Watchlist
Online Worlds Worth Watching
This is the widest view of our watchlist: every online world we are currently tracking, across MMORPGs, sandbox worlds, survival sandboxes and persistent social experiments. If a project might become a place worth gathering around, it belongs here.
Each world links to a full profile. We track signal, not hype, and we say so when something is uncertain.
Worlds currently on our watchlist
Spawn World
Sandbox MMORPG · Pandora Toolbox
A sandbox MMORPG from Pandora Toolbox, listed on Steam as coming soon to Early Access. Steam copy emphasises player-defined roles, open-world full-loot PvP, settlements, and a player-driven economy.
Soulframe
Action MMO · Digital Extremes
A fantasy action MMO from Digital Extremes (Warframe studio) emphasizing exploration, melee combat, and a more intimate social world structure.
Optional Pvp
Solo Friendly
Action Combat
No Player Loot
Ashes of Creation
Sandbox MMORPG · Intrepid Studios
The Kickstarter-era sandbox MMORPG from Intrepid Studios — entered Steam Early Access in late 2025, then shut down within weeks amid mass layoffs, unpaid staff, and ongoing litigation over studio finances.
Open World Pvp
Group Focused
Tab Target
Partial Loot
Stars Reach
Sandbox MMORPG · Playable Worlds
A science-fantasy sandbox MMORPG from Raph Koster and Playable Worlds, entering Steam Early Access in summer 2026. Players explore, terraform, and settle a classless, persistent galaxy.
Open World Pvp
Sandbox Pve
Action Combat
Partial Loot
BitCraft Online
Sandbox MMORPG · Clockwork Labs
A single-world sandbox MMORPG from Clockwork Labs with deep crafting, settlement building, and a persistent shared economy. In Early Access since June 2025; 100,000 copies sold.
Optional Pvp
Sandbox Pve
Action Combat
No Player Loot
Light No Fire
Survival Sandbox · Hello Games
A multiplayer survival sandbox set on a fantasy planet the size of Earth, from Hello Games. No release date announced; development ongoing, expected after 2026.
Optional Pvp
Survival Pve
Action Combat
No Player Loot
SEED
Society Simulator MMO · Klang Games
A persistent society simulator MMO from Klang Games where every character is player-owned and the world runs continuously. Early Access launches July 21, 2026.
Sandbox Pve
Full Player Economy
Pax Dei
Social Sandbox MMO · Mainframe Industries
A social sandbox MMO from Mainframe Industries set in a myth-grounded medieval Europe where players build homesteads, craft reputations, and navigate PvP tension.
Optional Pvp
Sandbox Pve
Action Combat
Partial Loot
EVE Frontier
Sci-Fi Survival MMO · CCP Games
A hardcore space survival MMO from CCP Games building on the EVE lineage: player-driven economies, seasonal Cycles, and deep integration with the Sui blockchain.
Open World Pvp
Survival Pve
Action Combat
Inventory Loot
Corepunk
Action MMO · Artificial Core
A post-apocalyptic MMO with MOBA-inspired combat, faction warfare, and a distinctive art direction from Artificial Core.
Faction Pvp
Group Focused
Action Combat
No Player Loot
ArcheAge Chronicles
Action MMORPG · XL Games
The spiritual successor to ArcheAge, developed by XL Games and published by Kakao Games. Targeting a Q4 2026 global release on PC and consoles.
Open World Pvp
Group Focused
Action Combat
Partial Loot
Chrono Odyssey
Action MMORPG · Chrono Studio (NPIXEL)
A visually ambitious action MMORPG from Chrono Studio, published by Kakao Games. Originally targeting 2025, now pushed to Q1 2027 after mixed beta feedback drove extensive reworks.
Optional Pvp
Raid Focused
Action Combat
No Player Loot
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen
MMORPG · Visionary Realms
A group-focused MMORPG from Visionary Realms deliberately built in the spirit of classic EverQuest — slow progression, dangerous worlds, and social dependency.
Optional Pvp
Group Focused
Tab Target
No Player Loot
Dune: Awakening
Survival / Open-World MMO · Funcom
A large-scale multiplayer survival RPG set on Arrakis by Funcom. Launched on PC June 10, 2025. Console (PS5, Xbox) September 22, 2026. The survival sandbox that bridged genres.
Faction Pvp
Survival Pve
Action Combat
Durability Loss
Monsters & Memories
Classic MMORPG · Niche Worlds Cult
A subscription-based indie MMORPG deliberately built in the EverQuest era mould: slow progression, group reliance, dangerous zones, no hand-holding. Early Access launches October 1, 2026.
Realm Vs Realm
Group Focused
Tab Target
No Player Loot
Camelot Unchained
RvR MMORPG · Unchained Entertainment
A realm-versus-realm MMORPG Kickstarted in 2013 and aimed at Dark Age of Camelot veterans. Steam Early Access launched June 2, 2026 to mostly negative reviews and a near-empty world. December 2026 full release remains the stated target.
Realm Vs Realm
Group Focused
Tab Target
No Player Loot
What we mean by an online world
An online world is a persistent, shared space where players build identity, relationships and memory over time, rather than a session-based game they drop in and out of. The genre label matters less than whether the place can hold a community.
Why a single watchlist
Discovery has scattered across feeds and storefronts. A single, curated watchtower view makes it possible to see the whole horizon at once and to compare very different projects by the one question that matters: is this a world worth gathering around?
Frequently asked questions
- What online worlds are worth watching right now?
- The worlds on this page are the ones currently on our watchlist. They span upcoming MMORPGs, sandbox MMOs and persistent survival worlds. We track each for its potential to become a durable social place, and explain our current read in every profile.
- How is this different from a normal upcoming-games list?
- We are not tracking everything coming out. We track worlds that show signs of worldness: persistence, interdependence, shared memory and social consequence. Many hyped releases never appear here because the world is only a backdrop for matchmaking.