MMORPG guides

Sci-fi MMORPGs you can play now: the list, checked in October 2026

Fourteen science-fiction MMORPGs are running in October 2026. The big ones are EVE Online, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Star Trek Online, Elite Dangerous and Dune: Awakening; the crowd is in Once Human; Star Citizen is still an alpha after thirteen years; and a few games from the early 2000s, RF Online among them, are still up. Skyforge and Dual Universe closed in 2025, and Fallen Earth has been offline since April. This list says what each game is, what it costs, where it runs and who is actually playing.

Published 26 October 2026. Prices, platforms and player counts were checked on 25 October 2026; the sources are listed at the end.

What counts as a sci-fi MMORPG here

A persistent world shared by everyone on the server, a character or a ship that grows over months, and a setting with spaceships, mechs, aliens or a ruined future instead of elves. That rules in EVE Online, where you never leave your ship, and Dune: Awakening, which calls itself a survival MMO but puts thousands of players on one map. It rules out co-op shooters with a lobby, Warframe and Destiny 2, which get a short section anyway because every forum thread recommends them, and games whose servers are off. Fan servers for closed games are at the end.

Player counts come from Steam Charts and only count people who start the game through Steam. EVE Online, Star Citizen, Neocron and RF Online have their own launchers, so their real numbers are higher than the Steam ones.

The games at a glance

Ship, feet, or both

The first question for a space game is whether you ever get out of the ship. In EVE Online you never do. In Elite Dangerous you do only with the Odyssey add-on. Star Citizen and Star Trek Online switch between the two all the time. Everything else on the list is played on foot, on a planet, and the spaceships are scenery or a taxi.

EVE Online (2003)

The largest sci-fi MMO and the only one that is a single world: every player is in the same New Eden, and the wars between player alliances have run for twenty years. You fly a ship and never leave it. Fighting can happen anywhere except Exordium, the 53-system starter region added in 2026 where nobody can shoot you (expansion notes). In high-security space the police arrive after the shot, in low-security space nobody comes, and in null-security space player alliances own the systems (Wikipedia).

The studio changed hands in 2026: Pearl Abyss sold CCP Games back to its management for $120 million, and the company renamed itself Fenris Creations in May (Shacknews). Expansions keep coming: Catalyst in November 2025, Cradle of War in June 2026, Fractured Skies on 10 November 2026 (announcement). The game is free as an Alpha account, which caps skills at five million points, trains them at half speed and keeps you out of Tech 2 ships; Omega is $20 a month on Steam (EVE University, Steam). Windows, and a native Mac client since October 2021 that runs on Apple silicon without Rosetta (9to5Mac). Full Russian localisation, text and voice; ruble payments have been suspended since March 2022, so Russian players pay in dollars. About 4,000 people on Steam at any time, which is a fraction of the total, since most use the launcher (Steam Charts).

For: the one sci-fi MMO where what players do changes the map for everyone else. Against: the learning curve is measured in months, and much of the game is spreadsheets by choice.

Star Wars: The Old Republic (2011)

BioWare's Star Wars MMO, run since 2023 by Broadsword Online Games under EA (Wikipedia). Eight class stories with full voice acting, set three thousand years before the films, on planets you travel between; your ship is a loading screen with a cockpit, except in Galactic Starfighter, an instanced dogfight mode. PvP is instanced too, warzones and arenas, Republic against Sith Empire, with no open-world war (swtor.com).

Free up to level 60 with four characters per server and limits on chat and trade; the $14.99 subscription for 30 days removes them and includes every expansion (EA Help). Update 7.9 in June 2026 closed the Legacy of the Sith story; 8.0, Masters of the Force, raises the cap to 85 and adds Ryloth later this year (swtor.com). Windows only. No Russian, and EA has not sold the game in Russia since March 2022 (Massively Overpowered). Around 3,500 on Steam on an average day (Steam Charts).

For: the best story in the genre, playable alone. Against: no Mac, no Russian, and the MMO parts are thin next to the story.

