Category: 2D

Soul Saver Online

Soul Saver Online is a 2D fantasy side-scrolling MMORPG that leans heavily into chibi anime visuals and classic monster grinding. You pick one of five classes, join a faction, and spend most of your time questing, farming mobs, and collecting souls and drops that feed into character growth and gear upgrades.

Publisher: Netgame
Playerbase: Low
Type: MMORPG
Release Date: July 19, 2016
Pros: +Vibrant enemy designs and a playful bestiary. +Hands-on stat point allocation. +Distinct anime-inspired presentation.
Cons: -Feels very close to MapleStory in structure and vibe. -Old-fashioned UI and menus. -Performance and stability can be rough.

BRAIN / OUT

BRAIN / OUT is a side-scrolling, 2D competitive shooter that focuses on clean gunplay, tight maps, and quick decision-making. Pick a weapon, learn the angles, and chase frags across grim, post-Soviet themed arenas in three straightforward modes that keep the action moving.

Publisher: Desertkun
Playerbase: Low
Type: 2D Shooter
Release Date: February 24, 2017
Pros: +Solid weapon modding and unlocks. +Simple fundamentals with a high skill ceiling. +Snappy, reliable controls.
Cons: -Limited long-term depth. -Visually plain and repetitive. -No built-in matchmaking.

Holodrive

Holodrive is a fast, side-scrolling PvP shooter that puts you in control of pint-sized robot fighters. Matches are built around jetpack movement and quick weapon swaps, with several objective modes that lean into the game’s playful tone, including a sports-like mode where teams escort a chicken to score.

Publisher: Versus Evil
Playerbase: Low
Type: 2D Shooter
Release Date: March 24, 2016
Pros: +Adorable presentation. +Deep cosmetic and loadout customization. +Several modes that keep matches from feeling one-note.
Cons: -Small community makes queue times and match quality inconsistent. -Stages start to blend together visually. -Controller support feels rough.

Rogalia

Rogalia is a medieval-themed sandbox MMO focused on player-driven building, crafting, and territorial conflict. It mixes open-world PvP with surprisingly detailed social systems, letting you do everything from settling land and running a workshop to dealing with hangovers and even the risk of STDs if you are not careful.

Publisher: TatriX
Playerbase: Low
Type: MMO Sandbox
Release Date: December 9, 2016
Pros: +Robust crafting and production chains. +Lots of social interactions that affect play. +Developers and community remain engaged.
Cons: -Uneven English localization in places. -Movement can feel sluggish. -Occasional bugs and rough edges.

Gods and Idols

Gods and Idols is a free-to-play MMORTS that puts you in the role of a fledgling deity competing for control of a living, persistent universe. Instead of focusing purely on base-building, the game leans into cosmic-scale powers, letting you reshape worlds, trigger catastrophic stellar events, and weaponize space itself as you expand your influence through followers and fleets.

Publisher: Viking Tao
Playerbase: Low
Type: Strategy
Release Date: December 12, 2016
Pros: +Create and alter planets, stars, and space itself. +Distinct premise with god-focused strategy systems. +Large, persistent universe built for long-term conflict.
Cons: -Very small studio behind the project. -Player population is largely inactive.

The Infinite Black

The Infinite Black is a cross-platform sci-fi MMO for Windows, Linux, Mac, Android, and iOS that mixes tactical space skirmishes with a player-driven economy. It leans into sandbox systems, letting you chase bounties, raid alien-infested sectors, earn achievements, outfit ships with new gear, run trade routes, and get involved in the social chess match of alliances, espionage, and territorial conflict.

Publisher: Spellbook
Playerbase: Low
Type: MMORPG
Release Date: August 2011
Pros: +Open-ended sandbox structure. +Welcoming, tight-knit community. +Lots of ships, modules, and weapon options. +Developer presence and interaction with players.
Cons: -Basic presentation and visuals. -Methodical pace that can feel slow. -Better suited to dedicated, competitive players. -Later support appears to have faded.

Eternal

Eternal is a free-to-play digital collectible card game built around a surprisingly involved combat and resource model. It lets you craft decks with very few restrictions, then take them into tactical matches against other players or AI, all presented with colorful boards and snappy animations.

Publisher: Dire Wolf Digital
Playerbase: Low
Type: CCG
Release Date: November 19, 2016
Pros: +Free-to-play. +Strategic resource and combat depth. +Reactive play with counterspells and abilities. +Flexible deck construction.
Cons: -Draw-dependent resource pacing. -Matches can run long. -Card packs can feel pricey.

Shadowverse

Shadowverse is a free-to-play, multi-platform online collectible card game built around quick duels, strong class identity, and a signature evolve mechanic that can swing a match in an instant. With seven leaders to choose from and hundreds of cards illustrated in Cygames’ anime-fantasy style, it aims to capture the accessibility of modern digital card games while giving each class its own rules, resources, and win conditions.

Publisher: Cygames
Playerbase: Medium
Type: Multi-platform Online CCG
Release Date: June 17, 2016
Pros: +Seven classes with clear identities. +Clean presentation and smooth performance. +Striking anime-fantasy card art. +Evolve mechanic adds real tactical depth. +Less match-deciding RNG than many rivals.
Cons: -No card trading. -Some visuals and art are repurposed from Rage of Bahamut.

Order of Battle: World War II

Order of Battle: World War II is a turn-based World War II wargame built around classic hex-and-counter style decision-making, but presented with modern 3D maps and a broad mix of ground, naval, and air operations. You command historical formations across varied theaters, playing official campaigns or diving into community-made scenarios, with an emphasis on positioning, combined arms, and keeping your forces supplied.

Publisher: Slitherine Software
Playerbase: Low
Type: Turn-Based Strategy
Release Date: April 30, 2015
Pros: +Hex-based warfare that rewards planning. +Integrated land, sea, and air layers in one battle space. +Supply rules add meaningful logistics choices. +Robust built-in scenario editor.
Cons: -Free access is mostly limited to the tutorial and DLC previews. -Occasional issues with historical authenticity. -Interface and menus can feel unintuitive at first.

Zezenia Online

Zezenia Online is a free-to-play 2D fantasy MMORPG built around classic, top-down adventuring and pixel art visuals. It spans four continents filled with towns, caves, and leveling zones, and it leans heavily into old-school progression. You begin by choosing one of three core classes (Warrior, Mage, or Ranger), then at level 30 you specialize into a subclass that expands your toolkit with additional spells and combat options.

Publisher: Saucer Software
Playerbase: Low
Type: MMORPG
Release Date: September 1, 2008
Pros: +Plenty of class paths via subclasses. +Player housing with persistent storage. +Small but loyal community. +UI options and customization.
Cons: -Movement and input can feel dated. -Little in the way of sound or visual flair. -Sparse official guides and documentation.