Category: Buy-to-Play

Dune: Awakening

Dune: Awakening is a buy-to-play open world survival MMO set on Arrakis, built by Funcom using Unreal Engine 5. It drops you into an alternate timeline where Paul Atreides was never born, Duke Leto survived the assault on Arrakeen, and the Fremen have mysteriously vanished. You start as a nameless prisoner sent to uncover what happened to them and slowly climb from scrabbling for dew drops to piloting ornithopters, commanding spice harvests, and wielding real political power through the Landsraad system.

Publisher: Funcom
Playerbase: High
Type: Survival MMO
Release Date: June 10, 2025 (PC)
Pros: +Incredibly faithful and immersive take on the Dune universe. +Base building is polished, flexible, and surprisingly painless even for solo players. +Buy-to-play with no subscription and no pay-to-win nonsense.
Cons: -Combat adheres so strictly to Dune lore that melee often feels sluggish and repetitive. -Enemy variety is thin. -Mid-to-late game crafting grind is steep, especially for solo players. -Endgame direction and PvE content still need fleshing out.

New World

New World is a buy-to-play open world MMORPG that takes place on Aeternum, a mysterious island filled with the supernatural and the dangerous. Instead of locking you into rigid classes, it leans on a weapon-based progression system where your loadout defines your role, and your character can master multiple playstyles over time. With three rival factions fighting over settlements and territory, the game’s identity sits at the intersection of exploration, crafting-driven progression, and opt-in open world PvP.

Publisher: Amazon Games
Playerbase: High
Type: Buy-To-Play MMORPG
PvP: Faction Territory Control, Duels, Open World (Flagged)
Release Date: September 28, 2021
Pros: +Flexible, classless weapon progression. +Robust gathering and crafting loops. +Action combat feels weighty and responsive. +Character growth is consistently rewarding.
Cons: -Questing can feel samey over long sessions. -Servers only support 2,000 players. -Endgame variety is limited.

Valheim

Valheim is a 3D Viking-inspired survival RPG built around exploration, crafting, and cooperative PvE in a procedurally-generated world rooted in Norse mythology. You play a fallen warrior cast into the Tenth World, where staying fed, staying warm, and staying alive matters just as much as swinging an axe, and progress is ultimately measured by the bosses you can summon and bring down for Odin’s favor.

Publisher: Coffee Stain Publishing
Playerbase: High
Type: 3D Survival MMORPG
Release Date: February 2, 2021
Pros:+Huge procedurally-generated worlds with strong exploration appeal. +Survival systems feel refined and readable. +Deep crafting loop with flexible building. +Characters can move between worlds/servers. +Remarkably small install size.
Cons: -Low-poly visual style will not work for everyone. -Biome variety can feel limited over long sessions. -Hard cap of 10 players per world/server. -Occasional performance dips and FPS drops. -No gamma/brightness option. -Grinding can become repetitive.

Torchlight 3

Torchlight 3 is a buy-to-play 3D medieval fantasy MMOARPG that continues the series in Novastraia, sending you back into the frontier to push back the Netherim threat before it overruns the Ember Empire. Moment to moment it is built around fast zone-clearing, frequent loot drops, and boss encounters that lean on readable patterns and modifiers. Along the way you will recruit pets for support, tinker with crafting, and personalize a home fort that functions as both a hub and a creative outlet.

Publisher: Arc Games
Playerbase: Low
Type: 3D Buy-to-Play MMOARPG
Release Date: June 13, 2020
Pros: +Distinct class identities with different gameplay hooks. +Bright, stylized visuals with a playful tone. +Lighthearted characters and humor. +Easy to learn and approachable pacing. +Straightforward controls. +Fort housing and decoration.
Cons: -Not many class choices, and limited character customization depth. -Combat can feel stiff and occasionally awkward.

The Division 2

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is a 3D buy-to-play, third-person survival shooter built around tactical gunfights, loot chasing, and co-op mission play. Set in a crumbling Washington D.C., it tasks players with pushing back organized hostile factions, upgrading their agents through gear and skills, and restoring order one stronghold at a time.

