THE OLD QUARTERborn before the coronation · 33 stones
1986 — 1988 · 2 yearsLucasfilm Games · Quantum Link · social MMO / virtual world
CauseThe service proved too costly to be viable and closed at the end of the pilot run
NoteRan on Commodore 64 via Quantum Link as a pilot; later shrunk into Club Caribe. Source code released 2016, fan revival NeoHabitat.
One of the first graphical online worlds. Avatars could steal, barter and die.
Mar 1991 — 19 Jul 1997 · 6 yearsBeyond Software · Strategic Simulations · MMORPG
Peak115,000 players near the end; about 2,000 at prime time (Wikipedia)
CauseNot stated; AOL closed it and did not move it to its new World Play service.
NoteGraphical Forgotten Realms MMORPG run on America Online.
AOL's graphical Forgotten Realms, closed after six years.
2 Oct 1996 — 1999 · 3 yearsStrategic Simulations · Strategic Simulations / Total Entertainment Network · MMORPG
PeakClose to one million player hours, 1996 to Dec 1997 (Wikipedia, citing TEN)
CauseTEN was dismantled in 1998 and the game lacked the userbase and engine to attract another publisher (claim unsourced on Wikipedia).
NoteEarly AD&D licensed online RPG on the TEN service.
An early Athas for the internet, it outlived its network by about a year.
1992 — 31 Dec 1999 · 7 yearsNovaLink · MUD
CauseNot stated
NoteText-based commercial multiplayer game.
A text world that kept running until the last day of the millennium.
16 Apr 1998 — 2000 · 2 yearsMythic Entertainment / Kesmai · Fox Interactive · MMOFPS
CauseOnline play ended after the GameStorm network was sold to Electronic Arts.
NoteRan on the GameStorm network.
Marines and xenomorphs hunted each other online until the network itself was sold.
15 Dec 1985 — 2000 · 15 yearsKesmai · CompuServe · MUD / early MMORPG
PeakUp to 100 simultaneous players (Wikipedia)
CauseElectronic Arts bought Kesmai in 1999 and closed the business in 2000
NoteLaunch date per co-creator Kelton Flinn's recollection. EA bought Kesmai in 1999 and announced shutdown of most Kesmai games in May 2000.
Cost $6 an hour at 300 baud. Processed one command every ten seconds.
24 Sep 2002 — 22 Sep 2004 · 2 yearsWestwood Studios · Electronic Arts · MMORPG (space)
CauseTwo years, almost to the day. Gone two months before the coronation.
BelowNet-7 (the Earth & Beyond Emulator) · back since ·
the door ↓ It never saw him coming.
1990 — 2007 · 17 yearsAdventures Unlimited Software Inc. · GEnie / AOL / Mythic Realms · MUD / text MMO
CauseMythic dropped it in 2006; the volunteer-run server went offline about a year later after a lightning storm damaged the equipment.
NoteOpened on GEnie in spring 1990; later run as a free game by Darrin Hyrup.
Seventeen years of text adventure, finished off by a lightning storm.
17 Dec 2002 — 1 Aug 2008 · 6 yearsMaxis · Electronic Arts · social MMO / virtual world
Peak~105,000 subscribers at peak in 2003 (Wikipedia, citing Bruce Woodcock / MMOGChart)
CauseRenamed EA-Land in its final months. Closed anyway.
NoteRebranded free-to-play as EA-Land in 2008, then closed weeks later; fan reimplementation FreeSO ran 2017-2024 with EA approval
BelowFreeSO · came back, and closed again ·
the door ↓ Sul sul.
Aug 2004 — 9 Nov 2008 · 4 yearsCCR · Codemasters Online Gaming (NA/EU 2006-2008); CCR International; later GamesCampus (NA relaunch) · MMORPG (sci-fi)
CauseCodemasters licence expiration
NoteCodemasters' NA/EU service closed 9 Nov 2008 on licence expiry; CCR later self-hosted and GamesCampus relaunched a NA service in 2012; the game continues in Asia
BelowRF Altruism (and many others) · back since ·
the door ↓ Codemasters' Western RF Online lasted under three years.
25 Mar 2003 — 1 Jul 2009 · 6 yearsWolfpack Studios (2003-2006) / Stray Bullet Games (2006-2009) · Ubisoft · MMORPG (PvP)
PeakSold over 120,000 units by end of March 2003 (Wikipedia, citing Multiplayer.it)
CausePlayer-run cities, player-run wars. The last war was with the login server.
NoteNorth American (Ubisoft) service closed 1 Jul 2009; Changyou acquired the IP in 2012 and a Chinese service ran until 28 May 2024 per Wikipedia
BelowShadowbane Emulator (SBEmu, "Magicbane") · World of Shadowbane (Changyou) · back since ·
the door ↓ Here lies a world that let you burn it down.
2 Jun 2003 — Aug 2009 · 6 yearsMnemosyne LLC / CyberWarrior Inc. · Mnemosyne LLC · MMORPG
CauseLow subscription rates from launch; survived on donations after 2004 and closed in August 2009
A small-studio MMO that nearly died in 2003 and finally closed in 2009.
2004 — 30 Apr 2010 · 6 yearsGigasSoft (later Alt1) / BEGA Games · Aeria Games (English) · MMORPG (martial arts PvP)
CauseNot stated on Wikipedia
NoteDied = Aeria Games' English service closure; status of the Korean original not confirmed on Wikipedia; succeeded by Twelve Sky 2
Aeria's faction-war import, retired for its sequel in 2010.
21 Aug 2002 — 28 Jul 2010 · 8 yearsNicely Crafted Entertainment · Oxygen Games (EU), Strategy First (NA) · MMORTS
CauseNot stated
A strategy war that ran for eight years and then simply stopped.
3 Sep 1998 — 29 Jun 2011 · 13 yearsNCsoft · MMORPG
PeakMore than 3,000,000 subscribers at one point (Wikipedia, citing MMOGChart); just under 1,000,000 active subscriptions as of April 2008 (NCsoft earnings release)
CausePoor subscription revenue in the West (Wikipedia, uncited)
NoteWestern (North American) servers closed 29 Jun 2011; the game remains live in South Korea
Korea's first MMO giant; its North American servers closed in 2011.
Oct 2004 — Feb 2012 · 8 yearsWeMade Entertainment · WeMade Entertainment / Shanda and others · MMORPG
PeakPeak 750,000 concurrent users; 120 million registered (Wikipedia)
CauseNot stated
NoteSequel to Legend of Mir 2.
Guinness counted 750,000 online at once. Closed in 2012.
1999 — Mar 2012 · 13 yearsHarmless Games LLC · Brainscan Interactive; acquired by Sony Online Entertainment (2000) · 2D MMO shooter
CauseNot stated; SOE took the game offline at the end of March 2012
NoteCommunity relaunched it independently as Free Infantry after SOE's shutdown
SubSpace's spiritual successor, dropped by SOE in 2012.
11 Feb 2003 — 29 Mar 2012 · 9 yearsSony Online Entertainment · Sony Online Entertainment (NA) / Sony Computer Entertainment (PAL) · MMORPG (console, PS2)
CauseClosed by SOE in 2012 ('It's Time to Bid a Fond Farewell'); no reason recorded on Wikipedia
BelowProject: Return Home · being built ·
the door ↓ The PlayStation 2's EverQuest, retired after nine years.
2002 — Apr 2012 · 10 yearsSebastian Lagemann, Nils Mitoussis · Gamigo, Gameforge, Mediatainment · browser MMO strategy
CauseNot stated
NoteGerman browser space strategy game.
A ten-year browser war that ended in April 2012.
26 Sep 2001 — 30 Apr 2012 · 11 yearsNetDevil · 3DO · MMORPG (space sim)
CauseNot stated
NoteEuropean publisher Mightygames dropped support June 1, 2005; accounts merged into one Worldwide Server.
Pilots traded, mined and fought for Octavius, Quantar and Solrain. Last server off in 2012.
2001 — 14 May 2012 · 11 yearsWeMade Entertainment / ActozSoft · Gamepot (NA) / Game Network (EU) · MMORPG
PeakOver 250,000 simultaneous users in China (Wikipedia)
CauseNot stated; EU publisher cited subscription revenue falling from 178,000 to 32,000 euros a year
NoteWestern services only: Europe closed March 31, 2009 after 8 years; North America closed May 14, 2012. Game continues in Asia.
China's biggest MMO of 2002. The West let it go twice.
17 Feb 2003 — 24 Feb 2013 · 10 yearsI.O. Entertainment · HanbitSoft · MMORPG
CauseNot stated
NoteInternational servers closed 2004-10-31; Malaysian English servers 2007-03-31; Korean server last to close.
A 2D action world that outlived its own international servers by nine years.
2 Jun 2003 — 19 Sep 2013 · 10 yearsDisney's Virtual Reality Studio / Schell Games · The Walt Disney Company (Disney Online) · kids MMORPG
CauseDisney closed it to focus on other things. The Cogs won.
NoteFan revival Toontown Rewritten is unofficial
BelowToontown Rewritten · Toontown: Corporate Clash · back since 2013 ·
the door ↓ The kids who played here are thirty now.
10 Apr 2003 — 28 Jan 2014 · 11 yearsNtreev Soft · Ntreev Soft (KR, NA); Gamepot; Gamigo; others · MMORPG (2D anime)
CauseNot stated on Wikipedia
NoteNorth American English service 23 Feb 2007 - 27 Feb 2013; Korea closed 18 Jan 2014; last official server (Japan) closed 28 Jan 2014
All official Trickster servers were gone by 28 January 2014.
Dec 1998 — Dec 2015 · 17 yearsVibes Online Gaming; later O2 Online Entertainment, Quantex · Cryo Interactive; later O2 Online Entertainment · MMORTS
PeakBarely 3,000 active accounts in May 2003, per an O2OE spokesman (Wikipedia)
CauseNot stated
NoteOfficial claims of 145,000 to 200,000 players likely counted inactive and trial accounts.
A real-time strategy galaxy that ran for seventeen years.
20 May 2003 — 1 Jul 2016 · 13 yearsSony Online Entertainment · Sony Online Entertainment / Daybreak Game Company · MMOFPS
PeakGuinness World Record for most players in an online FPS battle (Wikipedia, citing Game Rant / PC Gamer)
CauseNot stated on Wikipedia; closed by Daybreak
The first MMOFPS, retired after thirteen years in 2016.
2 Nov 1999 — 31 Jan 2017 · 18 yearsTurbine Entertainment Software · Microsoft (1999-2004) / Turbine (2004-2010) / Warner Bros. Interactive (2010-2017) · MMORPG
Peak~120,000 accounts at peak in early 2002 (Wikipedia, citing MMOGChart)
CauseOlder than the Old King. EverQuest's sibling. The players tried to buy it, to keep it alive. They couldn't.
BelowACEmulator (ACE) · GDLEnhanced · back since 2018 ·
the door ↓ Servers went down at noon. On a Tuesday.
31 Aug 2002 — 25 May 2018 · 16 yearsGravity · MMORPG
CauseNot explicitly stated; closed the day the EU's GDPR took effect.
NoteRegional: European service closed (CIS excluded); the game continues in Korea, North America and elsewhere. Launch date is Korea.
Europe's Poring fields closed the day GDPR arrived.
4 Jan 2001 — 6 Aug 2018 · 17 yearsJagex (Andrew and Paul Gower) · Jagex · MMORPG (legacy version)
CauseAccumulating bugs and an engine incompatible with modern support tools
NoteRuneScape (2004 engine onward) remains live; only the 2001 Classic servers closed
BelowOpen RSC (and the older private-server scene) · back since 2018 ·
the door ↓ The original 2001 RuneScape, kept online for members until 2018.
10 Jan 1988 — 1 Oct 2018 · 30 yearsInteractive Broadcasting (IBGames) · Compunet / GEnie / AOL / independent · MUD / text MMO
CauseOfficial servers closed after 30 years; no specific reason given.
NoteOfficial servers closed in 2018; a volunteer Community Edition preserves the codebase.
A text-based space trading empire that ran for thirty years.
20 Apr 2004 — 30 Jun 2021 · 17 yearsMin Communications · GameSamba (North America) · MMORPG
CauseNot stated
NoteOfficial closure announced 2019-08-12; Wavegame's Southeast Asian New RAN Online shut 2021-06-30. Private servers since.
Campus brawls of the Philippines, closed for good in 2021.
Jan 2004 — 3 May 2023 · 19 yearsNDOORS Corporation · Valofe · MMORPG
CauseNot stated
NoteReleased in Korea as GoonZu in January 2004; later handed to Valofe. Ended with farewell events.
A political sandbox that ran nineteen years.
2004 — 30 Apr 2024 · 20 yearsNtreev Soft · GameFactory, SG Interactive, Gamepot and others (regional) · MMO sports (golf)
CauseNot stated
NoteNorth America closed 2016-12-12; Korea 2016; Japan 2017; Thailand was the last official server.
The last official tee time was in Thailand.
SHADOW ROWborn and buried in his reign · 74 stones
2 May 2006 — Sep 2006 · under a yearRunestone Game Development · MMORPG (sci-fi, non-combat)
CauseRunestone failed to secure a publisher partnership, ran out of money and filed for bankruptcy in Aarhus
A Danish MMO without combat; bankrupt five months after launch.
13 Apr 2006 — 31 Aug 2007 · 1 yearNetDevil · NCsoft · MMORPG (vehicular)
CauseSixteen months. Cars with guns in an MMO. The world was not ready, and did not get ready.
Belowan emulator, stalled · being built ·
the door ↓ Floor it.
2006 — 15 Dec 2007 · 1 yearDimps · MMORPG
CauseNot stated
NoteJapanese service; went offline at 10:00 JST.
Went offline at 10:00 JST, 15 December 2007.
26 May 2006 — 26 Dec 2007 · 1 yearMasangSoft · gPotato (Gravity) · MMO space shooter
CauseNot stated
NoteRegional closure: North American service ended; the game continued as Ace Online / AirRivals elsewhere.
The cowboys rode out of North America after 19 months.
5 Jun 2006 — 2008 · 2 yearsNPCube · Farlan Entertainment · MMORPG
CauseServers went offline in 2008 without an official announcement, ostensibly amid litigation with VWORLD
Promised 15,000 square miles; faded offline in 2008 without a word.
16 Oct 2007 — Oct 2008 · 1 yearAuran · Gamecock Media Group · MMO PvP arena RPG
CauseAuran laid off all staff within two months of launch; servers closed before a rescue plan could be implemented
An Australian PvP MMO that outlived its own studio by less than a year.
8 Jul 2008 — 31 Dec 2008 · under a yearGoogle · social MMO / virtual world
PeakUp to 20 people per room (Wikipedia)
CauseGoogle chose to focus resources on its core search, ads and apps business
NoteBrowser-embeddable 3D chat rooms; a Google 20 percent project.
Google's virtual world. It lived four and a half months.
31 Oct 2007 — 31 Jan 2009 · 2 yearsFlagship Studios · Namco Bandai Games / Electronic Arts · online action RPG with persistent hubs
PeakSold almost one million copies (Wikipedia, citing Edge)
CauseLaunched on Halloween. Flagship Studios folded within the year. It came back later, elsewhere, as something smaller.
NoteNA/EU servers went dark at 00:00 CST 1 Feb 2009 (announced for 31 Jan 2009). HanbitSoft relaunched it in South Korea (free-to-play by 2011); T3Fun's English 'Hellgate Global' ran until Jan 2016; 2018 Steam re-release is single-player
Resurrected. Briefly. Not here.
30 Dec 2006 — 3 Jun 2009 · 3 yearsNetgame (MGAME USA) · MGame / Netgame · MMORPG
CauseUS service was not producing enough revenue
NoteUS service closure; most regions also closed. Re-released in Korea as Soul Saver Online in 2012, which continues there.
A side-scrolling ghost world. The US servers became ghosts in 2009.
2007 — 3 Jun 2009 · 2 yearsMGame USA · MMORPG
CauseNot producing enough revenue
NoteClosed in the US alongside Ghost Online and Holic Online. Launch year from Wikipedia's MMORPG list.
Shut down the same day as two siblings.
22 Mar 2005 — 31 Jul 2009 · 4 yearsMonolith Productions (later Sony Online Entertainment) · Sega / Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment; sold to Sony Online Entertainment in June 2005 · MMORPG
PeakFewer than 500 active players at closure (Wikipedia, citing Polygon, 2013); 43,000 US copies sold through April 2005 (Variety)
CauseYou could be in the Matrix. By the end, fewer than five hundred people were in the Matrix.
BelowMXOEmu · Hardline Dreams · being built ·
the door ↓ I like to think they all knew each other. By name.
4 Aug 2005 — 8 Nov 2009 · 4 yearsGoPets Ltd. · social MMO / virtual world
CauseSold to Zynga in November 2009 and immediately closed to make way for PetVille
NoteSeoul-based virtual pet community; spawned a Konami DS game.
Bought on a Friday, closed for a Facebook farm of pets.
2006 — 2010 · 4 yearsGravity · MMORPG
CauseDiscontinued due to poor reception.
NoteEntered beta testing in 2006; replaced by Legend of the Second in 2013.
The first sequel, discontinued and rebuilt from scratch.
May 2007 — 1 Jan 2010 · 3 yearsNCsoft (Austin) · NCsoft · MMORPG (action, comedic)
Cause'The game just isn't profitable' (Stephen Nichols); NCsoft refocused on big-budget MMOs
NCsoft's free-to-play loot parody, switched off on New Year's Day 2010.
29 Feb 2008 — 19 Jul 2010 · 2 yearsKoei · MMORPG
CauseNot stated
NoteJapan release; persistent Three Kingdoms world.
The Three Kingdoms fell again, this time in under two and a half years.
27 Nov 2008 — Aug 2010 · 2 yearsSpellborn International · Frogster Interactive / Mindscape (EU) / Acclaim Games (NA) · MMORPG
CauseDeveloper bankrupt June 2009; Acclaim's planned free-to-play relaunch never shipped; servers closed August 2010
BelowSpellborn Reborn · back since 2019 ·
the door ↓ A Dutch MMO with a cult following, bankrupt seven months after launch.
4 Dec 2007 — 1 Sep 2010 · 3 yearsNCsoft (E&G Studios) · NCsoft · MMO third-person mech shooter
CauseLack of financially stable income (Wikipedia, uncited); all international servers permanently shut down
NCsoft's mech shooter; all servers off 1 September 2010.
