wow players and even current wow players looking for a game to replace wow into their game. The term WoW Clone has nothing to do with the game play aspect of the game. All MMOs have the same game play for the most part. Quest, Collect, Some PvP, and Grind Lvls. So WoW Clone is just a game trying to visually look like wow. Which by the way WoW was the first to use their visual style which uses awesome textures and colors to make even the simplest object mesh look attractive and detailed. And for all you wow haters out there, 12million players.. thats for a reason. SO stop hating because you mom won’t pay for your account or because you are broke with no job and can’t afford to play it. 99.9% of wow haters have never touched the game. Wait, or they did and just couldn’t grasp the complexity of character creation and customization in the game so had to quit. Which by the way they made the game easier to play for people like you so come try it again.
November 18, 2010
#20
Funny. I played WoW to max and was in a raiding guild pre-bc and I still quit. You made a few meaningful statements about what WoW clones were, but your threw your own credibility out the window when you just insulted a ton of random people based on nothing. I quit WoW because I got bored of it. I play free to play because F2P games today are fun. You can praise wow, but praising it’s “complexity of character creation” is stupid, as there’s nothing complex about the character creation. Plenty of F2P games have better character appearance and growth customization than WoW.
WoW is fun, but your position on every other game is ignorant.
December 18, 2010
#21
Shadoworn – my friend its you who are tard…. I paly wow and i think is boring sometimes, graphics is far far away from the best (check other p2p games). About other content that u mentioned – U R IDIOT – how other will create wow clone free game when wow have taken so many characters,classes and so on from old legends ? Have you heard storys about bad trolls,King Arthur and other mythical creatures that wow is using for it main content? O your mummy was to busy to read it before sleep? So stop whining about it , since you have no clue what you speaking about. And another word for wow – they even was to freaking lazy and didnt bothered to even create a new class in Cataclysm expancion…. Money is all they are after – thats why i leaving it to a side and will lvl up my 6x lvl80 when price for Cata will be more reasonable
P.S. To prevent youfrom screeming that i have no money i want to state – i still playing it i enjoing pvp with some low lvl twinks and i will be playing it – but wow is not A freaking god of mmo , and you must live with it 
November 16, 2010
#22
Yeah WoW was origionally a clone itself. The difference is WoW is the biggest and BEST. So no one is cloning the games WoW cloned. They are cloning wow. Good example is SWG. I played for a long time until they deceided to go “clone” and introduced the NGE wich basically made it a star wars themed WoW. I love both games but ended up sticking with WoW.
May 3, 2010
#23
I am looking for a really good free mmorpg. Can’t seem to find anything decent. The only 1 that i did find was Disney’s Pirates Of The Caribbean but it only allows to level 7 or there abouts then you have to upgrade and pay. I would have paid for this but i dont have a credit card and i can not find any store in the UK that sells the game card for it. If anyone knows of any other ftp mmorpg i would appreciate it if you let me know.
Thanks.
May 3, 2010
#24
Looks like this year will be good for mmos
these are all mmorpg that were Exactly what i was looking for^^ Aika is my new number one
(With flyff following close behind xD)
May 21, 2010
#25
The Mabinogi: Heroes page is finally up on Nexon.net!! However, they changed the name to show it isnt the exact mabinogi 2 (which is currently in develope in korea). Mabi: Heroes is called Vindictus and can be seen at Vindictus.Nexon.Net. Hope to see you there ^^
May 30, 2010
#26
I disagree with Allods Online. Enough with the ANIME. Enough with the FANTASY. HYBRID fantasy sci-fi? WHY????? PURE sci-fi please. THanks
June 17, 2010
#27
is maple story free? sry if its stupid or sumthing
June 18, 2010
#28
Honestly all these races on mmo’s are played out cant they come up with something different. most mmo’s are all toon like now its getting boring I need something new not remixed if you know what i mean
June 18, 2010
#29
oh one more thing allods only goes to lvl 40 so its really a waste plus repeating quests alot gets really boring
June 22, 2010
#30
papaclover, your a big dumb@$$.
cutting it to only lvl 40 is a good thing, as you can reach end game quicker. And about repeating quests alot: You don’t have to do them, ya know.
July 6, 2010
#31
I wish there were more games like Lunia from ijji… or at least a more popular one
cant wait for vindictus
July 25, 2010
#32
Allods at Top 1. HAHA!
Well i guess you could not huess what the publisher would do to the game.
–> Increased mob damage and reduced player damage, cash shop items give you 200% damage. Game turned into a pay to play game since you cant kill a mob without items from the cash shop.
Btw , when u die , you have a chance of screwing one of your items making it praticly unuable, only whay to uncurse the item is trough cash shop. Mobs drop now cursed items for the people who buy uncursing scroll from the game shop to have more loot.
