The best MMO games to play in January 2025

If you're looking to sink hours upon hours into a massive world filled with adventure, we have 11 of the best MMO games on Xbox right here for you.

The best MMO games to play in January 2025
Tom West

Tom West

Published

We've ranked 11 of the best MMO games on Xbox to help you decide which enormous world deserves your attention in 2025. Whether it’s a universe filled with swords and sorcery or a sci-fi romp across distant planets, there should be a massively multiplayer online game here to suit everyone's tastes. That is unless you're looking for something quick and easy — this is the wrong article for that, my friend!

We've added Amazon Games Orange County Studio's freshly reinvigorated New World: Aeternum to this list in our latest update.
Tom

Best MMO titles on Xbox to endlessly explore this year

When it comes to living a second life in a virtual world, no other genre offers the amount of content you find in MMOs (Massively Multiplayer Online games). Xbox offers a strong selection of MMOs to play if you fancy something meaty to work on in between clearing your backlog. The genre is notoriously time-demanding, with games tending to require hundreds, if not thousands, of hours to 'finish.'

While many of these games will demand a substantial time commitment, we've also included a couple of 'lighter' options (like TemTem) with a similar philosophy to the more 'heavy' MMO games (like Elder Scrolls Online). All these games will feature a large amount of playtime, huge worlds to explore, and many new players to meet along the way!

If you are ready to commit to one of these mighty monsters, the highly experienced Staff Writer Tom has led the charge alongside News Editor Sean and Features Editor Heidi to bring you our top picks. Using a combination of their collective experiences and opinions, site review scores, and community ratings, we think we've got a strong selection of the best MMO games on Xbox for you!

11. New World: Aeternum

Having released on Xbox Series X|S in 2024, New World: Aeternum is one of the newest games on this list. Like some other titles here, New World launched with its fair share of issues in 2021, but Amazon has worked to iron out the creases in the years since. That work culminated in the Aeternum update, which saw the game head to consoles alongside its PC counterpart in 2024.

Set during the 17th century, you play as a shipwreck survivor who washes ashore on the mysterious island of Aeternum. You set out on an adventure to uncover the island's secrets, helping its locals, battling your way through PvE and PvP opponents, crafting all manner of gear, and mastering the riding skill to control horses, wolves, and even lions.

Whether you prefer a bit of magic, swordplay, or the devastating power of firearms, New World: Aeternum has a little something for everyone, all wrapped up in a huge, gorgeous world filled with adventure.

10. DC Universe Online

If you've ever dreamed of running around the streets tightly squeezed into spandex but lack the real-world courage to pull it off, DC Universe Online might be for you. Here, everyone wears spandex, and they wear it proudly while defeating bad guys in MMO-style gameplay.

The game is a charming glimpse into the superhero lifestyle. It allows you to create a crime-fighting badass by picking and choosing their superpowers. It's free to download and play but if you want to get the most out of the game you'll need to pay for the privilege.

If you fancy meeting up with the likes of Superman and the Joker, paying for the privilege might be worth your time, and the achievements aren't too bad to work through either, well, if you don't mind playing through it multiple times with different characters — oh, and you don't need to play as a snooty hero either, so go ahead, create the ultimate supervillain if you fancy.

9. Star Trek Online

Star Trek Online is a tough one; it's a fantastic addition to the franchise and fans are sure to find a ton to like about it, but those outside of the fanbase will more than likely struggle to remain overly engaged for a long period.

Space travel and planet exploration play a major part here, with epic starship battles with Klingon adversaries. It nods to the Star Trek universe at every available opportunity, the customization options available give the whole experience a familiar but personal feel, and the lore is a 'Trekkie's' ultimate gift.

It's free to start and the Star Trek Online achievements are on the lower end of the expected MMO grind-fest, so it could be worth a look if it interests you.