12 Sep 2007 — 5 Oct 2010 · 3 yearsNChannel · Gala-net (gPotato) · MMO racing
CauseClosed due to expiration of the licensing agreement.
The license expired before the cars did.
Nov 2007 — 31 Dec 2010 · 3 yearsRocket Paper Scissors, LLC · social MMO / virtual world
PeakOver 400,000 monthly global visitors (Wikipedia)
CauseNot stated
NoteChildren's virtual world with quests; reportedly lingered in the US until Jan 12, 2011.
A treehouse world for kids that closed on New Year's Eve.
14 Jul 2006 — Jan 2011 · 5 yearsRedBedlam · MMORPG (historical)
CauseRedBedlam shut the game down in January 2011 without prior announcement; no reason recorded on Wikipedia
Roman Britain, built in Brighton; closed without warning in 2011.
Aug 2009 — 15 Mar 2011 · 2 yearsBig Fish Games · browser MMO (casual, creature-raising)
Cause'Unsustainable use of resources to maintain the game' (Big Fish, Feb 2011)
Big Fish's gentle browser MMO, closed after nineteen months.
10 May 2005 — 29 Mar 2011 · 6 yearsNTIX Soft · GungHo · MMORPG
CauseNot stated
NoteKorea closed 2007-02-27, Japan 2010-05, Thailand 2011-03-29.
Began as an episodic school game, ended as a closed one.
1 Apr 2009 — 31 May 2011 · 2 yearsJolt Online Gaming · browser MMO
CauseNot stated; Jolt killed it without warning
NoteBrowser game set in the Zork universe.
Launched on April Fools' Day. Eaten by a grue without notice.
2008 — 1 Aug 2011 · 3 yearsMaxOn Soft · GamesCampus (NA) / mGame (KR) · MMORPG
CauseNot stated
NoteDate is the closure of the North American GamesCampus service; status elsewhere not covered.
Its North American story ended in the summer of 2011.
9 Jan 2008 — 11 Aug 2011 · 3 yearsDNC Entertainment · Outspark · MMORPG
CauseOutspark cited undisclosed reasons.
NoteClosure date is for the US Outspark service.
Closed for reasons nobody would disclose.
15 Feb 2007 — 28 Sep 2011 · 4 yearsLockpick Entertainment · Lockpick / Paradox Interactive / Gamigo (DE) / Aeria Games (NA) / Akella (RU) · MMORTS
CauseNot stated on Wikipedia
NoteDreamlords: The Reawakening closed 2 Nov 2010; the Resurrection version launched 11 Mar 2011 and closed 28 Sep 2011
A Swedish MMORTS that was relaunched twice and closed in 2011.
7 Oct 2009 — 24 Nov 2011 · 2 yearsOutblaze (formerly Turnout Ventures) · Sparkplay Media; later Sankando Corporation · MMORPG (browser, free-to-play)
CauseSparkplay Media ran out of money (servers cut for non-payment to the ISP); the Reborn relaunch was then cancelled indefinitely
NoteOriginal North American service shut down 31 Aug 2010 when Sparkplay ran out of funds; relaunched by Sankando as Earth Eternal Reborn in 2011 and closed 24 Nov 2011 at 9pm EST
An anthropomorphic-animal MMO whose host pulled the plug for unpaid bills.
19 Feb 2007 — Dec 2011 · 4 yearsToWinGames · Toz Game (KR), GameHeart (JP), Ignited Games (NA) · MMORPG
CauseLegal problems blocking new content, plus large numbers of hackers and exploiters.
NoteClosure announced by Ignited Games, which ran the North American version.
Undone by lawyers and hackers in the same month.
22 Oct 2009 — 2012 · 3 yearsReel FX Entertainment · MMORPG
CauseNot stated
NoteDinosaur-themed MMO for children.
The dinosaurs went extinct a second time, in 2012.
4 Feb 2011 — 9 Feb 2012 · 1 yearMasthead Studios · Iceberg Interactive · sandbox MMORPG (sci-fi)
CauseOne year and five days.
It rose.
26 Aug 2009 — 28 Sep 2012 · 3 yearsGame Arts · GungHo Online Entertainment · MMORPG
CauseNot stated
NoteJapan only; free-to-play.
The Grandia series' only online world. Three years in Japan.
4 Jul 2007 — 1 Oct 2012 · 5 yearsCJ Internet · MMORPG
CauseEurope: Key2Play's mismanagement, closure and a declining playerbase. Korea: not stated.
NoteEuropean (English) service closed November 2009 with publisher Key2Play; Korean server closed last.
Its only English home closed when its publisher did.
25 Feb 2009 — 15 Nov 2012 · 3 yearsAventurine SA · Audiovisual Enterprises SA (EU) / Aventurine (NA) · MMORPG (sandbox PvP)
CauseFull loot, full PvP, and a sequel that replaced it. The sequel is also here somewhere.
NoteSucceeded by Darkfall Unholy Wars (2013-2016). Licensed revivals of the original: Rise of Agon (5 May 2017) and New Dawn (26 Jan 2018)
BelowDarkfall: Rise of Agon (and New Dawn) · back since 2017 ·
the door ↓ Everything you carried, someone else has now.
Feb 2008 — 2013 · 5 yearsNot stated · Yedang Online · MMORPG
CauseNot stated
NoteKorean release February 2008. English server closed by March 2013; Korean service status not stated.
The sequel's English realm closed by spring 2013.
2007 — 3 Jul 2013 · 6 yearsWebzen · Webzen (global); ijji/NHN (NA); The9 (CN); GameOn (JP) · MMORPG (action)
PeakRanked among the top 10 games in Korean internet cafes (Wikipedia, citing Gametrics)
CauseLack of players (per cited MMO Culture headline)
NoteWikipedia's 3 Jul 2013 closure does not specify region; a Korean relaunch was announced for 2019 (unconfirmed)
Webzen's Unreal-engine hack-and-slash MMO, closed in 2013.
2008 — 6 Aug 2013 · 5 yearsNeowiz Symmetric Space · Pmang, TooniLand, Nexon (JP) · MMORPG
CauseNot stated
NotePmang ended service 2012-07-24; relaunched as TenviXtreme on TooniLand, which ended 2013-08-06.
Shut down, revived as Xtreme, shut down again.
2008 — Dec 2013 · 5 yearsCJI · Wasabii Netmarble · MMORPG
CauseNot stated
NoteKorea launch 2008; gPotato's international service closed March 2012; Korea closed December 2013.
An anima companion in every hand, until 2013.
21 Sep 2007 — 2014 · 7 yearsCastle Thorn Software / NeXeon Technologies · NeXeon Technologies · MMORPG (space sim, indie)
CauseNot stated on Wikipedia
A tiny crewed-starship MMO with a community of around fifty.
Mar 2005 — 1 Jan 2014 · 9 yearsNHN Corporation / Codemasters Online Gaming · Codemasters (NA/EU 2006-2009) / Webzen (global 2009-2014) · MMORPG
CauseCodemasters licence lapse (2009); Webzen termination of service (2014), reason not stated
NoteCodemasters failed to renew its NHN licence and handed NA/EU players to Webzen in Oct 2009; Webzen terminated service 1 Jan 2014
BelowArchonia · Justac · World of Chantra · Custom-ArchLord · back since ·
the door ↓ The MMO where one player could become the world's ArchLord.
30 May 2008 — 31 Mar 2014 · 6 yearsTQ Digital Entertainment · NetDragon Websoft · MMORPG
CauseNot stated
Note2.5D MMORPG for the Chinese market; English version live June 11, 2010.
The Heroes franchise went massively multiplayer for six years.
30 Jan 2007 — 31 Jul 2014 · 7 yearsSigil Games Online / Sony Online Entertainment · Sony Online Entertainment · MMORPG
Peak~130,000 active subscriptions estimated shortly after launch, falling to ~40,000 (Wikipedia, citing an ex-Sigil interview and MMOGChart)
CauseBuilt by the man who built EverQuest. Buried a few streets over from his first child's rivals.
The saga ran out of heroes.
Oct 2008 — 18 Sep 2014 · 6 yearsNeopets; Nickelodeon Kids & Family Virtual Worlds Group · Neopets · social MMO / virtual world
CauseNot stated
NoteClosure announced 2014-09-09, the year JumpStart acquired Neopets.
The Neopets' pets had a park, for six years.
Oct 2007 — 31 Mar 2015 · 8 yearsBuild-A-Bear Workshop with Frima Studio · Build-A-Bear Workshop · kids virtual world
CauseNot stated on Wikipedia
The teddy-bear tie-in world, closed on 31 March 2015.
11 Dec 2008 — 31 Mar 2015 · 7 yearsLondon Studio · Sony Computer Entertainment · social MMO / virtual world
Peak41 million users over its lifetime (Wikipedia)
CauseNot stated
NoteLaunch date is the open beta; Home never left beta. Closed worldwide.
BelowDestination Home · PSONE · being built ·
the door ↓ Forty-one million visitors; the lights went out worldwide.
17 Dec 2009 — 31 Mar 2015 · 6 yearsOutso · Lockwood Publishing · MMO (PlayStation Home)
CauseClosed with the PlayStation Home platform it ran on.
NoteRan inside PlayStation Home; closed when Home shut down. No new content after November 2014.
Lived inside PlayStation Home and went down with it.
2007 — 29 May 2015 · 8 yearsSoftmax · Netmarble · online third-person shooter
CauseNot stated
NoteKorean server closed 2015-05-29; OGPlanet announced the North American closure on 2015-06-30.
Twelve pilots per match, then none.
27 Mar 2006 — 31 Aug 2015 · 9 yearsDuplex Systems / Nexeon Technologies · Ojom (to 2007) / Nexeon Technologies · MMORPG (sci-fi, player-run factions)
CauseAnnounced 13 Jul 2015 that the game would cease operations on 31 Aug 2015; 2007 DDoS attacks cited as a contributing financial blow
NoteRelaunched 29 Dec 2009 with free/premium accounts; successor build Fall of the Dominion closed 3 Sep 2015
A player-governed sci-fi world that died twice, the last time in 2015.
1 Jul 2009 — 4 Jan 2016 · 7 yearsBeijing Perfect World · Perfect World Entertainment / Arc Games · MMORPG (Journey to the West theme)
CauseNot stated on Wikipedia
NoteClosure applies to Arc Games' international service; status of the Chinese original not covered by Wikipedia
Perfect World's cartoon Journey to the West, closed by Arc Games in 2016.
2008 — 15 Feb 2016 · 8 yearsIndy21 · Acclaim Games · MMORPG
CauseNot stated; no warning was given.
NoteLaunch is the English release year (StrategyWiki); service ran over nine years per MMOGames.
A martial-arts world that ended without warning.
5 Sep 2007 — 21 Mar 2016 · 9 yearsNPluto · GamesCampus · racing MMO
CauseNot stated
NoteUS server closed 2016 and Japan server 2021; the game remained playable in Korea via Masangsoft.
An open-world racing MMO whose US server reached the finish line.
2008 — Apr 2016 · 8 yearsF4 · F4 Group · MMO sports
CauseNot stated
NoteSports MMORPG; demo shown at Leipzig Games Convention in Aug 2007.
A whole sporting world online, quietly closed in the spring of 2016.
4 Apr 2007 — 24 May 2016 · 9 yearsCave; later GungHo Online Entertainment · Atlus (JP); Aeria Games (2007-2012), Atlus Online (2012-2013), Marvelous USA (2013-2014) in the West · MMORPG
Peak100,000 players within a month of Japanese open beta (Wikipedia, citing 4Gamer.net, 2007)
CauseWest: closure of Marvelous USA's PC department. Japan: 'continued difficulties in giving players a quality experience'
NoteNorth American open beta 31 Dec 2008, Europe 5 Jan 2009; Western service ended 29 Jan 2014; Japan closed 24 May 2016
BelowNew Moon · New Order (ReIMAGINE, closed) · back since ·
the door ↓ The only Shin Megami Tensei MMO; its demons were dismissed in 2016.
May 2007 — 25 Jul 2016 · 9 yearsChangyou.com · Changyou.com / Sohu · MMORPG
CauseNot stated
NoteDate is the closure of the American servers; European servers closed earlier. Chinese service status not covered.
A Chinese wuxia epic whose western servers went dark in 2016.
1 Dec 2007 — Nov 2016 · 9 yearsYoung Internet (later Goodbeans GmbH) · Young Internet · social MMO / virtual world
PeakOver 15 million users in total (Wikipedia)
CauseGoodbeans filed for bankruptcy in 2015; updates stopped in 2014 and it ran until the domain expired.
NoteChildren's virtual world launched in Germany.
BelowPanfu.world / OpenPanfu · a revival was stopped ·
the door ↓ Left online, unattended, until the domain ran out.
Oct 2008 — 1 Nov 2016 · 8 yearsPerBlue · mobile location-based MMORPG
PeakUser base surpassed 1,000,000 players worldwide in 2011 (Wikipedia, uncited in text)
CauseNot stated; developers said closing was 'an inevitability'
The first location-based mobile MMO, retired in 2016.
2009 — 2017 · 8 yearsSanrio Digital / Typhoon Games · Sanrio Digital (NA/EU); Aeria Games (NA, to 2010); regional partners · kids MMORPG
PeakMore than 50,000 closed-beta applications in 2008 (Wikipedia, citing Sanrio Digital blog)
CauseSanrio reportedly stopped supporting the game in 2012 and shifted to mobile; taken offline permanently around 2017
Sanrio's MMO drifted offline around 2017 with no announcement.
25 Aug 2009 — 31 Aug 2017 · 8 yearsVogster Entertainment · THQ · MMO third-person shooter
CauseNot stated
NotePersistent-world shooter from a Ukrainian studio.
A persistent city of gangs that held its last shootout in 2017.
24 Nov 2005 — 31 Aug 2017 · 12 yearsHeadlock · GungHo Online Entertainment · MMORPG
CauseGungHo cited the impossible task of keeping up with modern players' demands.
NoteLast remaining server was the Japanese one; overseas versions closed earlier.
Its last server closed after almost twelve years of service.
Dec 2005 — 22 Sep 2017 · 12 yearsPrairie Games, Inc. · MMORPG (indie)
CauseOfficial servers ceased after a hard drive failure; single-player mode remains
A two-person indie MMO that ran for nearly twelve years.
Oct 2008 — 2 Nov 2017 · 9 yearsTandem Games · browser MMO
CauseOwners announced in Oct 2017 it would be sold or shut down; on Nov 2, 2017 they declared it shut down.
NoteFree-to-play text-based browser MMORPG.
A text-based browser RPG that found no buyer and closed after nine years.
28 Mar 2006 — Dec 2017 · 11 yearsDonnerwood Media · social MMO / virtual world
PeakAbout 13 million registered users (Wikipedia)
CauseNot stated; the site went offline with no warning.
NoteDomain expired March 2018.
Thirteen million avatars, gone without a goodbye.
1 Dec 2008 — 8 Apr 2018 · 10 yearsOutsmart Games · social MMO / virtual world
PeakAbout 3.8 million visits in July-August 2012 (Wikipedia)
CauseShrinking audience and financial struggles.
NoteBrowser virtual world from Auckland, New Zealand. Closed at 11:59 PM.
A small world, until the audience got smaller.
28 May 2007 — 5 Jun 2018 · 11 yearsBeijing Perfect World · Perfect World Entertainment (NA) / Perfect World Europe · MMORPG (xianxia)
CauseNot stated on Wikipedia
NoteClosure applies to Perfect World Entertainment's international service announced 1 May 2018; the Chinese original Zhu Xian is operated separately
Perfect World's Zhu Xian for the West, closed in 2018.
17 Mar 2008 — 30 Jun 2018 · 10 yearsFantage Inc. (Nexon-backed) · Fantage Inc. · kids virtual world
PeakOver 30 million registered users by December 2014 (Wikipedia, citing Fantage official blog); 16 million by Jan 2012 (VentureBeat)
CauseNot stated on Wikipedia
BelowFantage Legacy · a revival was stopped ·
the door ↓ A thirty-million-user kids' world, closed in 2018.
2007 — 26 Dec 2018 · 11 yearsZhengtu Network · MMORPG
Peak1.52 million peak concurrent users in 2008 (Wikipedia)
CauseNot stated
NoteChinese MMORPG; 2.8 million daily active players reported in 2007.
Once held 1.52 million players at the same moment.
2008 — 15 Jan 2019 · 11 yearsChinese Gamer International · IGG · MMORPG
CauseEarlier 2018 closure notice cited lack of updates and an expiring operating license.
NoteRegional closure: North American IGG service ended; Chinese servers remained operational per Wikipedia.
Its license ran out before its players did.
22 Sep 2009 — Oct 2019 · 10 yearsIcarus Studios / Fallen Earth LLC · K2 Network · MMORPG
CauseNot stated
NotePost-apocalyptic sandbox MMORPG; servers taken offline October 2019.
BelowFallen Earth Classic · back since 2021 ·
the door ↓ A post-apocalyptic MMO that survived the apocalypse for ten years.
16 Apr 2008 — 13 Dec 2019 · 11 yearsMind Candy · kids virtual world
PeakOver 80 million registered users in 150 territories at peak (Wikipedia, citing The Telegraph)
CauseEnd of support for Adobe Flash Player
BelowMoshi Monsters Rewritten · and an official relaunch (2027) · back since ·
the door ↓ Eighty million monsters, retired ahead of Flash's death.
31 Dec 2008 — 19 Feb 2020 · 12 yearsMonumental Games / Coli Games UK · Cybersports / Coli Games UK · MMO sports
CauseServers were not restored after a crash, citing low player activity and server problems.
NoteRevived by Coli Games UK in late 2014.
It crashed one last time, and nobody turned it back on.
24 Sep 2007 — 16 Jan 2021 · 14 yearsBin Weevils Limited / 55 Pixels Ltd · 55 Pixels Ltd · kids virtual world
PeakOver 20 million users in 2013 (Wikipedia, citing The Arts Desk / PULP); 2 million monthly users in 2013
CausePublisher 55 Pixels entered voluntary liquidation Dec 2020; site taken offline after Adobe Flash was discontinued
BelowBin Weevils Rewritten · back since ·
the door ↓ Britain's Flash-era kids' world, offline since January 2021.
4 Dec 2007 — 29 Apr 2021 · 14 yearsPentavision (GameOn Studio) · Neowiz (KR), Alaplaya, Aeria Games · online third-person shooter
CauseNot stated
NoteWestern release by Alaplaya 2008-09-22, later operated by Aeria Games.
