So, who had SMITE 2 on their watchlists for this year? Probably not many people, but Hi-Rez Studios has announced that the game is getting a sequel that’s going into wipe-free beta testing later this year. In the generally not terribly robust MOBA field, SMITE was actually a rare success story, this is worth paying more than a little attention to. It’s also a bold strategy that potentially divides the playerbase. Still, it can’t go worse than the last sequel-updating-a-popular-game effort, right?
I’d make a joke about how Pax Dei was not to be outdone by announcing that it was going to go into early access testing this spring, but that announcement happened before the SMITE 2 announcement. Causality does not work like that. Still, kind of a surprise announcement for the game. Hope they’re ready for it.
And while these were the two biggest beta news stories this week, they were hardly the only stories this week. In contrast with the holiday lull, this week came roaring back. You can check out our roundup of titles in testing down below, but first there is a whole bunch of beta news in roundup form. So hop on down, and if you notice a game has slipped to a new test phase or something is missing from our roundup, let us know down in the comments.
Hi-Rez just officially announced SMITE 2, soft-launching into beta this year – but SMITE will stay online
Pantheon Rise of the Fallen admits recent pre-alpha MMORPG testing brought ‘a plethora of glorious data’
Tarisland’s latest crafting overhaul proposal doubles down on prioritizing PvE drops over crafted gear
Sandbox MMORPG Pax Dei aims for an early access launch this spring
Tribes 3 Rivals’ latest weekend playtest elicits additional mixed reactions from fans
Guild Wars 2’s next world vs world restructuring beta is scheduled to begin January 12
Solium Infernum is a ‘strategy game from hell’ hosting multiplayer tests this weekend
Throne & Liberty KR’s latest security measures end up locking out overseas players
Wayfinder releases Q1 2024 roadmap and jobs board update for dailies and weeklies
Strategy MMO Myth of Empires is (re)launching on February 21st
Lasuni is a 2-D browser-based free-to-play MMO that’s eyeing a return in 2024
Tarisland makes major PvE and PvP changes to its beta build
Monsters & Memories hires another team member and hints at giant forest biome
Warframe sees over 100K players link accounts cross-platform, Soulframe expands testing
Book of Travels adds new caves, opens a new EU server, and releases a trailer encouraging multiplayer roaming
Anvil Empires discusses seasons, weather, points of interest, and its next two months of pre-alpha
Eternal Tombs teases its magic systems with a new video
Multiplayer critter capturing survivalbox Palworld enters early access January 19
We consider an MMO to be in open testing if it features free, public signups and will server wipe prior to launch. An MMO is marked in closed testing if it’s running a private test phase that cannot freely be accessed by the general public; it’s often under NDA as well. Early access and crowdfunded MMOs whose tests we deem legitimate will be included. So-called “open beta” soft-launch MMOs with cash shops, no sign of launch in the west, or limited interest for our readers will not be listed, nor will games that are NFT/blockchain scams; we also do not list expansions, with occasional exceptions. Finally, we’ll mark games “malingering” if they’ve been in a certain tier of development for a long time with no clear path to launch.
Open testing
Closed testing
Paid access
Legit MMORPG
Multiplayer
MalingeringAbyss: Closed alpha
The Adventurer’s Domain Online: Early access
Aero Tales Online: Early access
Age of Water: Paid closed beta
Anvil Empires: Intermittent alpha
Arcane Waters: Early access
Arcfall: Pre-alpha
ARK 2: Paid early access
Ashes of Creation: Alpha two in planning
Ashfall: Closed beta
ASKA: Closed beta
Battlebit: Early access
Battle Crush: Beta
Bellatores: Closed testing
Bitcraft: Alpha planned for 2024
Blue Protocol: Launching worldwide in 2024, technical tests starting November 8th
Book of Travels: Early access
Camelot Unchained: Closed beta
Chronicles of Elyria: Pre-alpha, again
Chrono Odyssey: Closed testing
Cinderstone Online: Closed beta
City of Titans: Alpha
Coreborn: Nations of the Ultracore: Early access
Corepunk: Early access planned for end of winter
Craftopia: Early access
The Crew Motorfest: Closed testing
Dark and Darker: Paid early access, legal troubles.
Dark and Light: Early access (abandoned?)
Darkbind: Closed beta (probably abandoned?)
The Day Before: Early Access going great
The Division Heartland: Closed testing
Dreamworld: Pre-alpha
Dune Awakening: Closed testing, signups now
ECO: Early access
Eleven: Closed alpha
Enlisted: Beta
EVE Vanguard: First beta test concluded
Evercore Heroes: Paid testing, updates stopping with a focus on a redesign
Fae Farm: Closed testing, launch planned for September 8th
The First Descendant: Crossplay beta
Fractured Online: Paid early access, back on Steam
Fractured Veil: Back in closed development, early access delayed to 2024
Frozen Flame: Early access
Genfanad: Beta
Ilysia: Early access
Inferna: Early access
Kurtzpel: Closed beta
Last Oasis: Early access (abandoned?)
Legendarium Online: Paid alpha access
Lost Skies: Pre-alpha
Monster Hunter Now: Closed beta
Monsters & Memories: Intermittent pre-alpha, public beta this weekend
Mortal Exodus: Closed testing
Multiversus: Returned to closed testing
Nightingale: Ongoing closed events
Noah’s Heart: Beta
Odd Giants: Alpha
Once Human: Beta on December 7th
Outlaws of the Old West: Early access
Palia: Open beta
Pantheon: Backer alpha, 247 canceled
Past Fate: Closed testing
Path of Exile 2: Beta June 2024
Pax Dei: Closed alpha
Perfect New World: Closed beta
Pow Vista: Open beta (mobile)
Project Crawl: Closed testing
Project F4E: Closed testing
Project Genom: Closed alpha (servers offline, abandoned?)
Project Gorgon: Early access beta
Project Loki: Closed beta
Project ST: Closed testing, open event ended
Prosperous Universe: Early access
Quinfall: Beta delayed to 2024
Return Alive: Closed beta
Reign of Guilds: Beta event in mid-December, early access planned for 2024
SamuTale: “Paid closed alpha early access” according to the developer, which is just early access, come on dude
Seed: Active development
Seekers of Skyveil: Continuing alpha testing
Shadow’s Kiss: Early access (but read this first)
Ship of Heroes: Beta testing
Skull and Bones: Closed beta
Smite 2: Signups open, wipe-free beta mid-2024
Soulframe: “Pre-pre-pre-pre-alpha” testing wrapped up
Spellcraft: Alpha
Star Citizen: Backer alpha
Starbase: Early access open alpha
Tarisland: Second closed beta
Throne & Liberty: Western launch delayed into 2024, live in South Korea
Trimurti Online: Stress testing
Valheim: Early access
V Rising: Early access
Valiance Online: Closed beta
The Wagadu Chronicles: Early access
Warhaven: Early access
Waven Early access
Wayfinder Early access ahead of full launch
We welcome additions and corrections to this list; send your info our way via tips!
Yes, MMO gamers, you too can perform the unpaid quality-control work otherwise known as game testing! Check out Massively Overpowered’s Betawatch every week for a run-down of MMOs that are still on the road to launch, even if they appear to have set up a permanent residence in a shed called early access.