Publisher: Ubisoft
Playerbase: Medium
Type: 3D Third-Person Shooter
Release Date: March 15, 2019
Pros: +Impressively realized, detail-rich Washington D.C. setting. +Strong graphics with convincing lighting and weather shifts. +Open-world objectives and mission variety. +Ongoing updates and support.
Cons: -Core cover-shooter loop can start to feel samey over time. -Main story beats do not land as strongly as the setting. -Occasional technical hiccups, including bugs and crashes.

Temtem

Temtem is a 3D massively multiplayer creature-collecting RPG built around turn-based battles. Set out across the Airborne Archipelago, expand your roster of Temtems, and challenge other trainers as you work toward becoming a top tamer on the islands.

Publisher: Humble Bundle
Playerbase: High
Type: Buy to Play Turn-based RPG
PvP: Duels
Release Date: January 21, 2020 (Early Access)
Pros: +A substantial story-driven campaign. +Well-supported competitive focus. +Housing and personalization options. +Polished presentation. +Play the adventure in co-op.
Cons: -Not a lot to do at the initial launch window. -Shares a very obvious visual and design lineage with Pokemon.

Last Epoch

Last Epoch is an isometric action RPG built around a time-hopping campaign, flexible character building, and the familiar loot chase that defines the genre. It supports both offline play for solo sessions and online play when you want to party up.

Publisher: Eleventh Hour Games
Playerbase: Low
Type: Fantasy Action RPG
PvP: Duels, FFA, 2v2/3v3/5v5
Release Date: April 30, 2019
Pros: +A public demo and a transparent roadmap before crowdfunding. +Supports both online and offline characters. +Strong focus on narrative, worldbuilding, and varied locales.
Cons: -Core combat and presentation will feel familiar to longtime ARPG players.

OrbusVR

OrbusVR is a buy-to-play VR MMORPG that aims to deliver the full “living world” feel in virtual reality, with a persistent map spanning more than 10 square kilometers. Instead of treating VR as a camera gimmick, it leans into physical inputs for combat and crafting, then backs that up with open zones, instanced dungeons, and areas where PvP is enabled.

Publisher: Orbus Online
Type: VR MMORPG
Release Date: December 15, 2017
PvP: Arena, Zone-Specific PvP
Pros: +Distinctive magic built around rune drawing and execution. +Classes feel purposeful and mechanically different. +Co-op play is meaningfully rewarded.
Cons: -Character customization is fairly basic. -Interface can feel awkward in VR.

Monster Hunter: World

Monster Hunter: World is a third-person action RPG built around tracking, fighting, and either slaying or capturing huge creatures in sprawling hunting grounds. You can tackle quests alone or team up with up to four players for co-op hunts, which is where the series’ careful teamwork and role coverage really shines.

Publisher: Capcom
Playerbase: High
Type: Action RPG
PvP: 4 Player co-op
Release Date: January 26, 2018.
Pros: +First mainline Monster Hunter on PC. +Large, detailed hunting areas. +Smart quality of life upgrades. +Satisfyingly long boss-style encounters.
Cons: -Online grouping and matchmaking can be temperamental.

Valnir Rok

Valnir Rok is a 3D survival sandbox MMO with a Norse-inspired setting, built around harsh exploration, crafting, and the constant threat of other players. You begin as a castaway on Valnir Island and quickly learn that staying alive means balancing resources, shelter, and combat readiness at all times.

Publisher: encurio GmbH
Playerbase: Low
Type: Survival / Sandbox
PvP: Full loot, open
Release Date: September 27, 2017
Pros: +Fast, hands-on melee combat focus. +Multiple clans/factions to align with. +Robust building, from homes to larger settlements. +Survival loop paired with NPC towns and questing.
Cons: -Very small active community. -Questing and systems can be unreliable and buggy. -Unforgiving onboarding, takes time to learn. -Visuals and performance feel dated and uneven.