Its servers sat in Europe, which mostly kept Americans away.
2008 — 20 Aug 2021 · 13 yearsLizard Interactive · Aeria Games / Neowiz · MMORPG
CauseNot stated
NoteDiablo-like MMO; Neowiz ended the global service.
A Diablo-like MMO that clicked on for thirteen years.
Apr 2008 — 24 Oct 2021 · 13 yearsFlowPlay · social MMO / virtual world
PeakOver 600,000 registrations (Wikipedia)
CauseFlowPlay cited bad actors in the game making continued support impossible.
Thirteen years of hangouts, ended at 11:59 p.m.
2006 — 24 Feb 2022 · 16 yearsOmega Force · Koei / Tecmo Koei (JP); Aeria Games (NA/EU) · MMO action (hack-and-slash)
CauseNot stated on Wikipedia
NoteEnglish (Aeria Games) service 10 Nov 2010 - 1 Jan 2014; Japanese service closed 24 Feb 2022
Sixteen years of online Three Kingdoms warfare ended in 2022.
THE LATE ARRIVALSthey knew what was out there · 92 stones
— Aug 2010Linden Lab · social MMO / virtual world
CauseOperating costs.
NoteSeparate teen grid of Second Life; Second Life itself continues.
The grown-up world stayed. The teen grid did not.
3 May 2010 — Dec 2010 · under a yearWebzen · Webzen / NHN · MMOFPS
PeakBattles of up to 64 players (Wikipedia)
CauseNot stated; Korean service discontinued December 2010
NoteKorean service only; b is Korean open beta. China rights sold to The9 for $35 million in 2007; Xbox 360 port cancelled.
Promised 100-player battles, shipped 64, lasted seven months.
3 Mar 2011 — 2011 · under a yearPetroglyph Games · True Games · MMORPG
CauseNot stated
NoteUTV True Games announced the server shutdown on July 27, 2011.
Mythic heroes, four months of service.
26 May 2011 — 24 Aug 2011 · under a yearUTV Ignition Entertainment (UTV True Games) · UTV Ignition Entertainment · MMORPG (PvP)
CauseShut down three months after launch; no reason recorded
Heaven versus Hell, settled in ninety days.
5 May 2011 — 1 Jul 2012 · 1 yearJagex · browser MMORTS
CauseJagex said it met only 10% of its sales target and refocused on RuneScape and other projects.
NoteLaunch date is its closed beta.
Reached 10 percent of its sales target.
13 Oct 2010 — 13 Aug 2012 · 2 yearsChangyou, Pixel Soft · Changyou · MMORPG
CauseNot stated
NoteDates are for the North American version; launch date is its open beta.
North America closed at 11:59 PM PDT.
21 Jun 2011 — Sep 2012 · 1 yearHeatwave Interactive (originally Perpetual Entertainment) · Heatwave Interactive · MMORPG
CauseServers went into 'maintenance' in September 2012 and never came back; no reason given
NoteNA 21 Jun 2011, EU 24 Jun 2011. The game and forums 'entered maintenance' in Sep 2012 and never returned; no formal closure date exists.
Shelved in 2007, revived in 2011, gone again inside fifteen months.
21 Mar 2011 — 26 Sep 2012 · 1 yearReakktor Media · gamigo · space MMO (action)
CauseClosed 'due to financial issues' (announced 29 Aug 2012)
NoteEuropean launch; open beta Feb 2011.
The Neocron studio's space shooter lasted eighteen months.
27 Sep 2011 — 9 Dec 2012 · 1 yearTiny Speck · browser MMO (social sandbox)
CauseClosed 'due to limited audience appeal'; the studio pivoted to its internal chat tool, Slack
Note'Unlaunched' back to beta on 30 Nov 2011. Tiny Speck became Slack Technologies.
BelowOdd Giants · Eleven Giants · back since 2019 ·
the door ↓ The MMO that died so Slack could be born.
10 Nov 2010 — 7 Oct 2013 · 3 yearsGrey Area · location-based mobile MMO
CauseNot stated
NoteiPhone game that mapped magic battles onto players' real surroundings.
Its battlefield was the real world; the real world kept going without it.
4 Feb 2010 — 31 Oct 2013 · 3 yearsNTL Inc. (with Bird Studio / Shueisha) · CJ Internet (Korea); Cayenne Tech (Taiwan, Hong Kong) · MMORPG
CauseAll regional services ended in autumn 2013; no reason recorded
NoteNever officially released in English/Western markets. Korean servers closed 26 Sep 2013; Taiwan and Hong Kong servers (launched 15 Jun 2011 / 8 Sep 2011) closed 31 Oct 2013, the final official closure. Unlicensed English emulators continue.
BelowDragon Ball Online Global · DBO Galaxy · DBOG Revival · DBO Omega · back since 2018 ·
the door ↓ Toriyama's own MMO never left Asia and lasted under four years.
2012 — 13 Nov 2013 · 1 yearNot stated · MMORPG
CauseNot stated
Dragon riders grounded within two years.
Apr 2011 — 22 Jan 2014 · 3 yearsFlagship Studios Seattle (original); HanbitSoft / T3 Entertainment / Redbana (relaunch) · Frogster (Europe); HanbitSoft / T3Fun (Global) · MMO action RPG
CauseFrogster discontinued the EU version in Oct 2011; T3Fun shut the Global servers in Jan 2014; no reasons given
NoteEuropean open beta 12 Apr 2011, planned release 28 Apr 2011 (Frogster closed it 27 Oct 2011). Mythos Global (T3Fun) open beta 2 Feb 2012, shut 22 Jan 2014 = final death. Flagship's original 2007-08 beta never launched.
Flagship's orphan was revived twice and buried twice.
26 Jan 2010 — 28 Jan 2014 · 4 yearsZipper Interactive · Sony Computer Entertainment · MMOFPS
Peak256 players per battle, a Guinness record for a console FPS (Wikipedia)
CauseNot stated
NotePS3 exclusive.
Two hundred and fifty-six soldiers per battle, then none.
28 Apr 2009 — 31 Mar 2014 · 5 yearsSony Online Entertainment · kids/family MMORPG
Peak10 million registered players announced April 2010 (Wikipedia, citing VG247)
CauseTwenty million accounts, then a closing notice. The realms were free. The servers were not.
Admission was free. Leaving was mandatory.
15 Sep 2010 — 31 Mar 2014 · 4 yearsSony Online Entertainment · kids' MMO virtual world
Peak10 million registered players (StarWars.com, 'Clone Wars Adventures Hits 10 Million Players'); 1 million players one week after launch (SOE press release, 24 Sep 2010)
CauseSOE announced on 24 Jan 2014 that the game would close 31 Mar 2014 (same day as Free Realms and Vanguard); no reason given
Ten million clone cadets, closed in SOE's spring 2014 purge.
30 Jan 2013 — 31 Jul 2014 · 1 yearGamepot · Sony Online Entertainment (outside Japan) · MMORPG (permadeath)
CausePermadeath as a feature. The server took it literally.
NoteWestern (US/EU) service; Japanese open beta began Oct 2011 and the Japanese service's fate is not covered by the source.
BelowWizardry Online private server · being built ·
the door ↓ Your character has died. Your character has died. Your character has died.
6 Mar 2010 — 14 Oct 2014 · 4 yearsAnkama Games · MMORPG
CauseDevelopment paused in Feb 2012 and the lead developer left; the site and servers closed Oct 2014.
NoteTurn-based PvP spin-off of Dofus that Wikipedia says was never officially finished.
A tactics arena left unfinished, then switched off.
19 Jan 2010 — 22 Dec 2014 · 4 yearsUltizen · Jagex · browser MMORTS
CauseTaken offline by a security hack and never brought back.
NoteWent offline 2014-12-22; Jagex announced permanent closure 2015-01-29.
Went offline after a hack and never came back.
— Jan 2015Bubble Gum Interactive · social MMO / virtual world
PeakNearly 2 million players as of early 2013 (Wikipedia)
CauseNot stated; the world declined through 2014
NoteBrowser sci-fi virtual world for children from Australia.
Two million young space heroes, then no more launches.
— Jan 2015Bubble Gum Interactive · social MMO / virtual world
PeakNearly 2 million players as of early 2013 (Wikipedia)
CauseDeclined from 2014; closing notice issued 2014-12-21.
NoteAustralian kids' space virtual world.
Two million heroes, no universe.
16 Feb 2012 — Apr 2015 · 3 yearsCliffhanger Productions · gamigo · browser MMO
CauseNot stated
NoteBrowser tactical MMORPG; b is open beta start. Steam release in 2013.
Turn-based mercenaries in a browser. Discharged in 2015.
10 May 2012 — 25 Jun 2015 · 3 yearsX-Legend Entertainment · KoramGame · MMORPG
CauseNot stated
NoteRegional closure: NA/EU service ended; the game lives on in Asia as Glory Destiny.
Two days' notice for North America and Europe.
20 Nov 2012 — 7 Aug 2015 · 3 yearsMAIET Entertainment · Perfect World Entertainment (NA); Gameforge (EU) · MMORPG (action)
CauseDeveloper MAIET shut down, leaving the game without support; PWE closed NA on 7 Aug 2015
NoteBorn date is the North American launch; NA was the last official server, after Korea, Europe and Japan closed. Masangsoft acquired the rights in 2017 and announced a reboot that had not launched as of Jan 2022 per MMOs.com.
Monster Hunter-style MMO orphaned when its studio folded.
18 Oct 2013 — 24 Nov 2015 · 2 yearsWebzen · MMORPG
CauseLikely a dwindling playerbase and low profits from in-game purchases (Delisted Games).
NoteKorean launch 2013; EU/US launch Sept 16, 2014.
Its western run lasted fourteen months.
2013 — 31 Jan 2016 · 3 yearsMechanist Games · R2 Games / Mechanist Games · browser MMO
CauseDevelopers cited several issues, chiefly that browsers increasingly did not support Unity properly.
NoteClosed Nov 2013 and relaunched as City of Steam: Arkadia before the final closure.
A steampunk city undone by the browser plugin it ran on.
— 11 Feb 2016online action RPG
CauseNot stated; its second launch was no more successful than the first.
NoteKorean game shut down twice; level-50 players were offered a free Dragon Nest character.
Launched twice, shut down twice.
— 29 Feb 2016MOLI · IGG · MMORPG
CauseNot stated
NoteSequel to IGG's Tales of Pirates; discontinuation announced January 25, 2016.
Its last voyage ended on a leap day.
Aug 2015 — 22 Mar 2016 · 1 yearNeowiz · MMORPG
CauseNo official reason; Neowiz closed it only months after its Korean open beta.
NoteKorean dungeon-crawler action MMO; launch date is the Korean open beta.
It went from open beta to closed doors in about seven months.
2012 — 31 Mar 2016 · 4 yearsNot stated · Aeria Games · MMORPG
CauseNot officially given; MMOs.com notes it never achieved large-scale success.
NoteClosure announced 2016-03-24, one week before shutdown.
Four years of fantasy, one week of notice.
27 Mar 2013 — 31 Mar 2016 · 3 yearsLiveplex · Aeria Games (NA/EU); Netmarble (Asia, as Queen's Blade) · MMORPG
CauseAeria cited 'economical and technical reasons' - server instability and a lack of content updates
NoteWestern (Aeria) service; Korean original Queen's Blade launched 2012. Wikipedia gives only 'March 2016'; MMOBomb (24 Feb 2016) reports the team 'decided to put the game to rest on March 31'.
Aeria's notorious adults-only MMO lasted three years.
16 Apr 2013 — May 2016 · 3 yearsAventurine SA · sandbox MMORPG (full-loot PvP)
CauseAventurine said 'the conditions in Greece have caught up with us' (financial)
NoteSteam release 25 Apr 2013. Aventurine announced on 29 May 2016 that the game was 'going offline indefinitely'; Wikipedia says service was discontinued at the end of May 2016. Fan-licensed successors Rise of Agon and New Dawn launched 2017-18.
Darkfall's reboot sank with the Greek economy.
14 May 2013 — 30 May 2016 · 3 yearsCCP Shanghai · CCP Games / Sony Computer Entertainment · MMOFPS (PS3, linked to EVE Online)
CauseShut down 30 May 2016 as CCP wound down its PS3 experiment; no official reason recorded
NotePlayStation 3 exclusive; open beta 22 Jan 2013.
EVE's console shooter died with the PS3 generation.
2016 — 31 Aug 2016 · under a yearHanmaru Soft · InselGames · MMORPG
CauseNever accrued enough players to make its 1,000-player Resource War mode worthwhile.
NoteBuilt around a 1,000-player Resource War PvP mode; closed within months of entering early access.
Built for 1,000-player wars. Reportedly no one came to the last one.
6 Jul 2016 — 29 Sep 2016 · under a yearNexon GT · Nexon · online FPS
CauseTechnical problems, negative reaction to its free-to-play model, and the developer ending its contract with Nexon.
NoteShutdown announced 30 July, under a month after launch.
Launched in July. Gone by the end of September.
29 Oct 2014 — 30 Sep 2016 · 2 yearsFuncom · MMO action RPG (kids)
CauseFuncom closed it 'due to the game's failure to meet Funcom's internal revenue forecasts'
NoteLaunched free-to-play 29 Oct 2014 (Windows/OS X/Linux); relaunched as a paid game 29 Jun 2015 with iOS/Android versions.
Funcom's Lego experiment: free, then paid, then gone in under two years.
2 Mar 2016 — 4 Oct 2016 · under a yearPolygon Games · Webzen · MMORPG
CauseNot stated by Wikipedia; MMOBomb reported low player counts.
NoteDate is the Western (NA/EU) shutdown; re-released on Steam in July 2017 and shut again.
Built on CryEngine 3, it launched and closed in the same year.
2 Dec 2015 — 7 Dec 2016 · 1 yearXLGames (with 2K Games) · XLGames (Korea) · MMO (empire-building sandbox)
CausePoor reception in Korea; Jake Song announced closure 2 Nov 2016
NoteKorea only (East Asia launch planned). Shut down 7 Dec 2016 KST (6 Dec US time), one year after launch.
Sid Meier's name, Jake Song's studio, exactly one year of service.
17 Dec 2012 — 15 Dec 2016 · 4 yearsHammerpoint Interactive · OP Productions · zombie survival MMO
Peak2.8 million copies sold (Eurogamer, 15 Jan 2015)
CauseServers taken offline 15 Dec 2016 after years of controversy; the game was rebooted as The New Z by a different studio
NotePulled from Steam two days after release over misleading claims, returned 26 Feb 2013. Original servers went offline 15 Dec 2016; a licensed reboot by Fredaikis AB, Infestation: The New Z, launched late 2016 and is a separate product.
Gaming's most infamous survival-MMO launch; buried and reanimated under a new name.
5 Dec 2012 — 31 Dec 2016 · 4 yearsTap4Fun · mobile MMORTS
CauseNot stated
NoteReleased in North America and Europe.
Last official announcement: 29 September 2016.
4 Jun 2015 — 2017 · 2 yearsWander MMO (Loki Davison) · Wander MMO · Non-combat exploration MMO
CauseAbandoned by its one-game studio after a catastrophic launch (Metacritic 28 on PS4)
NotePC/PS4 4 Jun 2015. Last patch Sep 2015; Wikipedia says 'quietly shut down in late 2015' but the game remained listed and was only delisted from Steam on 9 Aug 2017, when MassivelyOP/Mein-MMO reported its quiet death. No formal shutdown notice exists, hence year precision and low confidence.
Called the worst game of its generation; nobody noticed when it died.
10 Jun 2016 — 21 Feb 2017 · 1 yearSony Online Entertainment / Daybreak Game Company · Daybreak Game Company · sandbox building MMO
CauseWhat was left of EverQuest Next, after EverQuest Next was cancelled. Eight months.
NoteBorn date is the paid alpha (Founder's Pack access opened 31 Jan 2014 as 'EverQuest Next Landmark'). Formal 1.0 release was 10 Jun 2016. EverQuest Next, which it was meant to feed, was cancelled Mar 2016.
Dad's other child. Stillborn twice.
16 Apr 2015 — 1 May 2017 · 2 yearsSoftmax · MMORPG
CauseNot stated
NoteKorean-language service only.
The fourth Genesis lasted two years.
2016 — 29 Jun 2017 · 1 yearX-Legend · Aeria Games · MMORPG
CauseDwindling player count and resource issues, per Aeria Games.
NoteAeria Games' Western service; closed after about 17 months.
A monster-collecting anime MMO that lasted seventeen months.
29 Jul 2014 — 7 Jul 2017 · 3 yearsRed 5 Studios · Red 5 Studios (Garena in SE Asia) · MMO shooter
CauseYears in beta, three in the wild.
NoteOpen beta ran from 9 Jul 2013; born date is the official release. Logins for new players were already disabled during 2016.
It took longer to build than it lived.
10 Aug 2010 — 26 Sep 2017 · 7 yearsOGPlanet · OGPlanet, Playpark, Game & Game · MMO fighting
CauseFailed to attract a large enough playerbase to support itself.
NoteOGPlanet first closed it 2013-05-31; relaunched on Steam 2016-11-20.
Knocked out twice.
4 Jun 2013 — 27 Nov 2017 · 4 yearsGazillion Entertainment / Secret Identity Studios · Gazillion Entertainment · MMO action RPG
CauseDisney ended the licence. Shutdown was moved up a month. The servers went before the goodbye did.
NoteEarly access for pre-purchasers 29 May 2013; OS X Nov 2014; PS4/Xbox One as Marvel Heroes Omega 30 Jun 2017. Disney announced closure for end of 2017 but the game went offline a month early.
BelowProject T.A.H.I.T.I. · back since 2025 ·
the door ↓ No post-credits scene.
4 May 2010 — Jan 2018 · 8 yearsBeijing Perfect World · Perfect World Entertainment (NA) · MMORPG
CauseSunset by Arc Games/PWE together with its sequel War of the Immortals in January 2018; no reason given
NoteWestern (PWE/Arc Games) service; Chinese original not covered by sources. Sources disagree on the final day: Wikipedia says 8 Jan 2018, MMOs.com says 9 Jan 2018, so month precision is used.
BelowReunion · BOI Legends · back since ·
the door ↓ Perfect World's pet-and-mount grinder outlived most of its 2010 peers.
