World of Warcraft
Games Like Runescape If You’re Looking for Something Similar
World of Warcraft, Blizzard’s iconic open world RPG, is a great game for fans of Runescape to try. It easily matches the game in terms of lore and storytelling, though it lacks some of Runescape’s hokey charm. Both games have seen incredible longevity since launch, with WoW coming up on 14 years old in 2018. The game has seen so many updates, expansions, and spin-offs that you could probably play the game for the rest of your life and never run out of stuff to do.
The game is primed to receive its seventh major expansion called Battle for Azeroth, which will add an increased level cap, new dungeons and raids, and new allied races. It looks set to be a great addition to an already fantastic game, though there’s plenty to keep you busy in the meantime.
Albion Online
Games Like Runescape If You’re Looking for Something Similar
Albion Online is a relatively new entry into the MMORPG genre. It places players into a medieval fantasy setting, featuring a player-driven economy and dynamic PvP battles. There are no classes to choose from in Albion Online, instead players build their own characters from scratch and specialize however they see fit. Nearly every item in the game is crafted by players, from resources collected while exploring the vast open world.
There are deep management mechanics too, with players able to conquer huge areas of land and convert them into farmland. They can then hire laborers to work the land, craft buildings for other players to use, or simply decorate a homestead. The game shares Runescape’s focus on player agency, so this should definitely appeal to its fans.
ArcheAge
Games Like Runescape If You’re Looking for Something Similar
ArcheAge comes from the same team that developed Lineage. It’s an interesting mix of open world RPG and strategy game, with a healthy dose of naval combat thrown in for good measure. There are huge sea monsters to fight, as well as other players. There’s a player-run court judicial system, which definitely makes player to player disputes a lot more interesting. Imprisoned players can either pay a fee to bail themselves out, or work off their sentence in prison. It places a huge level of responsibility in the laps of its players, similarly to how Runescape is run nowadays.
A huge part of the game is spent creating trade routes. These must then be maintained and defended against other players and can be drawn across both land and sea. ArcheAge is free to play at first, with expansions available to purchase later on.
Tibia
Games Like Runescape If You’re Looking for Something Similar
Tibia is one of the oldest MMORPGs there is. It first released in January of 1997, and still has an active community to this day. The game famously contains a door which could only be unlocked once a player reached level 999. In 2016, someone finally did and was transported to a new island in the game filled with NPCs. Tibia focuses almost entirely on PvP combat, and there are four different types available.
Despite there being plenty of shiny new MMORPGs on the market, Tibia still manages to draw in an impressive following. A mix of smart RPG mechanics and great PvP action has helped keep the game alive, making it a must-play for fans of the genre, and for those looking to see how a game like Runescape first came to be.
Neverwinter
Games Like Runescape If You’re Looking for Something Similar
A Dungeons & Dragons spin-off of sorts, Neverwinter is set in the fictional Forgotten Realms city of the same name. Players can choose from eight different D&D classes and form squads of five players. It’s more of a story-driven experience than other games in the genre, no doubt a product of its table-top beginnings. There’s a hefty campaign with 60 levels to play through, each one being great for solo players and teams alike.
The game just received an update called Lost City of Omu which adds, among other things, zombie dinosaurs which puke a toxic liquid which creates other zombies. Awesome. Combat is fast, adventures are rich and everything you love about D&D is here for you to enjoy.
Black Desert Online
Games Like Runescape If You’re Looking for Something Similar
Black Desert Online boasts huge castle sieges, dynamic weather systems, and a unique combat system. Aiming is manual, which is different from what you might find in other MMORPGs, with players stringing together frenetic combos and dodges. It’s more active, and definitely benefits as a result. The game is set to release on Xbox One as a console-exclusive, and will also be coming to mobile devices very soon.
There’s huge boss battles for players to take down, with everything from dragons to sea monsters cropping up throughout the world. Players can choose from 16 classes, each with its own distinct fighting style. Cooking, crafting, fishing, and trading are all possible. Oh, and also you can ride elephants.
Drakensang Online
Games Like Runescape If You’re Looking for Something Similar
Drakensang was hailed as the next generation of free browser-based MMOs when it launched. It features gorgeous 3D graphics with an emphasis on great lighting and shadow effects. There’s over 100 hours of content to explore, with an epic story and countless side quests. There’s four classes to choose from, Dragonknight, Ranger, Spellweaver and Steam Mechanicus. Players can build four different characters per server, offering up a huge variety of possible builds.
It’s a nice blend of Diablo and Runescape that is great at stealing away huge amounts of time from its players. The Medieval world is comprised of 11 areas currently, each with its own mix of races and dungeons.
Cabal Online
Games Like Runescape If You’re Looking for Something Similar
It’s amazing just how long the lives of many MMORPGs are, especially those released in the early to mid 2000s. This era gave birth to so many great games in the genre, with many being developed by South Korean teams. Cabal Online is a great example of this, having released in 2005 from team ESTsoft. The titular Cabal are a group of men who brought about the devastation of a world called Nevareth. The game’s simplicity lends itself to some great character-based combat, with eight classes to choose from.
The game’s item shop continues to receive regular updates, with an impassioned community buying and trading game resources and weapons. There are new mini-events released every month, tasking players with fighting off waves of monsters to protect different areas of the game. Cabal Online recently added a new dungeon, Forgotten Temple, which includes a new boss to fight, and a ton of new outfits to wear.