Star Trek Online (2010)

You are a captain with a bridge crew and a starship, and the game switches between the two: ship combat in space, then your away team beams down. Missions follow the Trek timeline into the 25th century, with the original actors voicing many episodes. PvP is instanced queues plus two Federation-versus-Klingon war zones; the wiki says plainly that there is no open-world PvP (STO Wiki).

Free with a cash shop; the monthly subscription has not been sold to new players since 2018, only a lifetime one (STO Wiki). Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One; the Mac client ran from 2014 to 2016 and was dropped (Wikipedia). No Russian. The game changed owners again in November 2025, when Embracer sold Arc Games and Cryptic to their management in a $30 million buyout financed by XD Inc. (TrekMovie), and three seasons shipped in 2026 anyway, the latest, Rediscovered, on 22 September (patch notes). About 1,200 on Steam (Steam Charts).

Elite Dangerous (2014)

The real Milky Way, four hundred billion systems, flown from the cockpit in first person. You trade, mine, explore and fight in a ship; walking on planets needs the Odyssey add-on. Three modes decide how much other people can hurt you: Solo, a Private Group, or Open Play, where anyone can attack you and Frontier says so (Wikipedia). Powerplay adds a faction war between twelve powers on top.

$19.99 for the base game and $14.99 for Odyssey, no subscription (Steam). Windows only: the Mac client ended in December 2018 and console development stopped in March 2022. Russian text with English voice; Frontier has removed its games from the Russian Steam store, so new players in Russia cannot buy it there (Cybersport.ru). Still updated: System Colonisation let players settle new systems from November 2025, the Operations update came in June 2026, and the 2026 roadmap lists six new ships (roadmap). Around 8,000 people were on Steam the evening this was checked (Steam Charts).

Star Citizen (alpha since 2012)

Thirteen years after its Kickstarter and a billion dollars in funding, Star Citizen is still an alpha, and it says so on the box (Wikipedia). What exists: two star systems, Stanton and Pyro, cities you walk through, ships you fly seat by seat with friends, a first-person shooter inside and outside them, and a law system that makes crime cost something in Stanton and nothing in Pyro. Alpha 4.10 arrived in August 2026 with about five hundred bug fixes (patch notes).

The cheapest way in is a $60 starter package with an Aurora Mk II (ship packages). Windows only, not on Steam, and the minimum spec is 16 GB of memory and a 150 GB SSD (requirements). No official Russian; the community keeps unofficial translation packs (localisation). Squadron 42, the single-player half, has moved to the second quarter of 2027, and release 1.0 has no date (80.lv).

For: nothing else lets you walk from a bar to a hangar to orbit without a loading screen. Against: it is an alpha, with alpha stability, and it needs a serious PC.

Dune: Awakening (2025)

Funcom's Arrakis is a survival MMO: you build a base, take water from the dead, and fly ornithopters across a desert that kills you at noon. The Hagga Basin is PvE; the Deep Desert is where the PvP happens, and a Coriolis storm rebuilds its map every week (director’s letter). House Atreides and House Harkonnen compete through the Landsraad (Wikipedia). Since update 1.5 in September 2026 there is also a single-player mode.

$49.99 on Steam, the Deluxe edition $69.99, no subscription (Steam); the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series versions arrived on 22 September 2026 (RPG Site). Windows only on PC, no Mac, and the minimum is a GeForce GTX 1060 with 16 GB of memory and an SSD. Russian text with English voice; it is sold in the Russian Steam store, at 2,990 roubles when 3DNews reported the pre-order (3DNews). One million copies in the first two weeks; about 15,000 were playing on Steam the day this was checked (Steam Charts).

Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis (2021)

SEGA's anime action game: fast combat on the open planet Halpha, with classes you switch at will and a story that continues the 2012 original. There is no PvP of any kind; it is co-op or alone (Wikipedia). Free with a cash shop. Windows, Xbox and PlayStation 4; no Mac; English and Japanese only (Steam). SEGA keeps a monthly cadence: Chapter 9 of the story in August 2026 and a Halloween update in October (Final Weapon). About 750 on Steam (Steam Charts).