15 Dec 2011 — Jan 2018 · 7 yearsPerfect World Entertainment · MMORPG
CauseSunset by Arc Games/PWE alongside Battle of the Immortals; no reason given
NoteOpen beta 1 Dec 2011; official launch 15 Dec 2011 (Ten Ton Hammer, PWE press release). Closed with Battle of the Immortals in Jan 2018; sources give 8 or 9 Jan 2018, so month precision.
Battle of the Immortals' sequel shared its grave.
25 Nov 2010 — 25 Jan 2018 · 8 yearsAvatar Creations · sandbox MMO (mech)
CauseOfficial servers switched off 25 Jan 2018 and the game handed to its players; no reason recorded
NoteOfficial servers closed 25 Jan 2018; the server code was open-sourced and handed to the community, so player-run servers exist.
BelowOpen Perpetuum · back since 2018 ·
the door ↓ The Hungarian EVE-with-robots; its makers gave the servers to the players on the way out.
19 May 2016 — 31 Jan 2018 · 2 yearsMythyn Interactive · Sandbox MMORPG (Ultima Online-style)
PeakNever more than a few dozen players online (developer statement via MMOs.com)
CauseDeveloper: 'never achieved any traction'; no money left to fund servers
NoteSteam Early Access 19 May 2016 (slipped from a planned Mar 2016); free-to-play 10 Oct 2016; closure announced 30 Jan 2018 for the following day.
An Ultima homage that never drew a crowd larger than a tavern.
10 Dec 2015 — 5 Mar 2018 · 3 yearsBluehole Ginno Games · Trion Worlds (NA/EU) · MMORPG (isometric action)
CauseTrion Worlds sunset the game after ~27 months
NoteWestern (Trion) service. The Korean original launched earlier under Ginno Games. Western launch 10 Dec 2015; sunset announced 19 Jan 2018.
Trion's Diablo-flavoured import lasted two winters.
2 Jul 2015 — 18 Apr 2018 · 3 yearsESTsoft (ESTgames) · ESTgames (NA/EU) · MMORPG
CauseESTgames cited lack of sustainability
NoteWestern (ESTgames) service. Korean original launched 2012. Western open beta 2 Jul 2015; closure announced 25 Feb 2018, servers off 18 Apr 2018.
The sequel nobody in the West asked for closed while the 2005 original kept running.
3 Jul 2014 — 5 Jun 2018 · 4 yearsBeijing Perfect World · Perfect World Entertainment (NA) · MMORPG (wuxia)
CausePerfect World sunset it as 'teams move on to bigger and better things' (announced 2 May 2018)
NoteWestern (PWE) service; born date is the open beta for all players (early-access OB 1 Jul 2014). Chinese original not covered by the source.
Jin Yong's wuxia world, four years in the West.
23 Feb 2011 — Oct 2018 · 7 yearsSilk Games · MMORPG (indie, 8-bit style)
CauseAll official servers offline since October 2018; no announcement or reason recorded
NoteSteam release 15 Apr 2014; last update Sep 2016.
A one-man Dragon Quest MMO that simply went quiet.
15 Jan 2015 — 24 Oct 2018 · 3 yearsDaybreak Game Company · Survival MMO (open-world zombie sandbox)
PeakOriginal H1Z1 sold over one million copies by Mar 2015 (pre-split; Wikipedia)
CauseDaybreak: player count made it 'untenable to maintain'
NoteLaunched as H1Z1 (Steam Early Access 15 Jan 2015); renamed H1Z1: Just Survive after the Feb 2016 split, then Just Survive (Oct 2017). Shutdown announced 24 Aug 2018; servers off 24 Oct 2018 11am PT.
The zombie sandbox that spawned a battle royale and was then buried by it.
11 Oct 2016 — 15 Nov 2018 · 2 yearsCubical Drift · MMO sandbox (voxel)
CauseThe developer ran out of funds and declared bankruptcy.
NoteEarly access; half its 1.5 million euro budget came from the French government.
Half state-funded, fully bankrupt.
21 Feb 2013 — 3 Jan 2019 · 6 yearsDisruptor Beam · browser MMO
PeakOver 9 million registered players (Wikipedia)
CauseShut down ahead of the TV series' final season; about 3,000 daily active players remained
NoteBrowser and Facebook social RPG/strategy game; b is the beta release.
Nine million swore fealty. Three thousand were left when winter came.
8 Feb 2011 — 31 Jan 2019 · 8 yearsBigpoint Games / Artplant · Bigpoint Games · browser space MMO
Peak2 million registered users within three months of launch (Joystiq, 26 May 2011)
CauseBigpoint shut it down at the end of January 2019; no reason given
NoteBorn date is the open-beta launch (free-to-play browser game; no separate official launch). Bigpoint announced closure in early Jan 2019 for the end of the month; Wikipedia says servers went off 'in the early morning hours of February 1, 2019', MMOBomb (1 Feb 2019) says it closed 'yesterday', i.e. 31 Jan.
Belowan emulator in public testing · being built ·
the door ↓ Eight years of browser-based Vipers before Bigpoint pulled the plug.
2016 — 15 May 2019 · 3 yearsEyedentity Games · Cherry Credits · MMORPG
CauseEnd of Cherry Credits' contract with Eyedentity.
NoteRegional closure of the Cherry Credits EU service; the game continues in other regions.
Europe's nest emptied when the contract ran out.
24 Nov 2015 — 28 Jun 2019 · 4 yearsWebzen / Playwith Interactive · MMORPG
CauseNo explicit reason given for the final closure.
NoteWebzen's Western ELOA (Elite Lord of Alliance) closed in 2016; relaunched as Warlords Awakening, which closed in Korea in 2018 and finally on Steam in 2019.
Shut down in three separate stages, under two names.
28 May 2018 — 9 Sep 2019 · 1 yearNeowiz Bless Studio · Neowiz (Korea; Steam/West); GameOn (Japan); 101XP (Russia) · MMORPG
PeakSteam average 8,548 players in launch month June 2018 (Steamcharts via Mein-MMO); 221 avg / 410 peak in May 2019
CauseLaunched on Steam to a crowd that remembered the first launch, and the second.
NoteKorea open beta 27 Jan 2016 - 19 Nov 2018; Russia open beta Dec 2016 - May 2017; Japan 2 Nov 2017 - 8 Aug 2019; Steam Early Access (NA/EU, buy-to-play) 30 May 2018 - 9 Sep 2019 was the last server.
Third time was not the charm.
20 Sep 2016 — 9 Dec 2019 · 3 yearsEyougame · mobile MMORPG
CauseNot stated
NoteLaunched in North America and Asia; closure announced 2019-12-01.
Eight days' notice, then nothing.
Dec 2014 — 2020 · 6 yearsFifth Season · browser MMO strategy
CauseDevelopers said they failed to make the game commercially viable and lacked time and resources to maintain it.
NoteSunset set for Mar 1, 2020; a final 15th cycle 'Entropy' then ran until June 14, 2020.
A space strategy war that ran in cycles until the last one ended.
Jan 2010 — 2020 · 10 yearsCoolhouse Productions · MMORPG
CauseNot stated; site later read "Project may be rebooted at later date"
NoteFinnish indie MMORPG first developed in 2003; b is the public beta of the rebuilt version. Site went to an error page May 16, 2020.
Anime faces, medieval swords, nine races. The website now returns an error.
Sep 2016 — 14 Feb 2020 · 4 yearsRunewaker Entertainment · Insel Games (2016-18); Gameforge (2018-20) · MMO action RPG (Diablo-style with shared hubs)
PeakOnly 100-200 concurrent players at times during the Insel period (Mein-MMO)
CauseGameforge and the developer did not renew their contract after the relaunch failed to find players
NoteSteam Early Access Sep 2016; full release Sep 2017; pulled from Steam Feb 2018 when Insel Games was banned for review manipulation; Gameforge relaunched it Mar 2019 and ended service 14 Feb 2020.
It died once with its disgraced publisher and again with its rescuer.
15 Nov 2015 — 28 Feb 2020 · 5 yearsGameSky Global · mobile MMORPG
CauseNot stated
Note2D side-scrolling persistent-world mobile MMO.
A side-scroller that scrolled for four years.
18 Sep 2013 — May 2020 · 7 yearsRunewaker Entertainment · Sony Online Entertainment (NA); gamigo/Infernum (EU); Aeria Games (Japan) · MMORPG
CauseNA closure announced by Sony 5 Oct 2015; remaining EU/Taiwan servers shut May 2020; no reasons given
NoteEU launch 18 Sep 2013, NA 23 Sep 2013. SOE/Daybreak closed NA on 16 Nov 2015; EU (gamigo) and Taiwan ran until May 2020 - gamigo's shutdown notice is titled for 29 May 2020 - which is the final death.
The dragon-taming MMO; its last server fell in 2020.
12 Nov 2015 — 3 May 2020 · 5 yearsICE Entertainment · Changyou · MMO naval shooter
CauseNot stated
NoteShutdown announced 2020-02-03.
Its fleet went down in May 2020.
26 Jan 2016 — Dec 2020 · 4 yearsCryptozoic Entertainment · MMO trading card game
CauseNot stated
NoteRaised $2,278,255 on Kickstarter. Wizards of the Coast sued in 2014; settled 2015.
Billed as the first MMO trading card game. Nine sets printed in pixels.
14 Sep 2016 — 20 Dec 2020 · 4 years3 Turn Productions · MMORPG (Jane Austen social roleplay)
PeakA few hundred players overall, ~30 online at a time during beta (Wikipedia)
CauseShortage of funds
NoteKickstarted Dec 2013 ($110k). Open beta Aug 2016; release date per Wikipedia infobox 14 Sep 2016.
A Regency drawing-room MMO that never had more than a dinner party online.
24 Jun 2016 — 2021 · 5 yearsGameSprite · browser MMORPG
CauseNot stated
NoteLaunch date is open beta.
A browser game based on a story about being trapped in a game.
28 Mar 2014 — 31 Mar 2021 · 7 yearsNival · MMORPG / MOBA hybrid (persistent castle meta-game)
CauseServers and websites shut down 31 Mar 2021; no reason given
NoteWikipedia calls it 'a freemium MMORPG and MOBA hybrid'; born date is the official Windows launch (it had run in open beta in Russia earlier). Arguably not an MMO.
Nival's castle-building MOBA; seven years, then silence.
2 Apr 2013 — 29 Apr 2021 · 8 yearsTrion Worlds (additional work by Human Head Studios) · Trion Worlds; later gamigo · MMO third-person shooter
Causegamigo closed both Defiance games in April 2021; no reason given. Trion Worlds itself had been sold to gamigo in 2018
NoteResurrected: gamigo shut Defiance and Defiance 2050 on 29 Apr 2021 (Xbox 360 earlier, 25 May 2020), but Fawkes Games licensed the rights and relaunched the 2013 PC game on 18 Apr 2025 through its own launcher. Free-to-play from 4 Jun 2014 (PC).
BelowDefiance (Fawkes Games) · back since 2025 ·
the door ↓ The Syfy tie-in that outlived its TV show, died in 2021 and came back in 2025.
Jun 2011 — 29 Apr 2021 · 10 yearsX-Legend · Aeria Games (later gamigo) · MMORPG (anime)
CauseNew registrations stopped Feb 2021; international service ceased 29 Apr 2021; no reason given
NoteInternational (Aeria/gamigo) service. Wikipedia infobox gives the worldwide open beta as 16 Jun 2011 and the body text 15 Jun 2011, so month precision. Taiwanese original launched 28 Oct 2010; its current status is not covered by the source.
Aeria's class-swapping anime MMO ran a decade in the West.
1 Sep 2016 — 29 Apr 2021 · 5 yearsX-Legend Entertainment · Aeria Games; gamigo (from 2018) · MMORPG
Causegamigo: 'tough times, tighter budgets, and dwindling active player counts'
NoteWestern (Aeria/gamigo) service. Steam release 1 Sep 2017. Closed in gamigo's 24 Feb 2021 'gamepocalypse' alongside Eden Eternal and Defiance.
One of three gamigo MMOs switched off on the same spring day in 2021.
23 Sep 2016 — 10 Sep 2021 · 5 yearsBehaviour Interactive · online third-person shooter (pitched as MMO)
CauseNot stated
NoteShutdown announced 2021-06-10.
Eternal, for five years.
2015 — 23 Sep 2021 · 6 yearsDrago Entertainment · gamigo · MMORPG
CauseNot stated
NoteEntered Steam early access in 2015; pulled from Steam in January 2016.
A virtual world adapted from novels about virtual worlds, switched off.
24 Oct 2016 — 12 Oct 2021 · 5 yearsNetDragon · Oasis Games · MMO action strategy
CauseNot stated
NoteOasis Games version closed 2018-01-10; NetDragon relaunched it next day; removed from Steam 2021-10-12.
An ancient Chinese war fought on Steam until 2021.
2015 — 28 Nov 2021 · 6 yearsGoblinworks · MMORPG
CauseDevelopment suffered wide layoffs and the game never found a major publisher.
NoteLaunch year is early enrollment (announced 2015-07-29). Shutdown announced 2021-07-27 with a finale event.
A tabletop world that never found its publisher.
2016 — 31 Mar 2022 · 6 yearsWebzen · mobile MMORPG
CauseWebzen said it could not keep providing the service in its current state.
NoteWestern service of the Chinese mobile MU spin-off; nearly six years of live operation in the West.
Nearly six years of MU in Western pockets.
2 Apr 2015 — 31 May 2022 · 7 yearsVostok Games · MMOFPS
CauseVostok paused work after Russia's invasion of Ukraine forced staff to relocate; shutdown announced 2022-02-07.
NoteDeveloper billed it as an MMOFPS; Wikipedia notes it never reached that scale.
Servers closed at 11:59 PM Kyiv time.
1 May 2012 — 30 Jun 2022 · 10 yearsBluehole Studio · En Masse Entertainment (NA, 2012-2020), Gameforge (EU; NA from 2020), Nexon (Korea) · MMORPG
Peak26 million registered players worldwide, 6.6 million in North America (press release, 5 May 2017); 1.4 million registered accounts by Mar 2013 (GamesIndustry.biz)
CauseTen years. Outlived most of this street. Still buried on it.
NotePC only. Korea launched 25 Jan 2011 (also within era); born date is the North American launch (EU 3 May 2012). Bluehole ceased work on TERA and all PC operations ended worldwide 30 Jun 2022. The console version (2018) remains online, so TERA as a brand is not fully dead.
True action combat. True ending.
Mar 2011 — 30 Nov 2022 · 11 yearsPerfect World Entertainment (Beijing studio) · Perfect World Entertainment / Gearbox Publishing (Arc Games) · MMORPG
CauseGearbox Publishing announced 28 Apr 2022: 'We no longer feel there is room for FW to flourish and grow'; servers closed 30 Nov 2022
NoteWestern PC service. Wikipedia infobox gives 11 Mar 2011 (open beta); WorthPlaying gives the launch as 23 Mar 2011, so month precision is used for birth. Chinese original (Shen Mo Da Lu) not covered by sources.
BelowForsaken World Dragon Heart · back since ·
the door ↓ Perfect World's vampire-and-werewolf MMO ran eleven years in the West.
19 Dec 2014 — 11 Jan 2023 · 9 yearsAbove and Beyond Technologies, Idea Fabrik · MMORPG
CauseThe development team said it had not been paid and abandoned the game.
NoteKickstarter-funded sci-fi sandbox MMO; launched in early access.
Kickstarted in 2013. The developers stopped getting paid.
27 Apr 2011 — 16 Feb 2023 · 12 yearsGameloft Beijing · Gameloft · mobile MMORPG
CausePermanently closed by Gameloft on 16 Feb 2023; no reason given
NoteiOS 27 Apr 2011; Android 27 Jun 2012; Windows 10 Jul 2013. Closed on all platforms.
The phone WoW-alike; Gameloft turned it off after twelve years.
23 Sep 2016 — 25 May 2023 · 7 yearsReto-Moto · Reto-Moto / TLM Games · MMOFPS
CausePlanned Unreal sequel's Kickstarter went unfunded; outdated Retox engine; player exodus after 2018 Armour 2.0 update
NoteSteam beta from July 11, 2014. Reto-Moto filed bankruptcy notice March 2022. A revival was reported in 2026.
A whole World War II fought by players. It ended at midnight.
Jul 2013 — 30 Jun 2023 · 10 yearsJumpStart Games · kids MMO
CauseJumpStart Games ceased operations; no reason given.
NoteHow to Train Your Dragon MMO; closed when JumpStart ended support for all games except Neopets.
Ten years of dragon training ended when the school closed.
16 Sep 2014 — 27 Jun 2024 · 10 yearsXL Games · Trion Worlds (NA/EU 2014-2018), gamigo (2018-2022), Kakao Games (2022-2024); XL Games (Korea) · sandbox MMORPG
CauseKakao Games announced 25 Apr 2024 that NA/EU servers would close 27 Jun 2024; XL Games was winding the game down region by region while building ArcheAge War / Chronicles
NoteBorn date is the NA/EU launch; Korea launched 15 Jan 2013 (also within era). XL Games decided in 2023 to end overseas services as publisher contracts expired (MTN, 24 Jul 2023). Kakao closed NA/EU 27 Jun 2024; thegameswiki reports Japan closed 25 Dec 2024 and Korea 6 Mar 2025, with only the separately run Russian (Mail.ru) service remaining - those later dates are not verified against a primary source.
BelowArcheRage · ArcheAge Classic · back since ·
the door ↓ Jake Song's sandbox was switched off region by region, the West first.
6 Jul 2016 — 15 May 2025 · 9 yearsWeMade Icarus · Nexon (West 2016-2019); VALOFE (2019-2025) · MMORPG
PeakNexon claimed over 1 million Western players around the 2016 launch (MassivelyOP headline, via 2025 roundup)
CauseVALOFE ended service after years of decline
NoteWestern service. Korean original 'Icarus' launched 2014. Western open beta/soft launch 6 Jul 2016 under Nexon; VALOFE took over 2019; closure announced 12 Feb 2025, servers closed 15 May 2025. in Sep 2026 a relaunch as 'Icarus Online' (apparently VALOFE again) was being teased.
BelowIcarus Phoenix · back since 2025 ·
the door ↓ Mount-taming spectacle that drew a million riders, then faded under a second publisher.
7 Jul 2015 — 29 May 2025 · 10 yearsNSquare (Nexon) · Nexon · MMORPG
CauseGlobal service closed after under two years (announced 18 Mar 2020); Korean service wound down in 2025
NoteKorea 7 Jul 2015 - 29 May 2025 (final server). Global/Western and Japanese services 10 Oct 2018 - 27 May 2020. China 21 Sep 2017 - 2 Nov 2022.
