The Best MMORPGs For Solo Players

By their very nature, MMORPGs are designed to be played with other people. That’s literally what MMO denotes, after all. Not everyone wants to play with other people though. From the very first MMORPGs to modern examples of the genre, some MMORPGs have always made at least a token effort to appeal to solo players.

It’s a solid strategy. Whether it be social anxiety, a preference to play alone, or a lack of real-world friends who game, many people are put off by the “multiplayer” parts of MMORPGs. By tweaking their games a little bit, developers can draw in a whole new crowd, and maybe, once these solo players are hooked, tempt them into trying some of the group content. The games on this list were picked based on how fun they are to play solo, how much solo content there is, and their overall quality. While all of them can be played solo to some extent or another, nearly all of them have endgame content that demands playing with others at some point.

10 Fallout 76

Make The Wasteland As Lonely Or Social As You Like

Fallout 76 has experienced one of the greatest redemption stories in modern gaming. Universally panned by both critics and series fans alike upon its release, in recent years, it has enjoyed a massive resurgence. When the game launched, it was much more multiplayer-focused. The story was bare-bones, there were no human NPCs, and players were expected to create their own experience. Basically the opposite of what fans expected from a Bethesda RPG.

Thankfully, after a disastrous launch, Bethesda saw the error of its ways and reworked much of the game. Fallout 76’s main quest line and most of its side quests now feel like something out of a traditional single-player Fallout game. The vast majority of its content can be tackled solo, and with Pacifist Mode turned on, other players represent little more than friendly passersby. Some content, like the best daily ops, is still clearly angled at multiplayer, but can be tackled solo by the brave of heart. Fallout 76 also enjoys a surprisingly friendly community, many of whom rejoice in old-fashioned roleplaying, meaning even those who usually prefer solo play may find themselves tempted into being a bit more sociable.

9 Temtem

A Massively Multiplayer Pokemon That Feels Massive But Not Multiplayer

Temtem is what we would have gotten years ago if Game Freak and Nintendo weren’t so averse to innovating on one of their biggest franchises. It’s an MMORPG version of Pokemon that includes all the online and multiplayer functionality that fans of the series have been begging for. It’s technically an MMORPG but lacks most of the things — like dungeons, classes, and raids — that gamers tend to expect from the genre.

Instead, it’s simply the traditional Pokemon experience, but with friends (for those who want that). Players can catch and collect a huge list of not-Pokemon called Temtems while exploring the game’s enormous world. There’s an interesting main story that can either be completed solo or with friends. Solo players are never pushed to interact with other players (who they’ll see running around the map) unless they want to. It’s easily one of the best monster-taming games around and, as long as they can get over the always-online requirement, an awesome choice for lovers of solo play.

8 World Of Warcraft

New Features Have Made Warcraft Increasingly Solo-Friendly

World of Warcraft is an MMORPG that needs no introduction, but it might seem like an odd pick for this list at first. As one of the oldest online games still running, it has traditionally been a multiplayer-centric title that treated solo players like second-class citizens. It’s always been possible to tackle most of the story content solo, but some of WoW’ss best content, like dungeons and raids, has required fans to team up. For those players unwilling to do so, that could mean missing out on story elements and important pieces of lore.

Thankfully, recent expansions of updates have made great strides in addressing this issue. The War Within, in particular, features story-based, solo versions of its dungeons which allow solo players to play through them with NPCs. The rewards aren’t as great as going through with other players, but this feature allows solo players to at least experience everything they’ve paid for. World of Warcraft is always going to prioritize multiplayer content, but it’s great to see Blizzard making an effort to include solo players. At this point, there’s not much they can’t experience, even if it might be a “low fat” version.

Play The Story Solo, Bring In Friends For The Hard Stuff

The Elder Scrolls Online got off to a rough start in life. It launched as an unholy mix of traditional Elder Scrolls elements and MMORPG systems that failed to keep fans of either happy. It didn’t play exactly like the legendary Skyrim that had been released three years earlier, and the MMORPG parts felt tacked on. It wasn’t fun to play, and franchise fans were annoyed it wasn’t just another single-player entry. Oh, how things have changed. Thanks to multiple expansions and countless updates, The Elder Scrolls Online is a very different beast today.

It still doesn’t play like Skyrim (not that Skyrim’s combat is known for being particularly good), but most of its content is playable solo. The game has done an amazing job of expanding the lore of The Elder Scrolls and, and with multiple countries to explore, the game is huge. Played solo, it’s one of the best MMOs for exploration, and it’s easy to go out, get lost, and not see another player for ages. All of its story content and most of its side content can be taken on solo, which adds up to hundreds of hours of gameplay. Fans of the series who don’t want to talk to anyone else pretty much never have to. Only the most difficult, high-level world bosses, raids, and dungeons require players to team up, and with the right OP build, even that isn’t always necessary.

6 Black Desert Online

A Sandbox MMORPG With Great Combat And Limitless Possibilities

Black Desert Online is a far cry from traditional MMORPGs. Completely devoid of a “normal” MMORPG structure, it doesn’t have any raids or dungeons, and its story, although a bit of a mess, is non-linear. Instead, the devs have taken the sandbox approach, allowing players to do what they want when they want. The combat system is famously good, so many players tend to focus on PvE and PvP combat, and with lots of lifestyle skills, the sky is the limit.