August 1, 2010
#33
i am just wondering where the F is Forsaken World?!?! o.O
August 3, 2010
#34
Dance Groove doesn’t exist anymore. You can try the korean version of the game Debut Online, but it’s kinda hard to register.
August 10, 2010
#35
I have tested and played many free mmo’s as well as the p2p games like wow, eq etc. Perfect World in my opinion is probably the best free to play mmo there is especially Battle of the Immortals. http://boi.perfectworld.com/ is the website if you would like to check it out.
August 31, 2010
#36
Ive actually tested atleast 10 decent looking f2p mmorpgs this year.
From RoM to BOI to Cabal…
Taking all aspects into account… quest system, pvp, cash shop, graphics, etc. its safe to say that AIKA online is probably the best f2p mmorpg released to date.
Im a heavy pvp player and the game offers everything.
Look it up, and its safe to say that it will not disappoint.
September 11, 2010
#37
Allods #1… Are you freaking kidding me?
Allods is pretty… BUT the game is unplayable due to horrible camera angles and extremely bad lag even on a great internet connection!
>:(
September 17, 2010
#38
Vindictus Open Beta was just release to NA yesterday, the game is great and the graphics are even better! However, there is a lot of lag in the town, even when talking to an NPC , but I’m sure they’ll get on that soon…If anyone wants to join the open beta testing just give me yer email and i’ll send a code. When you enter it on vindictus.nexon.net you will be congratulated and receive 2 more keys in your email so you can give them to friends or whomever you choose!
September 22, 2010
#39
wat abt Forsaken world? y is on this list?
September 25, 2010
#40
vindictus is free for a little while, but once you run out of your small supply of coins(allow you to run missions) it is $0.30 per platinum coin one platinum will get you 1 boat ride(one mission). After a small amount of number crunching, it will cost roughly $87 per week if you run around 13 hours of missions. This will not be hard for dedicated players, not to mention they are charging for bad peer2peer, in simpler terms you are paying to use your bandwidth and have the rest of your party to lag. They also have the in-game cash shop for avatar customization, i do like the idea of a nice brutal graphics game without targeting, but nexon is making it harder and harder for me to want to play this game. I’d rather pay a small monthly fee than almost $200/month.
September 25, 2010
#41
Your statement is 100% false. You know absolutely nothing about Vindictus and are speaking purely out of your rear end. Me saying World of Warcraft costs $10,000 a month to play is just as accurate as you saying Vindictus costs $200 / month to play.
October 6, 2010
#42
man screw allods its horrible and vindictus is beast
October 13, 2010
#43
Sooo wheres Vindictus eheh?
October 13, 2010
#44
its free to an extent that after lvl 30 you need money for extra invetory considering they decrease it at 30 and other stuff happens after 30, other debuffs
October 13, 2010
#45
opps forgot to mention that was at mabinogi
October 13, 2010
#46
Blade&Soul FTW
not this year but it will own most, if not, all mmo’s. >.>
October 22, 2010
#47
Blade and soul is just an eastern version of aion thats and last i checked aion wasnt worth the money they wanted you to pay
October 15, 2010
#48
I’m most excited about forsaken world. :3
October 22, 2010
#49
allods has very very slow combat mabinogi heroes/vindictus requires you to do the same missions multiple times and requires a party after the first few missions priston tale 2 is still a no show and i think kung foo was canceled but not sure forsaken world will be the exact same as all the other pw games aika starts out pretty fast but later on youll have to do repeatable quests for crap exp many many times before you can progress further dungeons arent fun either perrabellum has funky bullit logic and all the guns kick way harder than they should “like most mmofps games” if you dont play console shooters you wont notice wonder king wasnt my cup of tea so i cant really say anything about it prius still hasnt come out in us yet so i dont know havent played dance groove either well those are the negatives pick your poison gentlemen
October 23, 2010
#50
vindictus is in open beta now and its not Pay to win i havent spent ne money and i got some of the highest att of anyone playing evie comes out the 27th
October 24, 2010
#51
Ya waste time gaming wanting you lifetime to get a cap level and then they want your lifetime again to get some decent armor weapons…all mmos are just a complete waste of money and lifetime ….i have tried most of those games above they all suck LIKE WOW SUCKED!!!
the worst is they try now all FPS games to Mmo style FPS omfg…I HATE GAME INDUSTRIES!!!!
October 28, 2010
#52
Letdown list, and some of those aren’t out yet, and most likely won’t be out until next year.
October 31, 2010
#53
where is Dynasty Warriors Online by AeriaGames… Ummmm Heroes of Three Kingdoms by Perfect World… Forsaken World is looking rather good, if they can fix there issues they got(Beta Tester for It) cant wait for OB! any real good top of the class graphic’s SHOOTers out there. just throw me some names?
November 29, 2010
#54
lol anything non-asian/korea crap on the list?
And where is LOTRO? it has gone f2p this year, and is by far the best.