The blocky sequel outlived its Western debut by five years before Korea switched it off too.
16 Jul 2015 — 29 Oct 2025 · 10 yearsAllods Team (with Obsidian Entertainment) · My.Games (My.com); distributed via 4game at the end · MMORPG (action, sci-fantasy)
CausePublisher cited the rights-holder's decision to discontinue the project worldwide; announced 31 Jul 2025
NotePC (Windows) servers closed 3 Sep 2025; PlayStation/Xbox/Switch versions closed 29 Oct 2025 (final). Console launches: PS4 11 Apr 2017, Xbox One 29 Nov 2017, Switch 4 Feb 2021. Payments stopped 1 Aug 2025.
Ten years of ascending to godhood ended when the rights-holder pulled the plug worldwide.
THE FRESH PLOTSdug, not yet filled · 55 stones
2 Nov 2007 — 28 Feb 2009 · 2 yearsDestination Games · NCsoft · MMORPG (sci-fi shooter hybrid)
CauseRichard Garriott's second world. He went to space. He came back. He left the company. Two weeks later they announced the closing.
On the last night they ended it with a battle where everybody dies. Both sides. He wasn't even there.
— 20 Apr 2017Rhaon Entertainment · OGPlanet (English); gPotato (NA) · MMO racing / social
CauseNot stated
NoteRegional closure: game continues in Korea and other regions. gPotato NA closed 2011-12-21; OGPlanet English service closed 2017-04-20.
The English track closed in 2017. Elsewhere the race goes on.
29 Oct 2017 — Dec 2017 · under a yearIntivsoft · GamenGame · MMORPG
CauseNot stated
NoteGlobal English release as Tartaros Rebirth; originally launched in South Korea in May 2009.
Its English rebirth lasted about two months.
22 Aug 2017 — 25 Dec 2018 · 1 yearSlightly Mad Studios · My.com / Mad Dog Games · MMO racing
CauseNot stated
NoteNever left Steam early access.
Its servers went down on Christmas Day.
6 Dec 2018 — 19 Apr 2019 · 1 yearHuman Head Studios · Digital Extremes · MMO bullet-hell roguelite (early access)
CauseTeam could not achieve its original vision and stopped development
NoteSteam Early Access launched at The Game Awards, 6 Dec 2018; closed 19 Apr 2019.
A permadeath MMO that itself died in under five months.
29 Jun 2017 — 30 Apr 2019 · 2 yearsAll-M (Allm) · En Masse Entertainment (NA/EU) · MMORPG (instanced action brawler)
CauseEn Masse closed the service after under two years
NoteWestern (En Masse) service only. Korean original launched 2013. Western open beta 29 Jun 2017; closure announced early Mar 2019. Successor Western versions: Kritika: REBOOT (Nov 2019), Kritika Zero (sunset Aug 2025, VALOFE), Kritika Global (closed 2024).
BelowKritika: REBOOT · came back, and closed again ·
the door ↓ Died in the West in 2019, then kept being resurrected and re-killed under new names.
17 May 2018 — 26 Jul 2019 · 1 yearBossa Studios · Sandbox MMO (physics/airships)
CauseBossa declared it 'no longer commercially viable' (announced 29 May 2019); final 'End of the World' event then shutdown
NotePaid closed beta (Founder's Pack) ran from 24 May 2017 before the Steam Early Access launch of 17 May 2018; full release cancelled.
Bossa's floating islands sank fourteen months after reaching early access.
— 12 Sep 2019Spilt Milk Studios · space MMO
CauseAlpha never gave confidence of a successful launch; upkeep and expansion costs strained the indie studio.
NotePermadeath space roguelike MMO; closed after nearly three years in open alpha, never released.
A permadeath MMO that, fittingly, did not respawn.
25 Jan 2018 — 18 Dec 2019 · 1 yearWhat! Studio (Nexon) · Nexon · Mobile open-world survival MMO
CauseNexon ended service seven months after the global launch; no reason given
NoteKorea 25 Jan 2018; global (Android/iOS) May 2019; all servers closed 18 Dec 2019. An offline 'Durango' sandbox was released to players afterwards.
Dinosaurs, time-warps, and a seven-month global life.
20 Apr 2017 — 31 Dec 2019 · 2 yearsAlternativaPlatform · MMO vehicular combat
CauseNot profitable; servers closed so the developer could focus on Tanki Online.
NoteOpen beta began 2016-09-15.
Retired so its older sibling could keep running.
19 Sep 2019 — 10 Jan 2020 · 1 yearDaybreak Game Company · MMOFPS
Peak1,000+ players per match; all-time low of 1 concurrent player (Wikipedia)
CauseWeak player numbers, competition from Apex Legends and PlanetSide 2 player discontent made matches unviable.
NoteSteam early access only; purchases refunded.
Built for a thousand players; ended with one.
25 Jul 2018 — 31 Jan 2020 · 2 yearsFrostkeep Studios · Survival MMO (faction-based)
Peak~1,800 average concurrent players in the first early-access month (SteamCharts via Mein-MMO)
CauseFrostkeep: too few players for the original vision to work
NoteSteam Early Access 25 Jul 2018; 1.0 release 29 Mar 2019; official servers closed 31 Jan 2020.
Ex-Blizzard pedigree, a Norse factions-war sandbox, eighteen months of servers.
18 Dec 2018 — 10 Mar 2020 · 2 yearsIntrepid Studios · Battle royale 'testing ground' for the Ashes of Creation MMORPG (not itself an MMO)
PeakParent MMO's Kickstarter raised $3.25M from 19,000+ backers (Wikipedia)
CauseA battle royale sent ahead of the real game to test it. Fifteen months. The real game followed it down in 2026.
NoteFree open beta launched 18-19 Dec 2018 (one-day delay); taken offline 10 Mar 2020. Ashes of Creation itself went on sale in Steam Early Access on 11 Dec 2025 and died seven weeks later, when Intrepid Studios closed; it has its own stone.
The prophet's first child.
5 May 2020 — 2021 · 1 yearEnplex Games · Survival MMO (session/wipe-based)
CauseDisastrous launch (11% positive at 100 reviews), player count fell to single digits, studio went silent
NoteSteam Early Access 5 May 2020. Servers went dark without announcement some weeks before 12 Apr 2021 and never returned; removed from Steam 26 Oct 2021. Exact day of death unrecorded.
Named itself and then achieved it.
10 Jul 2018 — 29 Apr 2021 · 3 yearsTrion Worlds · Trion Worlds; gamigo (from Oct 2018) · MMO third-person shooter
Causegamigo closed it with the original Defiance
NoteFree-to-play re-release of 2013's Defiance for PC/PS4/Xbox One. Both Defiance and Defiance 2050 closed 29 Apr 2021 2am PT (announced 24 Feb 2021). Fawkes Games licensed both in Mar 2025 but has only relaunched the 2013 game (18 Apr 2025); 2050 remains dead. (The 2013 Defiance has its own entry in the 2010-2014 era file.)
A remaster that died on the same day as the game it was meant to replace.
Dec 2019 — 16 Jun 2021 · 2 yearsNetEase Games · Online open-world RPG (VR-optional, SpatialOS; MMO-lite)
CauseNetEase: 'changes in business development'
NoteSteam (with optional VR) Dec 2019; PS4 (no VR) Dec 2020. Shutdown announced 17 Mar 2021 for 16 Jun 2021. Arguably not an MMO: a shared open world of modest capacity rather than a classic MMO.
NetEase's anime wasteland closed eighteen months after its trailers oversold it.
— Jul 2021Rogalia team · sandbox MMO
CauseAnalytics showed the game was no longer self-sustaining in cost, and the developer had no time to work on it.
NoteSmall indie sandbox MMO; closed by the end of July 2021.
Few heard of it. Its developer said goodbye anyway.
Dec 2018 — 18 Oct 2021 · 3 yearsStudio 8 (Barunson) · Barunson E&A (Korea; West 2019-20); Friends Games Corp. (West 2020-21) · MMORPG
CausePublisher Barunson exited in 2020; the developer-run Western service ran out of money
NoteKorea launched Dec 2018 (exact day not confirmed) and closed 16 Jan 2020. NA/EU buy-to-play launch 27 Sep 2019; free-to-play spin-off Astellia Royal launched Mar 2021; both Western versions shut 18 Oct 2021, 11 days before the announced 29 Oct date. An NFT relaunch 'Astel of Atra' (Dec 2022) closed 10 Feb 2023.
A trinity-class throwback that died at home first and abroad second.
14 Nov 2019 — 26 Oct 2021 · 2 yearsBlueside · Gameforge (NA/EU) · MMORPG / RTS hybrid
CauseGameforge ended the Western service after under two years
NoteWestern (Gameforge) service. Earlier regional services: SEA open beta 22 May 2014 (closed Apr 2017), China 2017, Russia (closed 20 Mar 2019). Western buy-to-play launch 14 Nov 2019; closure announced 17 Sep 2021.
A decade in development, two years in the West.
Mar 2021 — 29 Oct 2021 · under a yearBarunson E&A · MMORPG
CauseNo official explanation; it averaged under 30 Steam players a day.
NoteFree-to-play version of Astellia; NA/EU service closed the same day as Astellia Online.
The free version of a dying MMO died with it.
13 Jul 2017 — 17 Nov 2021 · 4 yearsNetEase · mobile MMORPG
CauseNot stated
NoteSoft-launched Apr 20, 2017; also released on Steam.
A mobile raiding MMO that closed four years after launch.
2021 — 2022 · 1 yearVirtual Realms · mobile MMORPG
CauseA security breach in which databases were accessed and the game's code was leaked.
NoteServers offline from mid-March 2022 after a breach; full shutdown announced on Discord.
Felled not by Chaos but by hackers.
2019 — 10 Jan 2022 · 3 yearsDuoyi · 101XP · MMORPG
Peak620 concurrent players on Steam, April 2019 (MMOs.com)
CauseNo reason given; MMOs.com noted players had fallen to a 24-hour peak of 6.
NoteOld-school fantasy MMORPG; in open beta by Sept 2019.
It closed with six players online.
23 Feb 2017 — 23 Aug 2022 · 5 yearsFairytale Distillery · MMORPG
CauseNever found an audience; servers reported near empty for years.
NotePvP-centric MMO; launch is Steam early access.
Built for PvP. Ran out of people to fight.
6 Jul 2021 — 22 Nov 2022 · 1 yearArtCraft Entertainment · MMORPG (throne-war PvP)
PeakKickstarter $1,766,205 (Mar 2015); ~$7.2M total crowdfunding by Jun 2016 (Wikipedia)
CauseTaken offline 'indefinitely' 16 months after launch for a redesign under new owner Monumental
NoteAcquired by Monumental (Dec 2022) 'to save it'; no relaunch as of Oct 2026.
Seven years of campaigns to build, sixteen months of play, then the throne war went dark.
10 Dec 2020 — 2023 · 3 yearsBluehole Studio (Krafton) · Kakao Games (Korea, NA/EU); Pmang/GameOn (Japan); Asiasoft (SEA) · MMORPG
CauseLow population; Kakao ended NA/EU service after ~14 months, Korea followed
NoteFormerly 'Ascent: Infinite Realm'. Korea 10 Dec 2020 - 2 Mar 2023; NA/EU 20 Oct 2021 - 7 Dec 2022; SEA closed 27 Apr 2023; Japan (launched 19 Nov 2021) closed 19 Sep (year not stated in sources, presumably 2023). Final-closure day not pinned down, hence year precision.
BelowiElyon · came back, and closed again ·
the door ↓ Reborn from Ascent: Infinite Realm, it fell to earth within two years in every region.
23 Mar 2017 — 2023 · 6 yearsWebzen · Webzen; later Valofe · MMORPG
CauseValofe said the game's problems were too large to fix and it would be rebuilt from scratch.
NoteLaunch date is Korea. Valofe took it offline in 2023 for a rework that never resurfaced; no formal sunset.
Taken down for repairs and never brought back.
— Apr 2023Celtaria Productions · MMORPG
PeakAbout 75,000 total players; about 200 concurrent at launch (Massively Overpowered)
CauseNot designed as a long-term project; player numbers and interest dwindled.
NoteRetro-styled PvP MMORPG; never left early access.
Seventy-five thousand players passed through before it abruptly closed.
2021 — 4 May 2023 · 2 yearsXLGames · Kakao Games · mobile MMORPG
CauseNot stated
NoteGlobal mobile and PC server, based on the Korean novel Legendary Moonlight Sculptor; ran about 1 year and 11 months.
Based on a novel about a virtual world, it outlived neither.
9 Jul 2021 — 30 Jun 2023 · 2 yearsWangyuan Shengtang (Aurogon) · Gameforge (NA/EU) · MMORPG
CauseGameforge: 'the player numbers simply aren't strong enough to sustain the game' despite a 2.0 update and free-to-play switch
NoteWestern service only. The Chinese original (Gujian Online) continues. Western launch 9 Jul 2021 (buy-to-play, later free-to-play); closure announced 1 Jun 2023.
A lavish wuxia import that could not hold a Western audience for two years.
25 Aug 2021 — 25 Aug 2023 · 2 yearsNetmarble Monster · Netmarble · mobile open-world RPG
CauseNot stated
NoteOpen-world Marvel action RPG for mobile; service scaled back in October 2022.
Shut down exactly two years to the day after launch.
2023 — 31 Oct 2023 · under a yearBlack Eye Games · MMORPG
PeakAbout 600 peak daily concurrent players (mmos.com)
CauseStudio ran out of money; launch did not bring expected players or income; team burnout
NoteRoughly a decade in early access; servers went off a few months after full launch. Gamigo announced a relaunch in 2026, not yet live.
Ten years in early access, a few months released. Switched off on Halloween.
7 Dec 2023 — 22 Jan 2024 · 1 yearFntastic · Mytona · Survival extraction shooter (marketed as an 'MMO survival' game)
CauseFntastic shut down four days after launch citing financial failure
NoteSteam Early Access 7 Dec 2023; studio closure announced 11 Dec 2023; refunds issued; servers closed 22 Jan 2024. Arguably not an MMO: sold as an MMO, played as an extraction shooter.
Steam's most-wishlisted 'MMO' lived forty-six days.
6 Mar 2017 — 13 Mar 2024 · 7 yearsNetEase · My.com / MY.GAMES (NA/EU) · MMORPG
CauseMy.Games ended all services after years of minimal updates
NoteWestern service only. Chinese original (Tianyu) launched in open beta June 2015 and continues. Western open beta/soft launch 6 Mar 2017 (founder's head start Feb 2017); closure announced 18 Dec 2023.
Eight years in Nuanor for Western players, long after the updates stopped.
Jan 2022 — 31 Mar 2024 · 2 yearsLevel Infinite (Proxima Beta, Tencent) · Level Infinite (Tencent) · Open-world survival MMO (cross-platform)
PeakPublisher claimed 'more than 3 million' players ahead of the Jul 2022 global launch (Level Infinite press release)
CauseNo official reason; years of thin updates and dwindling players
NoteInternational version only. Chinese original (Wangxiang Shanhai, 2021) continues. Southeast Asia launch Jan 2022 (sources give 6 or 10 Jan); global (NA/EU) 15 Jul 2022; closure announced 31 Jan 2024 for 31 Mar 2024.
Tencent's creature-fusing survival world lasted two years outside China.
28 Jul 2022 — 29 Apr 2024 · 2 yearsArchosaur Games · MMORPG
CauseReportedly earned about $5,000 a month (Sensor Tower); players left over localization and leveling balance.
NoteGlobal version on PC, iOS and Android; players offered migration to Dragon Raja.
Two years of open world, then a transfer slip to another game.
4 Dec 2023 — 18 May 2024 · 1 yearTwin Drums · MMORPG
Peak32 concurrent players at Steam launch (Delisted Games)
CauseTwin Drums said it had not found a sustainable path forward to keep supporting the game; financial difficulties.
NoteAfro-fantasy MMORPG; launched in early access.
An Afro-fantasy world that lasted five months in early access.
15 Aug 2023 — 11 Jun 2024 · 1 yearAirship Syndicate · Airship Syndicate (Digital Extremes until Nov 2023) · Online action RPG (hub-based, always-online F2P version)
CausePublisher exit; always-online version replaced by an offline co-op game
NoteNot a full death: the always-online free-to-play MMO-lite launched in early access 15 Aug 2023; after Digital Extremes dropped it, the game was delisted in early 2024 and relaunched 11 Jun 2024 as the offline/co-op 'Wayfinder: Echoes' (full paid release 21 Oct 2024). The online service version is what died.
The online version lasted ten months before the Wayfinders went offline-only.
Jan 2024 — 4 Jul 2024 · under a yearJandisoft · MMORPG
CauseNo specific reason given; followed design and stability problems the developer admitted were 'managed in a mad way.'
NoteGrimdark HTML5 MMORPG; launched on Steam in January 2024 after years of delays.
Years in development, six months online.
— 30 Oct 2024Lunarch Studios · Behaviour Interactive · online puzzle MMO
CauseNo official reason given; the always-online requirement was a major drawback.
NoteShared-world puzzle game; online servers removed and only an offline mode remains.
The puzzles still respawn. Nobody else is there to see them.
9 May 2024 — 18 Mar 2025 · 1 yearCitadel Studios · Sandbox MMORPG (subscription, Steam)
CauseThe Patreon no longer covered server costs and Citadel Studios was being dissolved
NoteThe 2019 version of Legends of Aria (Kickstarted in 2014 as Shards Online, full release July 2020), brought back as a subscription game on Steam after the blockchain relaunch. Servers closed 18 March 2025, 30 days after the announcement.
BelowLegends of Aria Eternal · back since 2026 ·
the door ↓ Kickstarted, renamed, put on a blockchain, taken off it, and finally out of money.
Dec 2017 — 6 Apr 2025 · 8 yearsOrbus Online · VR MMORPG
CauseStudio said it had 'tried to sustain the game as long as possible' before closing after eight years
NoteSteam Early Access Dec 2017 (exact day not confirmed); relaunched as OrbusVR: Reborn in 2019; sales ended 10 Feb 2025.
The first VR MMORPG ran for over seven years before its headset world went dark.