The game’s sandbox nature and emphasis on player freedom means most of its content is aimed at solo players. It’s hard to lay out just how much content there is on offer here, and it’s possible to spend thousands of hours in the game and never bother speaking to anyone. That being said, some content is only available to those willing to play with others, but there’s so much other content only those solo players with the worst FOMO will ever feel like they’re missing out. On top of all of this, Black Desert Online, even at eight years old, is still one of the most stylish and best-looking MMORPGs on the market.

5 Neverwinter

Free-To-Play Dungeons And Dragons, No Party Required

Thanks to the success of Baldur’s Gate 3 and 2023’s surprisingly good DnD movie Honour Among Thieves, Dungeons and Dragons is more popular than ever before. That’s great, but with the need to invest in game books and to find both a Dungeon Master and a party to play with, getting into DnD can be pretty intimidating. And costly. Thankfully, there’s always Neverwinter. It’s a huge MMORPG set in the same world as Baldur’s Gate that’s been going strong for over ten years. It’s both completely free to play and pretty solo-player friendly.

Neverwinter is a great choice for gamers looking to get into DnD. While it’s still faster to group up and play with others, recent updates to the leveling system mean it’s easier than ever to play solo and level up at a reasonable rate. Most of the content up until level 60 or so can be played solo relatively easily. Especially if the player picks a class like Fighter or Paladin. Later dungeons are best tackled with friends, but late-game gear upgrades can be bought from Bounty Masters using in-game currency. There are microtransactions, but they’re nowhere near as offensive as in other free-to-play games. With Neverwinter playing with others is never necessary, and neither is engaging with the game’s microtransactions.

4 Star Wars: The Old Republic

An Epic BioWare-Style RPG Set In A Galaxy Far, Far Away

The kind of gamer who plays MMORPGs solo is likely the kind of gamer who also plays games for their story. Star Wars: The Old Republic is the perfect game for that kind of MMORPG player. One of the best sci-fi MMORPGs ever made, The Old Republic has plenty of group content, but its story and leveling content are aimed squarely at a solo experience.

In the best way possible, it feels like an old-school BioWare RPG and includes features like moral choices, relationships with NPCs, and even companions. It also has a great BioWare narrative that will have fans of the classic Knights of the Old Republic games grinning from ear to ear. It’s only in the very late game content that players will feel pushed towards group content, but the stuff that really matters is all doable in solo play. Much of it is also completely free. The only downside is the fact that both the graphics and combat are showing their age. Still, free-to-play and mostly solo-friendly, The Old Republic remains an excellent pick for gamers who put story over gameplay.

3 Final Fantasy 14

Somehow Keeps Fans Of This Single-Player Franchise Happy

Making an MMO based on a traditionally single-player franchise is a risky endeavor. Fans of these franchises have high standards and won’t hesitate to voice their grievances if they think the MMO isn’t up to standard. That’s what happened when the original Final Fantasy 14 was released. It was so badly received that the developers were forced to shutter it not long after launch and rebuild it from the ground up. Yet somehow, Square Enix managed to take this flaming dumpster fire and turn it into both a gold mine and one of the best-ever Final Fantasy games.

They’ve done so by making FF14 the kind of game traditional Final Fantasy fans would play. It has an awesome, winding narrative full of deep lore and nods to other Final Fantasy games, and frequent updates and expansions have kept the game fresh. Ever since patch 6.5, all the game’s content, including dungeons, can be played solo. Don’t like playing with humans? Final Fantasy 14 has NPCs to fill that gap. 2024’s Endwalker DLC even included a solo-only addition in the form of the Island Sanctuary area. This single-player area is devoid of combat and encourages players to carry out their Stardew Valley dreams by building a fully customizable farm to relax and work on.

2 Old School Runescape

Over Twenty Years Of Content To Solo At Your Own Pace

There will be people reading this who played Runescape over 20 years ago and had no idea it was still going strong. The franchise is currently on its third iteration in the form of Runescape 3, but the one most people are playing is Old School Runescape. It looks and plays like a game that came out over 20 years ago, but it’s also as addictive as ever.

Old School Runescape is the kind of classic MMO that can run on a second screen while players are doing something else. Its systems, like mining and fishing, are grind-heavy but oddly therapeutic, and most of the game can be played at a snail’s pace. There’s an insane amount of content to burn through, almost all of which can be completed solo. There’s a reason some people have been playing this game, in some form or another, for over two decades. For truly hardcore solo players, the game even offers an Ironman mode. This prevents the player from trading with others, stops them from grouping up, and even disables the account if the player dies. That’s about as single-player as an MMORPG can get.

1 Guild Wars 2

A Great Looking RPG Built With Solo Players In Mind

A lot of successful MMORPGs have spent the last few years making the effort to appeal to the solo player market, but Guild Wars 2 is different. It was very clearly built from the ground up with these loners in mind, and has simply spent the last 12 years doubling down on what has made it one of the best free-to-play MMOs on the market. All of Guild Wars 2’s story can be completed solo and no part of its base map is gated behind group play. More importantly, though, in many ways, it plays like a single-player RPG.

Combat is a mixture of tab-targeting and more dynamic action combat that is a lot less MMO-like and a lot more satisfying as a result. Its open world is also nothing short of gorgeous to look at and a ton of fun to get around in thanks to myriad movement options. It also includes solo-friendly features like a free respec system that lets players experiment with builds without fear of making mistakes. The only time players feel pushed to work with others is during raids, but even this has been built with solo players in mind. It’s super easy to join a random group through the game’s excellent matchmaking.