November 30, 2010
#55
priston 2 sucks a loooooooooooooooot!
pt1 is better
December 2, 2010
#56
Vindictus cant be world’s best atm … becouse u cnt play it in europe only in us & canada so lets wait first on that … than we can all say yeah its one of the best f2p mmo
December 4, 2010
#57
Well, I’m not in favor of any of these games. Mabi Heroes wasn’t as fun as people would’ve said, I was more into Dungeon Fighter Online, but I got hacked (just like maplestory) so eventually I quit. I tried Wonderking, it isn’t that bad of a game, but the community is terrible, they need a lot more people for the game to be fun. So far, I’m just browsing, not really sticking to any game at the moment, but Maplestory’s big bang patch is intriguing.
December 9, 2010
#58
Your Mom is a WoW Clone, but don’t quote me on this one.
December 23, 2010
#59
UMM GUYS NEXON IS GA.Y BECUASE VINDICTUS IS ONLY FOR AMERICA AND CANADA
February 6, 2011
#60
the vindictus disappointed me, because it is a game focused on the PvE and I do not open hands of a good PVP.
February 7, 2011
#61
this games are goods but tales runner is the best mmo game in the world.
February 25, 2011
#62
Wonderking <3 is great!
March 3, 2011
#63
Why does 50% of game chats turn into a WoW lover Vs WoW hater showdown?
April 3, 2011
#64
Hey Altay, You Forgot about APB? its coming out in 2011 as a free to play known as “APB Reloaded” Did you forget that? cause if you didnt and its just because APB didnt make the list then… wow…
But yet again… APB Reloaded is a Third Person Shooter not a RPG… So uh I Guess this isnt much of a problem
April 12, 2011
#65
Do not ever try allods , its the worst looking and built game ever. Once you play WoW everything sucks compared to it, WoW has the best graphics, Best pvp system, And all copys fail.
April 18, 2011
#66
Will u just shut up about wow this is meant to be about the so could best top ten games i am not going to bag any of that games saying there crap because no one has the right to say there crap in my opinion no mmorpgs are good they are all the same they need to bring a new aspect into mmorpgs. i really wouldn’t recommend any of these games but u can try it if i like don’t be discouraged by these arrogant bastards who think they know what they are talking about.
May 2, 2011
#67
seriously stfu up about wow, the games garbage at this point. the graphics are dated and choppy i cant even count how many times i fell through the world on there. i played it from vanilla – cata on and off the games gotten worse and worse since wotlk. only thing they started to do that was a good idea was bring back and “rework” the old dungeons but the fun and enjoyment and actual fill that you earned every piece of gear you had is long gone.
personally i’m waiting for fallout online, or star wars the old republic. at this point i cant play wow any more I’m so dead sick of that game and the sense of community is gone, there is far to many people willing to just “ninja” dungeon loots and way to much QQ about every thing the class’s are to balanced for the most part. there really not supposed to be, mage should be a glass cannon, if you get the analogy. there’s more but I’m not in the mood to go on…
as for allods it really wasn’t bad i personally just found it boring. i played aika for a bit it was fun and the pvp can get really fun if your into pvp but i just found it to be a big grind fest not really any innovative quest experiences pretty much kill X amount of animal B and collect X amount of plant Y…
gonna go give Mytheon and prius online a try how ever never had heard of them till i came across this list.
for reference i’ve been around the mmo block i’ve played mmo’s since EQ to current date i played FFXI and WoW the most and a ton of mmo’s inbetween personally theres a crap load of Medieval themed mmo’s out there and im really really REALLY sick of that sub genre.
i have yet to find a really enjoyable mmofps or mmorts i forget the name but there is a mmorts coming out that later this year. as well Tera online is looking pretty good and usually to “quote” someone i once read on a forums about mmo’s “mmo’s always come in 2 of 3 options, 1. mmo. ,2.Free, 3.Good.” take your pick.
May 2, 2011
#68
i played muds and moo’s back in the early days of the interwebs but i dont really couldnt those as mmo’s even if they really were mmog’s
May 2, 2011
#69
couldnt = count* lol.. why cant we edit posts.. oh well
June 28, 2011
#70
Allods online? aww comon, that game takes so much money to play. at leat mabinogi heroes i completely free. ive been playing that game for a year now and i havent wasted a single dime on it. and im actually doing better than some people who are actually paying for it. maaaan wtf =(
July 8, 2011
#71
Oh wow, what a punch in the face finding out that Vindictus is not for europe right now.
Especially after downloading enormous gigs of data and installing pando media booster.
July 21, 2011
#72
men there is no vindictus/mabinogi heroes in the Philippines.
i think they block the ip?? hehe
September 12, 2011
#73
Allods lmao Kung fuu lmaoo prius lmaooo dance shit blablabla lmao
if you really broke you shut play All 4 of em :S
…..
February 25, 2012
#74
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With best regards.
rilkslign