8 Nov 2024 — 30 Apr 2025 · 1 yearNPIXEL · MMORPG
Peak547 concurrent players on Steam (Notebookcheck)
CauseDeveloper cited difficulty providing continuous, stable service; players declined steadily
NoteGlobal PC and mobile service; launched in Japan in 2021. Reported $25 million budget.
Four years and $25 million to build. Under six months online.
2 Dec 2024 — 21 May 2025 · 1 yearBright Star Studios · MMORPG (blockchain/crypto)
Peak~35,000 land-plot applications in Jul 2021; $203M in land pledges, ~$11M actually raised from land plus ~$8M funding (Wikipedia)
CauseInsufficient funding; development and servers ended
NoteEarly Access 2 Dec 2024; announced and shut down the same day, 21 May 2025.
Seven years of development, six months of early access, two hundred million in pledges.
24 May 2018 — 30 May 2025 · 7 yearsPhoenix Labs · Phoenix Labs (Epic Games for PS4/Xbox One) · Online co-op action RPG (hub-based MMO-lite, not a persistent open world)
Peak15 million players at the 1.0 launch, Sep 2019 (VG247 via Wikipedia); 6 million by May 2019
CauseAfter Forte Labs' acquisition (2023), the 'Awakening' relaunch backlash and January 2025 layoffs, servers closed 30 May 2025
NotePC open beta 24 May 2018; console early access 21 May 2019; 1.0 on 26 Sep 2019; Switch 10 Dec 2019. Arguably not an MMO: instanced hunts from a shared hub.
Fifteen million Slayers, one blockchain owner, and a shutdown six years after open beta.
15 Sep 2022 — 15 Jun 2025 · 3 yearsDynamight Studios · gamigo (2022); Dynamight (2023-25); Happy Cauldron Games / Fractured Universe (owner from Mar 2025) · Sandbox MMORPG (isometric)
CauseTaken offline for a rebuild under new ownership
NoteSteam Early Access 15 Sep 2022 (gamigo); pulled back to closed development Jan 2023; returned Nov 2023; servers shut 15 Jun 2025 (announced 20 May 2025). A rebuilt 'Fractured: Conquest' by the new owner was still in playtests as of Oct 2026 (relaunch originally promised for Q1 2026). Treat as dead-with-asterisk.
Twice launched, twice withdrawn; the third life was still a playtest.
Jan 2024 — 7 Aug 2025 · 1 yearAllm (original Kritika) · VALOFE · MMORPG (instanced action brawler)
Peak355 concurrent on Steam (Massively OP)
CauseValofe ended the service; no reason given
NoteValofe's Western Kritika: launched January 2024 on its VFUN platform, on Steam from August 2024. Item sales and Steam downloads stopped 8 May 2025; servers closed 7 August 2025. At least the fourth Western Kritika to close.
The fourth or fifth time Kritika died in the West. Nobody is counting any more.
27 Sep 2022 — 27 Aug 2025 · 3 yearsNovaquark · Sci-fi sandbox MMO (single-shard)
PeakKickstarter EUR 565,983 from 8,000+ backers (Oct 2016)
CauseNovaquark sunset the official servers (announced 23 Jul 2025, delisted 25 Jul 2025)
NotePaid beta from Aug 2020 (alpha from Sep 2017); official release 27 Sep 2022. Official servers closed 27 Aug 2025; player-hosted servers continue.
The single-shard dream survived three years past launch, then lived on only in private hands.
21 Jun 2024 — 4 Nov 2025 · 1 yearLevel Infinite / Locojoy (Tencent) · Tencent (Level Infinite) · MMORPG
PeakSteam all-time peak only 583 concurrent (SteamDB via Mein-MMO); most players used the standalone launcher/mobile
CauseTencent ended service after ~16 months; no reason given
NoteGlobal (PC/mobile) version; Steam release 24 Oct 2024. Servers went offline overnight 3-4 Nov 2025 (announced 4 Sep 2025 with payments halted the same day).
Pitched as a WoW alternative for China's post-Blizzard era; it did not see a second anniversary.
11 Dec 2025 — 31 Jan 2026 · 1 yearIntrepid Studios · MMORPG (Steam Early Access)
PeakAbout 31,900 players at once on Steam at its Early Access launch (reported); its 2017 Kickstarter raised over $3.25M from 19,000+ backers (Wikipedia)
CauseThe studio collapsed seven weeks after the Early Access launch: the founder resigned in a dispute with the board and the staff were laid off
NoteAnnounced 2016; Kickstarted 2017; paid alpha tests from 2021; released on Steam Early Access 11 Dec 2025. Intrepid Studios closed on 31 Jan 2026 (a California WARN notice described a permanent closure); Steam stopped selling the game on 2 Feb 2026. The official servers have since gone dark, with no confirmed switch-off date. A court appointed a receiver to preserve the IP in Aug 2026.
BelowEvolve Community Server · being built ·
the door ↓ Nine years in the making. Seven weeks on sale.
21 Jan 2026 — Mar 2026 · under a yearNotorious Studios · mini-MMO action RPG
Peak3,642 concurrent players, May 2025 (Massively Overpowered)
CauseCEO Chris Kaleiki said it did not gain enough traction to sustain the studio financially long term.
NoteFormerly Legacy Steel and Sorcery; about a year in Steam early access before 1.0. Online play ran through end of March 2026.
Six weeks after its full launch, it announced its end.
2018 — 16 Mar 2026 · 8 yearsStikiPixels · sandbox MMO
CauseDevelopers had paid for servers out of pocket since 2022 and the game never became a financial success.
NoteAI-driven art gallery building MMO; left early access in 2022.
Eight years of player-curated galleries, then the lights went out.
2021 — Jul 2026 · 5 yearsMight and Delight · MMORPG
CauseLayoffs, a small player base, a content freeze and a move to maintenance mode.
NoteKickstarted 'tiny MMO'; survives only as an offline single-player mode.
A tiny online fairy tale that ended up playing alone.
22 Sep 2025 — 22 Sep 2026 · 1 yearHeroic Games · MMORPG
CauseA shrinking dev team slowed progress to a crawl; launch troubles, a box price plus subscription, and a dwindling playerbase.
NoteSuperhero MMO; sunset on the first anniversary of its launch.
Launched on September 22 and closed on September 22, one year later.
— 30 Sep 2026Lightspeed Studios / Square Enix · Tencent · mobile MMORPG
CauseOfficial statement cited adjustments in business operations and changes in the market environment; licensing deal ended.
NoteChina-only mobile adaptation of Final Fantasy XIV; the planned global version was canceled.
Eorzea in your pocket, for mainland China only, and not for long.
THE MAUSOLEUMSthe ones with money · 47 stones
1987 — 2001 · 14 yearsKesmai · Kesmai / Electronic Arts · MMO flight sim
PeakHundreds of users during busy periods (Wikipedia)
CauseDiscontinued by Electronic Arts in 2001; no further reason stated.
NoteCalled one of the first massive online games; EA bought it in 1999.
Hundreds of pilots shared one sky over dial-up long before the word MMO existed.
Oct 2001 — 29 Aug 2003 · 2 yearsEA Seattle · EA Games · MMO racing
CauseTaken offline so EA could focus on The Sims Online.
NoteWikipedia gives both October 29 and October 31, 2001 as release.
Hot rods parked for good so The Sims could move in.
Mar 2006 — 31 Jul 2007 · 1 yearKonami · MMO dating sim
CauseNot stated
NoteJapan only; an MMO built on the Tokimeki Memorial dating series.
A dating sim with thousands of classmates. The relationship lasted 16 months.
23 May 2005 — 21 May 2008 · 3 yearsWalt Disney Parks and Resorts / Sulake · Walt Disney Parks and Resorts · kids virtual world
CauseLaunched as a promotion for Disneyland's 50th anniversary and closed as one; Disney said it had 'no plans' to reopen it
Disney's theme-park virtual world, closed at 1:00 AM EST on 21 May 2008.
29 Jun 2010 — Sep 2010 · under a yearRealtime Worlds · Realtime Worlds / Electronic Arts (retail) · MMO third-person shooter
CauseRealtime Worlds entered administration 17 Aug 2010; closure of the original servers was announced 16 Sep 2010 and the game was taken offline within about a day (exact day not recorded)
NoteResurrected: K2 Network bought the game 11 Nov 2010 and relaunched it free-to-play as APB Reloaded in 2011 (GamersFirst, later Little Orbit); the PC version is still online, console versions closed in 2024. The original Realtime Worlds game is what died.
Realtime Worlds' lavishly funded shooter lasted 79 days before its studio collapsed.
21 Dec 2000 — 27 Dec 2010 · 10 yearsSonic Team · Sega · online action RPG (lobby-based, not a persistent open world)
Peak26,000 peak simultaneous users in 2001; 270,000+ registered by May 2001 (Wikipedia)
CauseNot stated on Wikipedia
NoteWestern Blue Burst (PC) servers closed 31 Mar 2008; Xbox NA 22 Apr 2008; GameCube/Dreamcast 30 Mar 2007; last official Sega servers (Blue Burst Japan) closed 27 Dec 2010
BelowEphinea · Ultima · Destiny (Blue Burst); Schthack · Sylverant (Dreamcast/GameCube) · back since ·
the door ↓ The first console online RPG; Sega's last servers closed in 2010.
4 Nov 2008 — May 2011 · 3 yearsSports Interactive · Sega · MMO sports management
Peak12 Game Worlds of up to 1,000 players each (Wikipedia)
CauseNot stated
NoteOnline multiplayer spin-off of Football Manager.
Thousands of managers shared one transfer market for two and a half seasons.
24 Apr 2007 — 1 Jun 2011 · 4 yearsMattel · kids virtual world
PeakAbout 3 million sign-ups in its first two months (Wikipedia)
CauseMattel said the Barbie brand was exploring new opportunities for girls to experience Barbie.
NoteBarbie-branded online virtual world; international versions closed April 30, 2011.
Once called the fastest-growing virtual world in history.
Sep 2009 — 1 Dec 2011 · 2 yearsElectronic Arts / Frima Studio · Electronic Arts · social MMO / virtual world
CauseNot stated; reason unknown
NoteMade with Hasbro for young girls.
A pet shop world from EA and Hasbro. Closed after two years.
26 Oct 2010 — 31 Jan 2012 · 2 yearsNetDevil · The Lego Group (distributed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment) · MMORPG (kids)
CauseLego said it had 'not been able to build a satisfactory revenue model in our target group'
NoteFounders' early access 8 Oct 2010. Servers went down at midnight on the night of 30/31 Jan 2012; the lead gives 31 Jan 2012.
BelowDarkflame Universe · came back, and closed again ·
the door ↓ Fifteen months of bricks; the revenue model never came together.
29 Jun 2010 — 8 Feb 2012 · 2 yearsThe Walt Disney Company · kids' MMO racing virtual world
CauseClosed by Disney on 8 Feb 2012; no reason recorded
NoteOpen beta began 1 Mar 2010; born date is the official site launch.
Radiator Springs went dark after twenty months.
12 Apr 2010 — Jul 2012 · 2 yearsHumaNature Studios · DreamWorks Animation · kids' virtual world (browser MMOG)
CauseDiscontinued and removed in July 2012; no reason recorded
DreamWorks' browser world for the film franchise lasted two years.
31 Aug 2006 — 28 Sep 2012 · 6 yearsSonic Team · Sega · online action RPG (lobby-based)
CauseLow usage (Western PC/PS2); not stated for other closures
NoteNorth American/PAL PC and PS2 servers closed 31 Mar 2010 'due to low levels of use'; Xbox 360 servers 7 Sep 2012; Japan 28 Sep 2012
PSO's successor; its Xbox 360 players held out until 2012.
30 Sep 2010 — 11 Nov 2012 · 2 yearsSquare Enix · MMORPG
Peak603,000 copies sold worldwide by Nov 2010 (Andriasang, citing Square Enix earnings, 5 Nov 2010)
CauseEngine and server architecture were 'critically flawed'; Square Enix replaced the leadership (Dec 2010), rebuilt the game from scratch and ended 1.0 with the in-game fall of Dalamud
NoteCollector's Edition owners could log in from 22 Sep 2010. Rebuilt and relaunched as A Realm Reborn (27 Aug 2013), which is alive.
The version Square Enix destroyed on purpose so the franchise could live.
25 Jun 2012 — 14 Jun 2013 · 1 yearPlayfish · Electronic Arts · social game (Facebook)
CauseNot stated
NoteClosed alongside The Sims Social and Pet Society.
A city built on Facebook, demolished within a year.
9 Aug 2011 — 17 Jun 2013 · 2 yearsPlayfish · Electronic Arts · social game (Facebook)
PeakOver 16 million players in its first week (Wikipedia)
CauseNot stated by EA; closure announced 2013-04-15.
NoteOver 65 million players in total; closed alongside SimCity Social and Pet Society.
Sixty-five million Facebook Sims, logged out at once.
13 Jan 2009 — 29 Aug 2013 · 4 yearsCartoon Network / Grigon Entertainment · Cartoon Network · kids MMORPG
CauseDevelopment stopped so Cartoon Network could focus on other games
BelowFusionFall Retro / Universe · a revival was stopped ·
the door ↓ Cartoon Network's crossover MMO, offline since 29 August 2013.
31 Oct 2007 — 19 Sep 2013 · 6 yearsDisney Online / SilverTree Media · Disney Online · kids/teen MMORPG
CauseNot stated; Disney announced the closure on 20 Aug 2013
BelowThe Legend of Pirates Online · back since 2016 ·
the door ↓ Disney's pirate MMO, sunk alongside Toontown on 19 September 2013.
20 Sep 2008 — 19 Sep 2013 · 5 yearsSchell Games (with Disney Interactive Studios / SilverTree Media) · Disney Interactive Studios · kids MMORPG
CauseNot stated on Wikipedia
Disney Fairies online, closed in the September 2013 Disney MMO cull.
12 Mar 2012 — 3 Mar 2014 · 2 yearsThree Rings Design · Sega / BBC Worldwide · browser MMO
CauseNot stated; the announcement only said the service would end.
NoteOfficial Doctor Who MMORPG.
It traveled through time, but not past March 2014.
20 Apr 2010 — 12 May 2014 · 4 yearsEA Phenomic · Electronic Arts · browser MMORTS
CauseEA announced the servers would be turned off; shut down 12 May 2014 at 07:00 UTC
NoteBorn date is the open-beta launch (free-to-play browser game; no separate retail launch).
EA's free-to-play strategy take on Ultima ran four years and died quietly.
16 Aug 2011 — 1 Jul 2014 · 3 yearsRobot Entertainment; Gas Powered Games (from Feb 2011) · Microsoft Studios · MMORTS (persistent capital city)
CauseDevelopment ended 3 Jan 2013; closure blamed on content being 'too expensive to maintain' for a small daily active userbase (Polygon; GDC talk)
BelowProject Celeste · back since 2017 ·
the door ↓ Microsoft's free-to-play Age of Empires: too costly to feed, dead at three.
7 Aug 2013 — 29 Aug 2014 · 1 yearMythic Entertainment, Escalation Studios · Electronic Arts · online action RPG
CauseNot stated
NoteFree-to-play cross-platform online Ultima for iOS.
The Avatar's quest on phones lasted one year.
30 Jan 2007 — Sep 2014 · 7 yearsNickelodeon · social MMO / virtual world
PeakOver 7 million registered users by July 2008 (Wikipedia)
CauseNot stated
NoteRedesigned as The Club on 2010-05-19; The Club closed September 2014.
Nick.com's virtual city, closed after seven years.
20 Sep 2011 — 15 Sep 2014 · 3 yearsStairway Games · Perfect World Entertainment (NA); Windysoft (Korea); Sega (Japan) · MMO action RPG (instanced hack-and-slash)
CausePerfect World sunset the Western service; no reason given
NoteBorn date is the North American launch; Korea 11 May 2011, Japan 13 Dec 2012, China 8 Aug 2013. Western closure announced 29 Jul 2014.
BelowRusty Hearts: Revolution · back since ·
the door ↓ Anime vampire-hunting brawler; three years and out.
17 Mar 2011 — 26 Sep 2014 · 3 yearsBehaviour Interactive · Nickelodeon · kids' MMO
CauseNickelodeon cited a 'shifting focus towards other digital and mobile experiences' (announced 14 Aug 2014)
BelowMonkey Quest Reborn · a revival was stopped ·
the door ↓ Nickelodeon's monkey kingdom lost to mobile after three and a half years.
11 Oct 2013 — 1 Jun 2015 · 2 yearsWB Games Montreal · Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment · MMORPG
CauseNot stated
NoteiOS version followed March 10, 2014.
Another Lego world, closed after twenty months.
27 Jul 2010 — 14 Jul 2015 · 5 yearsEA Black Box / EA Singapore (later Easy Studios) · Electronic Arts · MMO racing
Peak1,000,000 registrations by Sep 2010 (EA news post, 9 Sep 2010); 20 million registered users reported Nov 2012 (browsergamez.com)
CauseEA said the game 'no longer lives up to the high standard set by the Need for Speed franchise' (announcement 15 Apr 2015)
NoteWent free-to-play 8 Sep 2010.
BelowSoapbox Race World · back since 2017 ·
the door ↓ EA's free-to-play racing MMO ran five years before it was switched off.
2015 — 20 Jan 2016 · 1 yearUnited Front Games · Square Enix · online open-world game
CauseNever left beta; developers said 'we know it wasn't right for many of you.'
NoteOnline Sleeping Dogs spin-off; entered beta in early 2015 and never left it.
A Sleeping Dogs spin-off that never left beta.
3 Dec 2015 — 31 Oct 2016 · 1 yearUbisoft Shanghai · Ubisoft · browser MMO strategy
CausePoor performance and a shift in focus to other projects.
NoteLaunch date is open beta; closure announced 2016-08-25.
A world war that lasted eleven months.
10 Apr 2014 — 1 Dec 2016 · 2 yearsUbisoft Singapore · Ubisoft · online tactical shooter
CauseA slow but steady decline in users.
NoteFormerly Ghost Recon Online; shutdown announced 2016-08-25.
Cover-based to the end. Taken down by a slow, steady decline.
29 Apr 2011 — 11 Jan 2017 · 6 yearsThe Amazing Society / Gazillion Entertainment · Gazillion Entertainment · kids' MMORPG
CauseShut down 11 Jan 2017, ten months before Gazillion itself was liquidated; no reason given
NoteBorn date is the US open-beta launch; Europe 4 Nov 2011.
Gazillion's first Marvel MMO closed the year the studio died.