RF Online

The sci-fi MMORPG this site runs. Three races fight for the planet Novus: the Bellato Union pilots MAU battle mechs, the Holy Alliance Cora summons the Animus, spirits bound by a blood contract, and the Accretian Empire has no magic at all and fights in machine bodies. Outside the three headquarters anyone can attack anyone of another race, and three times a day the races fight the Chip War for the Crag Mine in the centre of the map; the winner digs the best ore for up to seven hours. It is the only game on this list where the sides play differently, and the only one with three of them (the three-faction list).

Free here with the original Episode 2 client, version 2.1.5, in English or Russian. A 4.2 GB download that runs on a Pentium-class PC with 512 MB of memory (system requirements), on Windows 10 and 11, and on a Mac through our app, which is experimental. Netmarble's sequel, RF Online Next, launched worldwide on 16 June 2026 in a new engine (announcement), and RF Online VK opened on VK Play in September 2026. The races in detail; where the original stands today.

For: three sides that look and fight differently, mechs, open war, and a game that runs on almost anything. Against: 2006 graphics, months of levelling, and a world far smaller than it was in 2007.

Tower of Fantasy (2022)

An anime open world on the planet Aida, often compared with Genshin Impact, with shared servers and a gacha for characters and weapons. PvP is a consensual duel in the world or the Apex League arena; nobody can attack you unasked (Wikipedia). Free. Windows, PlayStation 5, iOS and Android, no Mac; PlayStation 4 updates stopped on 20 October 2026 (notice). Russian text (Steam). Version 6.4 shipped on 20 October 2026 (patch notice). Steam shows about 150 players, but the Steam client is one of several (Steam Charts).

Once Human (2024)

The busiest game on this list by far: around 40,000 people on Steam the day this was checked, before the mobile and console players (Steam Charts). It is a survival game on a post-apocalyptic Earth where Stardust warps everything into Deviations, run in seasons on scenario servers that are wiped and restarted; some scenarios are PvE, some PvP with territory wars (Prima Games). Free, with cosmetic packs and a battle pass. Windows, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series since 25 August 2026, iOS and Android, all cross-play; no Mac (press release). Russian text (Steam). The Isles of Abyss ocean scenario arrived on 21 October 2026 (patch notes). It wants 100 GB of disk.

For: a big living population and cross-play. Against: your base and progress reset with every season, which is the design and the reason people quit.

Entropia Universe (2003)

The one with real money: its currency, the PED, is fixed at ten to the US dollar, and you can withdraw to your bank. You are an avatar on planets, Calypso first, hunting, mining and crafting, with PvP in marked zones where loot can be taken (official site). Free to start, no subscription; the money goes on ammunition and tools. Windows only, Russian interface (Steam). MindArk is moving it to Unreal Engine 5, with the new client due before Christmas 2026 and items and skills carried over (Massively Overpowered). About 130 on Steam (Steam Charts).

Anarchy Online (2001)

The oldest game here, on the desert planet Rubi-Ka 30,000 years ahead (Wikipedia). Funcom still runs it: the base game and Notum Wars are free, a membership unlocks the other expansions and the levels above 200 (membership). Windows, English only. The honest status: no patch since October 2020, no news post since June 2023, and a Steam player count in single digits (patch notes, news). It runs, but nobody is steering.

Ryzom (2004)

A science-fantasy world on Atys, a planet that is one enormous tree, with seasons and migrating herds. Open source since 2010 and still patched, most recently on 23 October 2026 (Wikipedia, ryzom.com). PvP only by consent or in marked zones; outposts are fought over. Free with a level cap of 125; Premium is €3.90 a month (accounts). The only game on this list with native Windows, Mac and Linux clients, and it runs on a 1 GHz processor with 2 GB of memory. Russian interface. Tiny: Steam shows three or four players; the standalone client has more (Steam Charts).

