Some of the best roleplaying games for the PC over the last few years have come in the form of the MMORPG, massive multiplayer online roleplaying games. These games come in both a pay-to-play format and free format. Some of the best pay-to-play MMORPGs that are currently available online are listed below.
World of Warcraft – Definitely the top dog when it comes to MMORPGs. World of Warcraft has well over ten million subscribers and continues to grow everyday. This fantasy-based MMORPG broke the mold and has pushed the standard ahead for online role-playing games.
Lord of the Rings Online – Considered to be one of the more popular MMORPGs for casual gamers. Lord of the Rings Online has garnered impressive numbers and reviews after only being out for a few years. There is plenty of solo content and the game has a lot of mainstream appeal.
Eve Online – This game is played on one “shard” or game server. Everyone that plays Eve Online exists in the same world together. It is known as one of the biggest time sinks of all the MMORPGs. It takes an incredible amount of time to be competitive and join the game world, but it also has one of the most storied histories in the industry.
Final Fantasy XI – The flagship MMORPG of the Final Fantasy series. FFXI is an extremely group based online game that has been around for several years now. Although the subscriber base has stopped growing as it once did, it still has a solid following in both Japan and the United States. The game has released multiple successful expansions and is still doing quite well.
Warhammer Online – The biggest PvP-based game on this list. Warhammer Online failed to debut as highly as it was anticipated, but the game’s subscriber base has leveled off and its initial growing pains have subsided. The game wasn’t the World of Warcraft “killer” that it was supposed to be, but has still garnered quite a solid reputation and fan support.
City of Heroes / City of Villains – The original superheroes MMORPG. City of Heroes and City of Villains will soon see competition in the superhero RPG market from Champions Online and DC Universe Online. It remains to be seen whether the game will continue to do as well as it has, or fade off into the sunset.
There are many other great pay-to-play MMORPGs available online. Some of these additional games include, Everquest 1, Everquest 2, Dark Age of Camelot, Age of Conan, Lineage 2, Anarchy Online, Asheron’s Call, and many more. Some of these are older games, and some are quite new. But many more great MMORPGs are on the horizon. Especially look for Star Wars: The Old Republic coming in 2010.
Eric McCormick writes about the Best Online RPG Games For PC and Cool RPG Games.