22 Nov 2002 — 31 Jan 2017 · 15 yearsTurbine Entertainment Software · Microsoft Game Studios (2002-2003) / Turbine (2003-2005) / Warner Bros. Interactive (2012-2017) · MMORPG
Cause2005: insufficient subscribers. 2017: closed with Asheron's Call during the Turbine/Standing Stone split
NoteFirst shut down 30 Dec 2005; revived Dec 2012 as a beta for Asheron's Call subscribers; closed for good 31 Jan 2017
BelowAC2 emulator · Dereth Reborn · being built ·
the door ↓ Died in 2005, came back in 2012, and died again beside its parent in 2017.
24 Oct 2005 — 29 Mar 2017 · 12 yearsNew Horizon Interactive / RocketSnail Games; Disney Interactive Studios · Disney Canada Inc. · kids virtual world
PeakMore than 200 million registered user accounts by July 2013 (Wikipedia, citing Variety); 700,000 paid subscribers at Disney's 2007 acquisition (Marketing)
CauseDiscontinued to make way for its mobile successor Club Penguin Island (itself closed 2018)
BelowClub Penguin Online · a revival was stopped ·
the door ↓ Two hundred million registered accounts; Disney closed it for Club Penguin Island in March 2017.
19 Mar 2013 — 31 Jan 2018 · 5 yearsUbisoft Blue Byte · Ubisoft · browser MMO strategy
CauseNot stated
NoteFree-to-play browser Anno; in maintenance mode from September 2017.
Its islands were settled for five years, then abandoned.
Feb 2017 — Sep 2018 · 1 yearBandai Namco · mobile online RPG
CauseNot stated
NoteJapan-only mobile game; never released in the West.
A Japan-only god eater that lasted about a year and a half.
25 Oct 2016 — 14 Dec 2018 · 2 yearsWebzen / Onnet · Bandai Namco Entertainment America · MMO golf
CauseNot stated
NoteSteam release; open beta began 2016-01-14.
Last tee time: 3:00 PM PST.
29 Mar 2017 — 20 Dec 2018 · 1 yearDisney Canada · Disney Mobile · Kids' virtual world (mobile/PC)
CauseDisney cited 'global competition' and laid off the team
NoteSoft launch Australia/NZ 15 Dec 2016; worldwide mobile 29 Mar 2017; PC/Mac 30 Nov 2017. Replaced the original Club Penguin (closed 30 Mar 2017). Shutdown announced 27 Sep 2018; apps removed 20 Nov 2018; servers off 20 Dec 2018; offline mode 21 Dec 2018.
Disney's replacement penguin world lasted twenty-one months.
30 Sep 2015 — 25 Apr 2019 · 4 yearsCROOZ · Square Enix · mobile MMORPG
CauseNot stated
NoteJapan-only mobile Final Fantasy MMORPG.
A pocket-sized Final Fantasy MMO that lasted three and a half years.
31 Aug 2015 — 5 Dec 2019 · 4 yearsCapcom · MMORPG
Peak1 million downloads within ten days of release in Japan (GameSpot, 10 Sep 2015)
CauseService ended after four years; closure announced 4 Jul 2019
NoteJapan only (PS3/PS4/Windows); never released outside Japan.
Belowa fan server (Wyrm Hunt / The White Dragon Temple) · being built ·
the door ↓ Capcom's only MMORPG never left Japan and closed after four years.
21 Jun 2007 — 18 Dec 2019 · 12 yearsCapcom · MMORPG
Peak4.5 million registered players by August 2014 (Wikipedia, Monster Hunter Frontier G)
CauseNot stated
NoteJapan only; rumored Western release never materialized.
BelowErupe · Rain server · back since ·
the door ↓ Twelve years of hunting that never left Japan.
2015 — 31 Dec 2019 · 4 yearsTencent · Tencent (licensed from Capcom) · MMORPG
CauseTencent and Capcom's licensing contract ended without being renewed.
NoteChina-only PC release.
The hunt ended when the contract did.
30 Sep 2014 — Dec 2020 · 6 yearsBlue Byte · Ubisoft · browser MMORPG
CauseNot stated
NoteFree-to-play browser Heroes of Might and Magic spin-off.
Heroes, might and magic, in a browser tab that finally closed.
23 Feb 2006 — 28 Sep 2022 · 16 yearsPuraguru/Multiterm, later SoftGear · Square Enix / Gamepot (JP); Gamepot USA (NA) · MMO action / RTS hybrid
PeakOne million registered players by 2011 (Wikipedia, citing 4Gamer.net); registered active users rose from 200,000 to 700,000 between 2007 and 2009
CauseNot stated for Japan; Taiwan closed on licence expiry
NoteNorth American service 18 May 2010 - 24 Mar 2011; Taiwan closed 1 Jul 2013; Japan closed 28 Sep 2022
Square Enix's 50-vs-50 war game, a Japanese fixture for sixteen years.
2 Dec 2014 — 31 Mar 2024 · 10 yearsUbisoft Ivory Tower / Ubisoft Reflections · Ubisoft · online-only racing (persistent open world, MMO-style)
Peak12 million players by May 2017 (Gamereactor); 5 million by May 2016 (Destructoid); 2 million units shipped by 1 Jan 2015 (Ubisoft)
CauseUbisoft cited 'upcoming server infrastructure and licensing constraints'
NoteWikipedia never calls it an MMO ('online-only', 'persistent open world', 'large-scale multiplayer'); included as a borderline persistent-world title. Delisted 14 Dec 2023; licences revoked from buyers in Apr 2024, sparking the Stop Killing Games campaign.
BelowThe Crew Unlimited · back since 2025 ·
the door ↓ Always-online racer whose death made 'Stop Killing Games' a movement.
14 Jun 2023 — 18 Jan 2025 · 2 yearsBandai Namco Online / Bandai Namco Studios · Bandai Namco Online (Japan) · MMORPG
PeakOver 200,000 concurrent players in Japan at launch, a Bandai Namco record (Automaton, 21 Jun 2023)
CauseBandai Namco ended service after 19 months; no reason given beyond the game 'not meeting expectations'
NoteJapan only (PC 14 Jun 2023; PS5/Xbox Series 13 Dec 2023). Amazon Games' Western version was cancelled with the shutdown announcement (27-28 Aug 2024). Tencent's separately developed 'Blue Protocol: Star Resonance' (2025) is a different game.
Japan's record-breaking anime MMO closed before the West ever got to play it.
28 May 2024 — 30 May 2025 · 1 yearPlayer First Games · Warner Bros. Games · Online platform fighter (free-to-play live service; not an MMO)
CauseWarner Bros. ended service a year after the relaunch (announced 31 Jan 2025); in-game purchases stopped at once
NoteArguably not an MMO: an online live-service fighter, here with the other always-online games. Open beta July 2022, taken offline June 2023, relaunched 28 May 2024. Online play ended 30 May 2025 at 9 a.m. PT after a fifth and final season; local and AI matches remain.
Taken down once to be rebuilt, brought back, and switched off a year later.
THE UNBORNannounced. built. never opened. · 62 stones
never opened · cancelled 2000Wombat Games
WhyStudio closed in August 2000 after failing to find funding or a publisher
Cancelled 2000. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2001Netamin · SK Corp
WhyPut on indefinite hold over creative differences with its Korean partners
Cancelled 2001. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2001Origin Systems · Electronic Arts
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2001. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2002Cryo Interactive
WhyCryo closed and the game died after a failed deal with the company's creditors
Cancelled 2002. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2002Kalisto Entertainment
WhyDied with the studio when Kalisto was liquidated
Cancelled 2002. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2002VR1 Entertainment
WhyDevelopment suspended; VR1 called it a massive undertaking and stepped back
Cancelled 2002. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2002Funcom
WhyPlaced on permanent hold as Funcom focused on Anarchy Online and other projects
Cancelled 2002. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2002Paradox Entertainment
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2002. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2003Realm Interactive · NCSoft
WhyDropped and rebooted into a different MMORPG, Exarch
Cancelled 2003. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2004Codemasters
WhyServer code could not support the expected player numbers and fixing it was judged too costly
Cancelled 2004. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2004Realm Interactive · NCSoft
WhyPut on hold, then cancelled; the team was moved to Austin to work on other projects
Cancelled 2004. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2004Microsoft Game Studios
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2004. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2004Level-5 · Microsoft Game Studios
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2004. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2004Origin Systems · Electronic Arts
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2004. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2005Mythic Entertainment
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2005. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2005Mutable Realms
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2005. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2006Webzen
WhyJudged not innovative enough in a product review; staff moved to SUN and APB
Cancelled 2006. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2007Micro Forte
WhyDevelopment was refocused on a spy-themed MMO
Cancelled 2007. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2007Sega
WhyQuietly halted after the JC Entertainment partnership soured; no official reason given
Cancelled 2007. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2008Ensemble Studios · Microsoft Game Studios
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2008. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2008Cryptic Studios · Microsoft Game Studios
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2008. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2008Perpetual Entertainment
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2008. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2009Tecmo
WhyDevelopment time needed was too long and market forecasts did not justify continuing
Cancelled 2009. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2009Simutronics
WhyYears of delays and long development; quietly put on indefinite hold as staff were reassigned and laid off
Cancelled 2009. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2009Jagex
WhyJagex said it could not avoid the pitfalls of RuneScape; scrapping it cost millions and Stellar Dawn replaced it
Cancelled 2009. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2010HonourBound · Alchemic Dream
WhyEngine issues, overwhelming ambitions and loss of funds
Cancelled 2010. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2010Superstition Studios
WhyDied when parent Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment collapsed into bankruptcy
Cancelled 2010. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2010Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment · FireSky
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
BelowThe Fifth Race · back since 2026 ·
the door ↓ Cancelled 2010. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2011NetDevil · Codemasters
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2011. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2011Sony Online Entertainment (Seattle) · Sony Online Entertainment
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2011. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2012Working As Intended
WhyFinancial issues; development was suspended and never resumed
Cancelled 2012. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2012Interplay Entertainment / Masthead Studios · Interplay Entertainment
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2012. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2012Neowiz · Capcom
WhyCapcom and Neowiz agreed to stop over quality and development time
Cancelled 2012. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 201238 Studios
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2012. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2012Gameforge
WhyGameforge could not find a publishing or marketing partner
Cancelled 2012. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2012Hi-Rez Studios
WhyHi-Rez chose to focus on Tribes: Ascend instead
Cancelled 2012. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2012Vigil Games · THQ
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2012. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2013DRAGO Entertainment · gamigo
WhyPublisher gamigo pulled out and a rescue Kickstarter failed
Cancelled 2013. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2013BioWare Mythic · Electronic Arts
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2013. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2014Forsaken Studios
WhyCollapsed under the weight of its own ambitions
Cancelled 2014. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2014Petroglyph Games, then Trion Worlds · Trion Worlds
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2014. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2014Nexon
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2014. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2014Blizzard Entertainment
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2014. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2014Jagex
WhyCancelled in beta; beta servers shut down in January 2015
Cancelled 2014. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2014CCP Games
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2014. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2015CCP Games
WhyCancelled and replaced by Project Nova
Cancelled 2015. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2016Undead Labs
WhyStudio switched to co-op; said the zombie MMO idea came four or five years too late
Cancelled 2016. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2016Sony Online Entertainment / Daybreak Game Company · Daybreak Game Company
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2016. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2016Lionhead Studios · Microsoft Studios
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2016. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2016IllFonic
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2016. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2017Radiant Worlds · Smilegate
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2017. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2019Automaton Games
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2019. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2019Thingsoft (Nexon) · Nexon
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2019. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2020Soulbound Studios
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2020. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2020Echtra Games · Perfect World Entertainment
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2020. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2021Cryptic Studios · Perfect World Entertainment
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2021. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2021Amazon Game Studios / Athlon Games (Leyou) · Amazon Games
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2021. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2022Blizzard Entertainment / NetEase · Blizzard / NetEase
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2022. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2022Daybreak Game Company (Dimensional Ink) · Enad Global 7
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2022. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2024Twin Drums
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2024. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2025ZeniMax Online Studios · Xbox Game Studios / Bethesda
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2025. The plot was dug anyway.
never opened · cancelled 2025Jackalyptic Games · NetEase Games
WhyAnnounced. Built, for years. Never opened to the public.
Cancelled 2025. The plot was dug anyway.
THE UNDERCROFTthe ones that came back · 80 doors · as of 19 Oct 2026
Under the plaza there is a hall with a door for every dead MMO that people are playing again: run by fans, relaunched by its owners, or rebuilt from released code. It opens in the game when the Frost Wyrm dies; here it is as a list, in the order the games closed. 43 lit · 18 ajar · 6 crown · 5 dark · 8 boarded.
This is a record, not a recommendation. Each door says who keeps it and on what terms, and links only to the project's own page and the source we checked. Revivals change faster than graves: every status is as of the date above.
Habitat
closed 1988 · back since 2017LIT · someone is in
NeoHabitat · fan-run, without a licence · kept by its co-creator and volunteers
The first graphical MMO (Lucasfilm, 1986), restored by its own co-creator F. Randall Farmer with volunteers and hosted by The MADE. Playable in a browser with the original Commodore 64 client in an emulator, or a web client, or a real C64 with a WiFi modem.
Earth & Beyond
closed 22 Sep 2004LIT · someone is in
Net-7 (the Earth & Beyond Emulator) · fan-run, without a licence · kept by Net-7 Entertainment, volunteers
EA gave the game two years. The emulator has given it most of two decades: a full working galaxy, a forum of 37,000 members and events still running in 2026.
Auto Assault
closed 31 Aug 2007AJAR · being built
an emulator, stalled · fan-run, without a licence · kept by nobody, at the moment
Stalled until more help arrives.
Virtual Magic Kingdom
closed 21 May 2008 · back since 2013LIT · someone is in
MyVMK · fan-run, without a licence · kept by Amy and volunteers
Rebuilt in 2013 by one coder, Amy, from a scrambled cache of the original client (she wrote a decompiler for the Shockwave format to do it). A new client written from scratch is replacing the old one.
The Sims Online
closed 1 Aug 2008 · back since 2017 · closed again Dec 2024DARK · it came back, and closed again
FreeSO · licensed by the rights holder · kept by Rhys Simpson and volunteers, with EA's blessing
A non-commercial re-implementation that EA approved; open beta on 6 January 2017 (a thousand accounts crashed it on day one). Closed in December 2024 after nearly eight years. An archive client, for hosting your own, was in development.
RF Online
closed 9 Nov 2008LIT · someone is in
RF Altruism (and many others) · fan-run, without a licence · kept by various operators
charges money (cash shops)
The Western game has died twice (Codemasters 2008, the later service 2023); private servers never stopped. Many run cash shops; Altruism is the one recommended for not doing so.
Hellgate: London
closed 31 Jan 2009 · back since 2017LIT · someone is in
London 2038 · fan-run, without a licence · kept by volunteers
Restores the original Flagship multiplayer (the 2009 one, not Hanbit's later Global service): alpha open to everyone from 2017, beta from Halloween 2020. Needs a copy of the game.
Tabula Rasa
closed 28 Feb 2009AJAR · being built
Infinite Rasa · open source: the code is out, anyone can run it · kept by volunteers
Seventeen years after NCSoft shut it, a development server finally takes a login from the last client (October 2026). No public server; the open-source emulator (Rasa.Net) is for people who can run it themselves and file bugs.
Shadowbane
closed 1 Jul 2009LIT · someone is in
Shadowbane Emulator (SBEmu, "Magicbane") · World of Shadowbane (Changyou) · fan-run, without a licence · kept by volunteers; and Changyou, officially, in China
Fans rebuilt it from the original code and run it in seasons with full wipes (Season 5 began June 2019). Separately, Changyou bought the rights in 2015 and has relaunched it in China as World of Shadowbane, with an international Steam version long promised.
The Matrix Online
closed 31 Jul 2009AJAR · being built
MXOEmu · Hardline Dreams · open source: the code is out, anyone can run it · kept by a handful of volunteers
No full emulator exists; MXOEmu lets people walk the city together, which is roughly what the last 500 players were doing when Sony turned it off.
Stargate Worlds
never released · opened by fans 9 Sep 2026LIT · someone is in
The Fifth Race · fan-run, without a licence · kept by volunteers
Cancelled in 2010 before it ever launched. Fans rebuilt the server side from scratch (C, Python, PostgreSQL) around the 2008 closed-beta client and opened it to everyone on 9 September 2026: an alpha, free, with only a few quests so far. The only door down here for a world that never had a first life, and it has a light under it now.
The Chronicles of Spellborn
closed Aug 2010 · back since 2019LIT · someone is in
Spellborn Reborn · fan-run, without a licence · kept by a former developer
Run by a former developer on a server of his own; playable since at least 2019, open beta, moved to new hardware in 2023.
Phantasy Star Online
closed 27 Dec 2010LIT · someone is in
Ephinea · Ultima · Destiny (Blue Burst); Schthack · Sylverant (Dreamcast/GameCube) · fan-run, without a licence · kept by several volunteer teams
The PC Blue Burst servers (Ephinea's drop system dates from 2015) and the console ones have outlived Sega's by fifteen years.
Earth Eternal
closed 24 Nov 2011AJAR · being built
Terra Aeterna · fan-run, without a licence · kept by volunteers
A revival in the works, with a fan expansion (Valkal's Shadow).
Star Wars Galaxies
closed 15 Dec 2011 · back since 2006LIT · someone is in
SWGEmu (Finalizer) · SWG Legends · Restoration · and a dozen more · fan-run, without a licence · kept by several volunteer teams
SWGEmu was founded in 2004 to rebuild the pre-Combat-Upgrade game from scratch (open source under the AGPL); a 2013 leak of the 2010 production source let other projects run the later NGE game (SWG Legends, Beyond, Restoration). Twenty-odd servers, every era of the game, more than a decade after Sony turned it off.
LEGO Universe
closed 31 Jan 2012 · back since 2021 · closed again Dec 2021DARK · it came back, and closed again
Darkflame Universe · open source: the code is out, anyone can run it · kept by nobody, publicly; the code is yours
The emulator ran a public server, then shut it down after talks with the LEGO Group and released its source code on 5 December 2021. Nobody runs a public world; anyone can run a private one.
Infantry Online
closed Mar 2012 · back since 2012LIT · someone is in
Free Infantry · fan-run, without a licence · kept by volunteers
Kept running by fans from the week Sony closed it, with weekly events; put on Steam, free, 25 years after the game launched.