Neocron (2002)

A cyberpunk MMO from Hanover, run since 2016 by volunteers, the Neocron Support Team, and free (Wikipedia, neocron-game.com). One city, one server, Titan, with 15 to 40 people online (server stats). Open PvP outside the safe sectors unless you wear a Law Enforcer chip, which stops you shooting and being shot (wiki). Windows only, English and German. The latest patch is from 12 October 2026.

Early access, if you want to be early

Stars Reach, from Raph Koster, the designer of Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies: a sci-fi sandbox with simulated planets, in Steam Early Access since 18 August 2026 at $29.99 and up, with free to play planned for release; Windows, English only, a few dozen players (Steam, Steam Charts). PIONER, a Russian MMO shooter on a post-Soviet island, in Early Access since 16 December 2025 at $29.99, with Russian and English voice; it fought server bugs all year and its average population fell from 600 to about 100 over the summer (Steam, Steam Charts). SpaceCraft from Shiro Games, an online space building game, in Early Access since June 2026 at $29.99 with Russian text (Steam).

Not MMORPGs, but you will be told to play them

Warframe: a free co-op shooter with a hub and missions, 55,000 on Steam in September, on every platform except Mac, with Russian text (Steam, Steam Charts). Destiny 2: Bungie shipped its final live update on 9 June 2026 and says the game stays online (TheSixthAxis); Russian voice. PlanetSide 2: a first-person shooter with three empires on persistent continents, free, Windows and PlayStation 4 (Steam); it is in the three-faction list.

Closed in the last two years

Skyforge (2015), the godhood MMO on the planet Aelion: servers off on 3 September 2025 on PC and 29 October 2025 on consoles (Massively Overpowered, dates). Dual Universe (2022), the Lua-scripted building sandbox: servers off on 27 August 2025; the game survives as myDU, a $34.99 standalone for private servers (Delisted Games, MMORPG.com). Fallen Earth Classic, the free relaunch of the 2009 post-apocalyptic MMO: offline since April 2026 while Little Orbit rebuilds the servers, with no date (Massively Overpowered). Starbase, the voxel ship-building MMO: development on hold since May 2022, servers up with a handful of players (Frozenbyte).

Closed, with fan servers that keep them running

Star Wars Galaxies closed on 15 December 2011 (Wikipedia) and has three large fan servers. SWG Legends runs the final version, free, with about 800 players online when checked, a hotfix on 19 October 2026 and a 64-bit client in testing (swglegends.com, Massively Overpowered). SWG Restoration runs the Combat Upgrade era and showed a DirectX 12 renderer in October 2026 (Massively Overpowered). SWGEmu, the pre-Combat-Upgrade project started in 2004, declared version 1.0 in 2025 and is winding down its own server in favour of hosting for others (swgemu.com). None is endorsed by Disney or Daybreak, and none has been shut down in fifteen years (Massively Overpowered).

Perpetuum, the robot MMO, closed officially in January 2018, but the developers released the server code, and the Open Perpetuum community server runs with a free client on Steam (Steam, openperpetuum.com). Tabula Rasa (2007 to 2009) has a working emulator in development, Infinite Rasa, but no public server yet (Massively Overpowered). WildStar (2014 to 2018) has NexusForever, which you host yourself (GitHub).

Which one to pick

• One world, player wars, ships only: EVE Online.
• Story and voice acting, alone if you like: Star Wars: The Old Republic.
• Star Trek, ship and away team: Star Trek Online.
• The real galaxy from a cockpit: Elite Dangerous.
• Walking from a bar to orbit, and the patience for an alpha: Star Citizen.
• A new, crowded world with a price tag: Dune: Awakening.
• Free, crowded, with seasons that reset: Once Human.
• Mechs, three races at war, a Mac or an old laptop: RF Online.
• Linux or a Mac and a quiet world: Ryzom.
• Real money: Entropia Universe.

Questions people ask

What is the best sci-fi MMORPG?