8. Neverwinter

  • Enter the Forgotten realms for the Neverwinter achievements
  • Release date: March 31, 2015
  • Developer: Cryptic Studios
  • On Game Pass? No
Dungeons & Dragons has been a game enjoyed for decades, so it stands to reason that an MMO adaption would be a success. The game itself is beginning to show its age now, but much like other aging MMOs that have built a strong player base, the devs are constantly adding new content.

It's completely free to start and offers you a fantastic entry point if you're only just thinking of dipping your toes into the genre. Swords, sorcery, dragons, and everything else that makes the D&D universe so appealing is front and center in the game design, and it's filled to the gunnel with lore, familiar characters, and the thrill of defeating powerful enemies with your friends.

There are a ridiculous number of Neverwinter achievements to work through — some of which are now discontinued — so don't start without preparing yourself for an extreme time commitment.

7. Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis

Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis is another free-to-play MMO-esque game, with gameplay similar to the Monster Hunter series. Once you've created your character you're thrust into an online world for up to 32 players to tackle plenty of big beasties in exchange for loot.

Unlike MMOs in general, which include tons of single-player content, PSO2's base missions are designed for a small party of players to tackle, with Emergency Quests appearing throughout the day with monsters strong enough to stand their own against groups of eight players.

Playing Phantasy Star Online 2 as a free player makes it quite a grind-fest when attempting to level yourself up for new weapons, so you may find yourself feeling inclined to pick up paid content for a boost. Nevertheless, it's a ton of fun and perfect to scratch that mass-multiplayer itch without committing to a full MMO.

6. Temtem

  • Get creature collecting for the Temtem achievements
  • Release date: September 6, 2022
  • Developer: Crema
  • On Game Pass? No
Pokemon-style creature collecting? Yes. An MMO? Not exactly. Great fun nonetheless? Definitely. Temtem has been a topic of contention since it launched with an MMO label in 2022 — Crema has since clarified that it's an MMO-lite, and since we think it has a lot of similarities to some of the other games on this list, onto the list it goes!

If you like cutesy visuals, even cuter creatures to capture as you explore the world with other players, and a large game to sink some time into without committing your life to a conventional MMO, Temtem is likely just what you need — although that MMO-lite tag means you'll need to buy the game outright for the privilege.

Crema has removed microtransactions and Seasons, as the team is winding down development on Temtem. If you're a fan of the game already, we have the displeasure of letting you know that we likely won't be getting a Temtem 2.

5. Elite: Dangerous

Huge is the most relevant word here, both in-game size and the Elite: Dangerous achievements, of which there are 225. The monstrous game allows those interested in space exploration a chance to partake in a classic space simulator experience within a fully explorable galaxy.

The gameplay mechanics are pretty robust, so this won't appeal to everyone, but players with an interest in this kind of thing will find a very satisfying experience for sure. It's a big time investment for sure, but once you've paid for the initial game, you're free to play without needing a subscription, which makes it the perfect game to have on the go between completions.

Elite: Dangerous offers an out-of-this-world experience, and once you've traveled through the star-studded expanse of space for the first time, you'll find it difficult to put down. Be warned, though, that developer Frontier Developments is no longer supporting the console version of Elite Dangerous, so you won't see any new content in the future.

4. Warframe

  • Become an unstoppable warrior for the Warframe achievements
  • Release date: September 2, 2014
  • Developer: Digital Extremes
  • On Game Pass? No
Anyone who has played Bungie's Destiny games will feel fairly comfortable in the world of Warframe, which sports much of the same sci-fi elements as Destiny does and is also free-to-play.

It offers a rewarding learning curve and a world filled with lore, which has earned it a fairly hardcore fanbase. There is a ton of content on offer, with expansions and updates rolling out regularly, along with events and other MMO-style goodies.

The list of Warframe achievements is a lot smaller than some of the other games on this list, but the time needed to work your way through its entirety remains just as much of a commitment.