EverQuest Online Adventures
closed 29 Mar 2012AJAR · being built
Project: Return Home · fan-run, without a licence · kept by volunteers
The PS2 EverQuest, which never had a PC client, being brought back one packet at a time.
Jumpgate
closed 30 Apr 2012 · back since 2013LIT · someone is in
Jumpgate TRI · fan-run, without a licence · kept by community members
The 2001 space sim, kept flying by community members hosting their own server database since NetDevil collapsed.
Phantasy Star Universe
closed 28 Sep 2012 · back since 2020LIT · someone is in
Clementine · fan-run, without a licence · kept by volunteers
A working server since 2020.
Final Fantasy XIV (1.0)
closed 11 Nov 2012AJAR · being built
Project Meteor · open source: the code is out, anyone can run it · kept by volunteers
A server emulator for the last 1.0 patch (1.23b): you can walk Eorzea as it was before Bahamut fell and try on gear; quests and story mostly aren't there. No public server; you run it yourself. The only way to see the version Square Enix erased.
Darkfall
closed 15 Nov 2012 · back since 2017CROWNED · brought back with permission
Darkfall: Rise of Agon (and New Dawn) · licensed by the rights holder · kept by Big Picture Games, then volunteers with the licence
Aventurine licensed the dead game to two small companies in 2016; Rise of Agon launched on 5 May 2017 and is now run by volunteers with the IP rights, with a fresh server in January 2026. New Dawn launched in January 2018.
City of Heroes
closed 30 Nov 2012 · back since 2019CROWNED · brought back with permission
Homecoming · licensed by the rights holder · kept by volunteers, licensed by NCSoft
A secret server (SCoRE) ran for six years before it leaked in April 2019; Homecoming opened its first public server on 25 April 2019 and ~100,000 people were playing by July. On 4 January 2024 NCSoft granted it a licence: the only major fan server playing a legally sanctioned version of a dead MMO. Other servers (Rebirth and more) carry on outside the licence.
Glitch
closed 9 Dec 2012 · back since 2019LIT · someone is in
Odd Giants · Eleven Giants · open source: the code is out, anyone can run it · kept by volunteers, with the assets given away
Tiny Speck released the art and code under CC0 a year after closing (and went on to make Slack). Eleven began alpha testing in December 2014; Odd Giants launched in January 2019 and had over 1,200 registered players by 2022.
FusionFall
closed 29 Aug 2013 · back since 2020LIT · someone is in
OpenFusion · open source: the code is out, anyone can run it · kept by volunteers
Cartoon Network's DMCA notices closed the FusionFall Retro/Universe servers in April 2020. Four months later OpenFusion, an open-source server, appeared (18 August 2020), with public servers for the original and Academy versions. Boarded once, then open again.
FusionFall
closed 29 Aug 2013 · a revival was stoppedBOARDED · stopped by the owner
FusionFall Retro / Universe · fan-run, without a licence
Stopped: closed by Cartoon Network DMCA notices in April 2020 (OpenFusion followed).
Pirates of the Caribbean Online
closed 19 Sep 2013 · back since 2016LIT · someone is in
The Legend of Pirates Online · fan-run, without a licence · kept by the TLOPO Crew
Announced in March 2015, two years after Disney closed the game; a decade of reverse-engineering (2013-2023) rebuilt all of it, with new quests and weapons since. Still 'open beta' by name. A preservation archive of the original game opened in 2023.
Toontown Online
closed 19 Sep 2013 · back since 2013LIT · someone is in
Toontown Rewritten · Toontown: Corporate Clash · fan-run, without a licence · kept by the Toons of the World Foundation
Rewritten's alpha opened five weeks after Disney closed the game (28 October 2013), open beta September 2014, 'release' September 2017; over two million accounts by 2024, run by a non-profit that takes no donations, runs no ads and removed the Disney characters ('we try not to poke the bear'). Corporate Clash (June 2018) is the other big one, with its own story.
Dragon Ball Online
closed 31 Oct 2013 · back since 2018LIT · someone is in
Dragon Ball Online Global · DBO Galaxy · DBOG Revival · DBO Omega · fan-run, without a licence · kept by several volunteer teams
A game that never came West is played in English by hundreds of thousands: DBO Global's open beta opened on 1 March 2018 with 600,000 accounts already registered; several servers run today.
Warhammer Online
closed 18 Dec 2013 · back since 2014LIT · someone is in
Return of Reckoning · fan-run, without a licence · kept by 22 volunteers (2019)
Running since September 2014; still active in 2026. In 2019: 22 volunteers, 240,000 registered accounts, ~800 online at European prime time (cap 1,500). No donations, no money. Games Workshop and EA have never moved against it.
ArchLord
closed 1 Jan 2014LIT · someone is in
Archonia · Justac · World of Chantra · Custom-ArchLord · fan-run, without a licence · kept by various operators
charges money (cash shops)
Several private servers with their own rates; some charge. ArchLord 2 has none.
Free Realms
closed 31 Mar 2014AJAR · being built
FR Sunrise · OSFR · open source: the code is out, anyone can run it · kept by volunteers
Sunrise's development looked halted by 2024; OSFR, an open-source emulator, is in development.
Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures
closed 31 Mar 2014 · back since 2022AJAR · being built
CWAEmu · Oxide · fan-run, without a licence · kept by volunteers
A closed alpha since 2022 with the Coruscant hub, housing, pets and eight mini-games; quests and combat still to come. Oxide is an open-source emulator in development.
Age of Empires Online
closed 1 Jul 2014 · back since 2017LIT · someone is in
Project Celeste · fan-run, without a licence · kept by volunteers
Free, with every content pack, and new civilisations Microsoft never shipped (the Romans, then the Indians); runs under Microsoft's Game Content Usage Rules without its involvement.
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes
closed 31 Jul 2014 · back since 2019AJAR · being built
VGOEmulator · fan-run, without a licence · kept by volunteers
Work began in 2013, the year before Sony closed it; an incomplete test server has been open for years and had over a hundred people on it at a time in 2022. 'Not a fully live-state game', and in active development.
Wizardry Online
closed 31 Jul 2014AJAR · being built
Wizardry Online private server · fan-run, without a licence · kept by volunteers
Volunteers working from the Japanese client (the last version): a test server where you can walk the towns and dungeons; combat and most monsters not yet (December 2021).
Rusty Hearts
closed 15 Sep 2014LIT · someone is in
Rusty Hearts: Revolution · fan-run, without a licence · kept by volunteers
Run by volunteers.
Monkey Quest
closed 26 Sep 2014 · a revival was stoppedBOARDED · stopped by the owner
Monkey Quest Reborn · fan-run, without a licence
Stopped: a non-profit fan project ended by a corporate crackdown in 2021.
PlayStation Home
closed 31 Mar 2015 · back since 2021AJAR · being built
Destination Home · PSONE · fan-run, without a licence · kept by volunteers
A non-profit preservation of Sony's PS3 lobby world from data players donated off their own consoles: offline since 2021 on modded PS3s and emulators, with online lobbies via the PSONE group in closed beta. Takes no money.
Need for Speed: World
closed 14 Jul 2015 · back since 2017LIT · someone is in
Soapbox Race World · fan-run, without a licence · kept by volunteers
Fans reverse-engineered the game; the first servers went online in 2017.
RaiderZ
closed 7 Aug 2015LIT · someone is in
RaiderZ Revolution · fan-run, without a licence · kept by an operator
A private server; the official 2020s revival looks dead.
Face of Mankind
closed 31 Aug 2015 · back since 2026LIT · someone is in
Empire Rising · fan-run, without a licence · kept by volunteers
New worlds, weapons and engine work on top of the original; open beta recently.
Ether Saga Odyssey
closed 4 Jan 2016LIT · someone is in
Ether Saga Online · fan-run, without a licence · kept by an operator
A private server.
SMT: Imagine
closed 24 May 2016 · a revival was stoppedBOARDED · stopped by the owner
ReIMAGINE · fan-run, without a licence
Stopped: offline since September 2022 after legal action by Atlus.
Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine
closed 24 May 2016LIT · someone is in
New Moon · New Order (ReIMAGINE, closed) · fan-run, without a licence · kept by volunteers
ReIMAGINE went offline in September 2022 after legal action by Atlus; two other servers run. (Boarded once.)
PlanetSide
closed 1 Jul 2016 · back since 2017LIT · someone is in
PSForever · fan-run, without a licence · kept by volunteers
Launched in early 2017, six months after the shutdown, to preserve the original MMOFPS's server behaviour; fan updates since.
Panfu
closed Nov 2016 · a revival was stoppedBOARDED · stopped by the owner
Panfu.world / OpenPanfu · fan-run, without a licence
Stopped: a Unity remake discontinued in January 2018; a demo ran 2019-2021; the domain has expired.
Marvel Super Hero Squad Online
closed 11 Jan 2017LIT · someone is in
SHSO Forever · fan-run, without a licence · kept by volunteers
A fan remake, playable as of 2024.
Asheron's Call
closed 31 Jan 2017 · back since 2018LIT · someone is in
ACEmulator (ACE) · GDLEnhanced · fan-run, without a licence · kept by several volunteer teams
Two emulators and about forty servers; the biggest, Coldeve, shows close to a thousand players online at a time, nine years after Turbine turned the lights out (and after fans tried to buy the game to keep it).
Asheron's Call 2
closed 31 Jan 2017AJAR · being built
AC2 emulator · Dereth Reborn · fan-run, without a licence · kept by volunteers
An emulator with limited functionality, and an Unreal Engine 5 rebuild (Dereth Reborn), both on Discord. Not playable as a game yet.
Landmark
closed 21 Feb 2017AJAR · being built
Landmark RE:Build · fan-run, without a licence · kept by volunteers
Progressing very slowly, on Discord.
Club Penguin
closed 29 Mar 2017 · back since 2017 · closed again 13 Apr 2022DARK · it came back, and closed again
Club Penguin Rewritten (closed) · New Club Penguin · fan-run, without a licence · kept by volunteers; the big one was closed by the police
Rewritten opened on 12 February 2017, a month before Disney's own shutdown, and reached over eleven million accounts. On 13 April 2022 it was closed at Disney's request: the City of London Police seized the site and arrested three people. Club Penguin Online had gone the same way in 2020. Smaller servers (New Club Penguin) carry on.
Club Penguin
closed 29 Mar 2017 · a revival was stoppedBOARDED · stopped by the owner
Club Penguin Online · fan-run, without a licence
Stopped: closed in 2020 after a Disney copyright claim (and Rewritten, above, in 2022).
Marvel Heroes
closed 27 Nov 2017 · back since 2025LIT · someone is in
Project T.A.H.I.T.I. · fan-run, without a licence · kept by volunteers
A test shard since early 2025 with characters, combat and zones working (crafting, grouping and PvP not yet); about 130 people on it in March 2025; no charges, no donations; to be wiped at 1.0.
Battle of the Immortals
closed Jan 2018LIT · someone is in
Reunion · BOI Legends · fan-run, without a licence · kept by various operators
Two private servers.
Perpetuum
closed 25 Jan 2018 · back since 2018LIT · someone is in
Open Perpetuum · open source: the code is out, anyone can run it · kept by the community, with the source
When development stopped, the studio gave the source code to the community; the game stays on Steam, community-run.
Fantage
closed 30 Jun 2018 · a revival was stoppedBOARDED · stopped by the owner
Fantage Legacy · fan-run, without a licence
Stopped: shelved after legal threats; a fan single-player version survives.
RuneScape Classic
closed 6 Aug 2018 · back since 2018LIT · someone is in
Open RSC (and the older private-server scene) · open source: the code is out, anyone can run it · kept by volunteers
RSC private servers predate the official closure by over a decade (the first working one in 2005-06; Jagex shut two of the big ones in 2007). Open RSC is the open-source one that carried on after Jagex's own servers closed in 2018.
WildStar
closed 28 Nov 2018 · back since 2019AJAR · being built
NexusForever · Genesis Prime · open source: the code is out, anyone can run it · kept by volunteers
NexusForever rebuilds the final patch slowly ('not a full-featured experience'); Genesis Prime, a roleplay server forked from it in February 2019, has character creation, housing, guilds and the whole world to explore, but no combat or quests yet.
Battlestar Galactica Online
closed 31 Jan 2019AJAR · being built
an emulator in public testing · fan-run, without a licence · kept by volunteers
In public testing, not complete; a second project (BSGO 2.0: Resurrection) tested in 2023 and closed in 2024.
Kritika Online
closed 30 Apr 2019 · back since 2019 · closed again 16 Feb 2022DARK · it came back, and closed again
Kritika: REBOOT · relaunched by its owner · kept by Allm, the original developer
Closed in the West in April 2019 and relaunched by its Korean developer Allm on Steam as Kritika: REBOOT on 11 November 2019; REBOOT closed on 16 February 2022. Valofe tried again with Kritika: Zero (January 2024 to 7 August 2025, a headstone of its own upstairs). Kritika keeps coming back under new names, and keeps closing.
Fallen Earth
closed Oct 2019 · back since 2021CROWNED · brought back with permission
Fallen Earth Classic · relaunched by its owner · kept by its owner, Little Orbit
Closed in October 2019; brought back by its owner (GamersFirst / Little Orbit) as a free 'classic' server on 27-28 October 2021.
Dragon's Dogma Online
closed 5 Dec 2019 · back since 2023AJAR · being built
a fan server (Wyrm Hunt / The White Dragon Temple) · fan-run, without a licence · kept by a small group of fans
A Japan-only game, playable in a translated fan version since early 2023: multiplayer works, much is unfinished, no roadmap, no donations.
Moshi Monsters
closed 13 Dec 2019 · an official return due 2027LIT · someone is in
Moshi Monsters Rewritten · and an official relaunch (2027) · fan-run, without a licence · kept by fans now; Mind Candy, officially, in 2027
A fan browser version runs now; and the original owners, Mind Candy, crowdfunded a relaunch of the game in June 2025, planned for 2027.
Monster Hunter Frontier
closed 18 Dec 2019LIT · someone is in
Erupe · Rain server · open source: the code is out, anyone can run it · kept by volunteers
An open-source server emulator (MIT; archived July 2026 after years of work) and an English-language public server, for a game that never left Japan.
Bin Weevils
closed 16 Jan 2021LIT · someone is in
Bin Weevils Rewritten · fan-run, without a licence · kept by volunteers
An unaffiliated fan recreation, playable; the original developer no longer exists.
Defiance
closed 29 Apr 2021 · back since 2025CROWNED · brought back with permission
Defiance (Fawkes Games) · relaunched by its owner · kept by Fawkes Games, officially
Four years after gamigo shut it, the indie studio Fawkes Games acquired the rights and relaunched the original game on 18 April 2025, from its final patch (the old database was not handed over). The fan project that had been working on it stepped aside. Defiance 2050 stayed dead.
Twin Saga
closed 29 Apr 2021CROWNED · brought back with permission
Astral Tale · relaunched by its owner · kept by X-Legend, the original developer
Aeria closed the Western service in 2021; the developer X-Legend relaunched the game itself under a new name.
TERA
closed 30 Jun 2022LIT · someone is in
several PC servers · fan-run, without a licence · kept by various operators
Several PC rogue servers run; the console versions are still official.
Forsaken World
closed 30 Nov 2022LIT · someone is in
Forsaken World Dragon Heart · fan-run, without a licence · kept by an operator
A private server.
Elyon
closed 2023 · closed again Dec 2025DARK · it came back, and closed again
iElyon · fan-run, without a licence · kept by nobody, since late 2025
A private server, down since the end of 2025.
School of Dragons
closed 30 Jun 2023 · back since 2023LIT · someone is in
SoDOff · open source: the code is out, anyone can run it · kept by volunteers
Started in June 2023, the month the shutdown was announced: an open-source (AGPL) server for playing offline or hosting your own, with most of the game working, MMO play included; it also serves Math Blaster and World of JumpStart.
The Crew
closed 31 Mar 2024 · back since 2025LIT · someone is in
The Crew Unlimited · fan-run, without a licence · kept by modders
The shutdown that started Stop Killing Games. A modders' server emulator brought the game back, offline and online with every DLC, in September 2025, eighteen months after Ubisoft turned it off.
ArcheAge
closed 27 Jun 2024LIT · someone is in
ArcheRage · ArcheAge Classic · fan-run, without a licence · kept by various operators
charges money (cash shops)
The Western service closed in 2024; two private servers carry the end-of-life game and an older one. (The game lives on officially in Korea.)
Legends of Aria Classic
closed 18 Mar 2025 · back since 2026CROWNED · brought back with permission
Legends of Aria Eternal · relaunched by its owner · kept by its original lead developer and volunteers
Citadel Studios closed Legends of Aria Classic on 18 March 2025 and dissolved. Its original lead, Derek Brinkmann, bought the rights through a new company, Emergent Worlds, and relaunched it on Steam on 11 September 2026 as Eternal: bought once, no subscription or microtransactions, and anyone can run their own server under their own rules.
Riders of Icarus
closed 15 May 2025 · back since 2025LIT · someone is in
Icarus Phoenix · fan-run, without a licence · kept by an operator
The most popular of the servers that appeared after the 2025 shutdown.
MapleStory 2
closed 29 May 2025AJAR · being built
Lith · fan-run, without a licence · kept by volunteers
Not yet feature complete.
Ashes of Creation
closed 31 Jan 2026AJAR · being built
Evolve Community Server · fan-run, without a licence · kept by Spectre Games LLC
A fan-run server (Evolve, run by Spectre Games LLC) opened early playtests in October 2026, months after the studio closed. Unofficial; not yet a finished game.
World of Warcraft
the game never closed · this server was stopped 15 May 2026BOARDED · stopped by the owner
Turtle WoW · fan-run, without a licence
Stopped: the largest 'Classic-plus' private server, running since 2018: the original game with new zones and systems, over 70,000 players online at its peak. Blizzard sued in 2025; in April 2026 a federal court entered a consent judgment and permanent injunction, and the servers closed on 15 May 2026.
World of Warcraft
the game never closed · this server was stopped 4 Sep 2026BOARDED · stopped by the owner
Project Ascension · fan-run, without a licence
Stopped: a private server network for old versions of World of Warcraft, running since 2016 with classless and custom-class realms (Conquest of Azeroth). Blizzard sued in June 2026, alleging it earned millions from its donation points; the project announced a 'mutual agreement' and closed every realm on 4 September 2026.
Revivals change faster than graves. If a door here is wrong, say so with a link.