By population, Once Human, with about 40,000 players on Steam, and Dune: Awakening, with about 15,000. By depth and age, EVE Online. The right one depends on whether you want to fly a ship or walk a planet: the diagram above sorts the fourteen running games by that.

Is there a space MMORPG where you can also walk on planets?

Star Citizen and Star Trek Online do both all the time. Elite Dangerous adds walking with the Odyssey add-on. In Star Wars: The Old Republic the ship is transport between planets. Dune: Awakening is one planet with vehicles.

Is EVE Online still worth playing in 2026?

Three expansions in twelve months, a record revenue month in November 2025, and a studio that bought itself back from Pearl Abyss in May 2026. The Alpha account is free, so the cost of finding out is time. Expect the first month to be hard.

Is Star Trek Online still active?

Yes. Season 37 came out on 22 September 2026, about 1,200 people play through Steam on an average day, and the November 2025 sale of the studio did not stop development.

Is Star Citizen an MMO?

It is a persistent universe with two star systems that you share with other players, sold as an alpha since 2012. Version 1.0 has no date, the single-player Squadron 42 is due in the second quarter of 2027, and a starter package costs $60.

Which sci-fi MMORPGs are free?

EVE Online as an Alpha account, Star Wars: The Old Republic up to level 60, Star Trek Online, Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis, RF Online, Tower of Fantasy, Once Human, Entropia Universe, the base game of Anarchy Online, Ryzom up to level 125, and Neocron.

Which sci-fi MMORPGs run on a Mac?

EVE Online has a native client for Apple silicon, Ryzom has native Mac and Linux clients, and RF Online runs through our Mac app. Elite Dangerous dropped its Mac client in 2018 and Star Trek Online in 2016. Everything else is Windows only.

What was the first sci-fi MMORPG?

Phantasy Star Online, released on the Dreamcast in 2000, by the Guinness count. On PC, Anarchy Online in June 2001, which is still running.

Is RF Online still playable?

Yes. The original, version 2.1.5, runs here for free with an English or a Russian client. Netmarble’s RF Online Next launched in June 2026, and RF Online VK runs in Russia on VK Play.