3. Sea of Thieves

  • Set sail for the Sea of Thieves achievements
  • Release date: March 20, 2018
  • Developer: Rare
  • On Game Pass? Yes, via Game Pass Standard, Ultimate, and PC
While not exactly an authentic MMO, Sea of Thieves still offers a large world that can be shared with a ton of players and is the ultimate wannabe pirate experience if you've got a group of friends ready to hoist the sails and hunt for some booty. Rare keeps this beast brimming with content regularly to ensure you've always got a new adventure to tackle.

Hopeful scallywags beware, though, because the Sea of Thieves achievements are probably the game's most challenging feature, especially as completion is no longer possible due to a host of discontinued achievements.

If that doesn't turn you off and you still want to get a piece of the action, you'll find a beautifully crafted world with no real objective aside from the promise of freedom. Ship-on-ship warfare, skeleton foes, treasure, Captain Jack Sparrow, the Kraken, and a ridiculous number of other things await you in Sea of Thieves.

It's free to play once you've made the initial game purchase or downloaded it from Xbox Game Pass, and the regular content updates don't cost you a thing, so keep your gold for yourself. Solo or with some friends, we'll see you on the open sea…

2. Final Fantasy XIV

  • Release date: February 21, 2024
  • Developer: Square Enix
  • On Game Pass? No
While Final Fantasy 14 is over a decade old at this point, it's one of the newest Xbox releases on this list, having launched on Xbox Series X|S in 2024, picking up a TA rating of 4.6.

It's widely considered a fantastic MMO, and much like The Elder Scrolls Online, Final Fantasy 14 is part of a franchise with a plethora of games but doesn't require any knowledge of the series if you fancy giving it a shot.

You play as a Warrior of Light exploring the vast lands of Eaorzea, taking down the forces of darkness in true MMO fashion via quests, group content, and more. Plus, with the addition of house-buying, mini-games, mahjong, and other fun side activities, you can easily lose many hours to this game.

1. The Elder Scrolls Online

  • Adventure across Tamriel for The Elder Scrolls Online achievements
  • Release date: June 9, 2015
  • Developer: ZeniMax Online Studios
  • On Game Pass? Yes, via Game Pass Core, Standard, and Ultimate
It's no secret that The Elder Scrolls Online had a bumpy start. But, after more expansions than you can shake a stick at, consistent support, and ZeniMax's decision to offer an optional subscription has made the game a success across all platforms.

It's now got tons of single-player content to explore filled with Elder Scrolls lore, as well as group and PvP content. There's so much to do when not adventuring across Tamriel, like mastering the Tales of Tribute card game, crafting your own skills with Scribing, uncovering lost treasures with the Antiquities system, fishing, house customization, and endless amounts more. Whatever mood you're in, ESO probably has something for you.

ZeniMax is also taking a different approach to new content in 2025. It's dropping its rollout of annual expansions in favor of themed seasons that will introduce new quests, gear, and other permanent content on a regular basis. It's an exciting time for The Elder Scrolls Online players, and a great time to dive in and check things out for yourself.

The base game (which is huge) is completely free to play once you've bought the game or downloaded it from Xbox Game Pass, and there is an optional subscription available for players who want to access almost everything the game has to offer. The Elder Scrolls Online has really fought hard to earn it's place as the best MMO available on Xbox.

Would you rather explore a slightly smaller game with a similar level of freedom? Take a look at our list of the best Xbox open-world games. As for the best MMOs, do you agree with our list, or do you have a favorite you'd like to recommend to the community? Drop a comment below and let us know!
Written by Tom West
Tom has been playing video games since he was old enough to hold a controller, experimenting with a number of systems until he eventually fell in love with Xbox. With a passion for the platform, he decided to make a career out of it, and now happily spends his days writing about that which he loves. If he’s not hunting for Xbox achievements, you’ll likely find him somewhere in The Elder Scrolls Online or fighting for survival in Battlefield.
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