Sources

1. EVE Online, Wikipedia: New Eden, security levels, 2003
2. Shacknews, May 2026: CCP Games becomes Fenris Creations after the buyback
3. Fenris Creations, 20 October 2026: Fractured Skies on 10 November
4. eveonline.com: Cradle of War expansion notes, Exordium starter region
5. EVE University wiki: Alpha account limits
6. 9to5Mac, 13 October 2021: native Mac client
7. Steam: EVE Online, Omega price, languages, requirements
8. Steam Charts: EVE Online
9. Star Wars: The Old Republic, Wikipedia: Broadsword since 2023
10. swtor.com: warzones, arenas, Galactic Starfighter
11. EA Help: free-to-play limits and the subscription
12. swtor.com, 13 August 2026: 8.0 Masters of the Force
13. Massively Overpowered, March 2022: EA stops sales in Russia
14. Steam Charts: Star Wars: The Old Republic
15. Star Trek Online, Wikipedia: launch, platforms, Mac client 2014 to 2016
16. STO Wiki: PvP, no open-world PvP
17. STO Wiki: free accounts and the lifetime subscription
18. TrekMovie, 26 November 2025: Cryptic and Arc Games sold to their management
19. playstartrekonline.com: Season 37 Rediscovered, 22 September 2026
20. Steam Charts: Star Trek Online
21. Elite Dangerous, Wikipedia: modes, Mac client ended 2018, consoles frozen 2022
22. Steam: Elite Dangerous, price, languages, requirements
23. Massively Overpowered: 2026 roadmaps
24. Cybersport.ru: Frontier removes its games from the Russian Steam store
25. Steam Charts: Elite Dangerous
26. Star Citizen, Wikipedia: Kickstarter 2012, funding, no release date
27. Star Citizen wiki: Alpha 4.10.0, 26 August 2026
28. Star Citizen wiki: ship packages and prices, October 2026
29. Star Citizen wiki: community localisation, Russian packs
30. 80.lv, 28 August 2026: Squadron 42 moved to Q2 2027
31. RSI support: minimum system requirements
32. Dune: Awakening, Wikipedia: Funcom, Hagga Basin and the Deep Desert, sales
33. Steam: Dune: Awakening, price, languages, requirements
34. RPG Site, September 2026: console launch and single-player mode
35. Sportskeeda: the director on PvE and PvP in the Deep Desert
36. 3DNews, March 2025: pre-orders in the Russian Steam store at 2,990 roubles
37. Steam Charts: Dune: Awakening
38. Phantasy Star Online 2, Wikipedia: New Genesis, platforms
39. Steam: PSO2 New Genesis, free, languages
40. Final Weapon, 6 October 2026: October updates
41. Steam Charts: PSO2 New Genesis
42. Tower of Fantasy, Wikipedia: Aida, publishers, PvP
43. Steam: Tower of Fantasy, languages, requirements
44. tof.perfectworld.com: version 6.4, 20 October 2026
45. tof.perfectworld.com: PlayStation 4 updates end on 20 October 2026
46. Steam Charts: Tower of Fantasy
47. Once Human, Wikipedia: Starry Studio, Starfall, platforms
48. Steam: Once Human, languages, requirements
49. Starry Studio press release: PlayStation 5 and Xbox launch on 25 August 2026
50. Prima Games: PvE and PvP scenarios explained
51. oncehuman.game: Isles of Abyss, October 2026
52. Steam Charts: Once Human
53. entropiauniverse.com: the real-cash economy, PvP zones
54. Steam: Entropia Universe, languages, requirements
55. Massively Overpowered, 19 March 2026: the move to Unreal Engine 5
56. Steam Charts: Entropia Universe
57. Anarchy Online, Wikipedia: Rubi-Ka, 2001, expansions
58. anarchy-online.com: free accounts and membership
59. anarchy-online.com: news, last post June 2023
60. Funcom forums: patch notes, last entry October 2020
61. Ryzom, Wikipedia: Atys, open source since 2010, consensual PvP
62. ryzom.com: free and Premium accounts, prices
63. ryzom.com: patch notes, 23 October 2026
64. Steam Charts: Ryzom
65. Neocron, Wikipedia: Reakktor, 2002
66. neocron-game.com: Community Edition, free, patch 12 October 2026
67. Techhaven wiki: the Law Enforcer chip
68. Techhaven: Titan server population
69. Steam: Stars Reach, early access since 18 August 2026
70. Steam Charts: Stars Reach
71. Steam: PIONER, early access since 16 December 2025
72. Steam Charts: PIONER
73. Steam: SpaceCraft, early access since June 2026
74. Steam: Warframe, platforms and languages
75. Steam Charts: Warframe
76. TheSixthAxis, 21 May 2026: the final Destiny 2 content update
77. Steam: PlanetSide 2
78. Massively Overpowered, 31 July 2025: Skyforge closing
79. Delisted Games: Skyforge shutdown dates
80. Delisted Games: Dual Universe shutting down on 27 August 2025
81. MMORPG.com: myDU standalone client and private servers
82. Massively Overpowered, 27 July 2026: Fallen Earth servers being rebuilt
83. Steam forum, February 2025: Frozenbyte on Starbase development
84. Star Wars Galaxies, Wikipedia: closed 15 December 2011
85. swglegends.com: free fan server, population
86. Massively Overpowered, 15 July 2026: SWG Legends 64-bit client
87. Massively Overpowered, 12 October 2026: SWG Restoration DirectX 12 renderer
88. swgemu.com: the SWGEmu project
89. Massively Overpowered, 2019: which Star Wars Galaxies emulator to try
90. Steam: Perpetuum, free client, server released
91. openperpetuum.com: the community server
92. Massively Overpowered, 11 October 2026: Infinite Rasa development server
93. GitHub: NexusForever, WildStar emulator
94. Guinness World Records: first sci-fi MMORPG
95. Netmarble, RF Online Next global launch, 16 June 2026