Looking to lose yourself in the best Android MMORPG games? Whether you're hoping to temporarily escape the real world anytime, anywhere, or you just like big mobile games with plenty of skills to grind, Android isn't short of the types of MMORPGs that were seldom seen outside the PC space just a few years ago.
Not quite feeling that level of commitment right now? We don't blame you. The best MMORPG games on Android can really take up a good chunk of your free time. If you're just looking to relax and switch off after a long day, the best Android farming games can offer up a welcome break.
To get the brain going, the best Android card games can work that massive muscle. And if you need to blow off steam, look no further than the best Android racing games. You'll be surprised by the range of racers on offer. Now, without further ado, here are the best Android MMORPG games to try out this year.
The Best Android MMORPG Games
RuneScape
Let's just get this one out of the way already. Without a full-fledged World of Warcraft on mobile devices, the next best thing is the MMORPG that introduced a generation to the genre through nothing but a web browser.
Now in its third major iteration, RuneScape is still going strong. Whether you want to relive the glory days with Old-School RuneScape or demand a more modern take with RuneScape 3, both versions are fully playable, stable, gorgeous, and virtually never-ending on mobile. With over two dozen individual skills to grind and a world that's only grown from its inception in the late 90s, RuneScape is still one of the most enthralling MMORPGs out there. And it's certainly one of the best Android MMORPGs around.
Dawn of Isles
Released around four years ago now, Dawn of Isles was being compared to Breath of the Wild before Genshin Impact made that comparison look like we were clutching at straws. This hyper-colourful MMORPG features combat centred around elemental reactions; not unlike Mihoyo's breakout hit.
It's not quite as immersive as those two big open-world adventures, but its MMORPG features can help it feel more alive. It's hard to say just how much the game has grown since its debut. Like with the mid-00s MMORPG gaming portals, there's a lot of competition when it comes to the best MMORPGs on Android right now, but if the image above catches your eye in any way, Dawn of Isles is probably worth checking out.
Albion Online
The mobile release of Albion Online isn't a case of another classic MMORPG making the leap from PC to mobile, but it sure does look like it. Conceived as a title that harkened back to the early days of the genre, Albion Online is a rare player-driven game where everything made and earned comes from those on your server.
If you want to survive, you'll need to rely on helping (or killing) your fellow man. And in being a hardcore experience, taking a risk or misjudging the threat of an enemy can mean dropping all your belongings as you're beaten to a pulp and sent home packing.
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Whether you see yourself as the next best warrior or a budding blacksmith foraging for the materials needed to arm your comrades, Albion Online is a truly unique experience by today's standards, and absolutely one of the best MMORPG games on Android.
Moonlight Sculptor
If you were around for the tail-end of the free-to-play MMORPG movement, you're likely to have heard of Archeage. This isn't the ambitious, player-managed MMO reborn in mobile form, but it does hail from the same developer. Based on the novel of the same name, Moonlight Sculptor is an isometric 3D MMORPG with a very familiar chibi art style. It's not quite as cutesy as the anime-inspired games of the 00s, but it plays similarly.
You'll explore vibrant and cartoony worlds, tear through tons of increasingly larger enemies as you grind through the ranks, and boost your out-of-combat skills like fishing and cooking. If you're the type to focus on outfitting your friends before they go dungeon diving, you'll probably get a kick out of this one. And if you're the dungeon-diving type, plenty of EXP and loot awaits you in the questionably named 'Chaotic Entrance' dungeon system.
Guardian Tales
Looking for something more akin to the GameBoy Advance era? Guardian Tales is it. With its sprite-based characters and blocky design, the fun (and funny) world of Kanterbury is a short download away.
Still constantly getting community-requested updates (and plenty of coupon codes) this is like if The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure was brought back as an MMORPG. Rather than sprinting from enemy pack to enemy pack, tons of interesting little environment puzzles are littered along your path, giving plenty of reason to rely on the friends you'll inevitably make along the way.
It's not the most graphically impressive game out there, but its low device requirements make it immediately accessible. That can play a big part in a game's popularity and, in turn, its chances of long-term survival. For that, Guardian Tales has to be one of the best Android MMORPG games you can play today.
Fantasy Life Online
It may be premature to call this one of the best Android MMORPG games so soon, but colour us confident. Coming from Level-5 games, this sequel to a Nintendo 3DS classic fits into its own little niche. Released after the closure of the Japanese version, its unexpected arrival echoed around a fanbase that had waited tirelessly for the follow-up. That's got to be worth something.
Making good on its promise to feel just like the original, Fantasy Life Online incorporates 12 different "life" classes; from the combat-heavy Paladin and Warrior, to live-off-the-land types like Carpenter, Miner, and Seamstress. They're introduced through a gacha system, though, so be sure to check out our Fantasy Life Online tier list for help deciding on who to pick at the start. And if you want a few pulls, we have Fantasy Life Online codes to get you some free diamonds as well.
Fantasy Life Online can be viewed like the anime equivalent of Runescape or Albion Online. Things are never going to get as deep and dangerous as those games, but whether you want to gather for a living or beat up monsters in the woods, this choice really is yours.
Lineage 2M
If you were lucky enough to own a half-decent computer back in the late-90s/early-00s, you may have experienced one of the hallmarks of the genre—the Korean game Lineage.
Though it's hardly the first iteration of the classic series to make the jump to mobile, it is the most recent. Lineage 2M launched in late 2021. Designed as a mobile reimagining of the 2004's Lineage 2 (which was actually a prequel to the first game), Lineage 2M features a lot of the features that made the home release an evergreen title—including the Orb and Dagger being some of the Lineage 2M class options around.
Having been released in Korean back in early 2019, its recent localization suggests this particular Android MMORPG game will be around for quite a while yet, with plenty of updates sure to come.
The Best Android MMORPG Games - Honourable Mentions
Honourable mentions go to the swathe of PC-first MMORPGs that eventually made their way to mobile. Ranging from Flyff and Grand Chase to Black Desert and Blade & Soul, these hallmarks of the PC MMORPG space aren't quite the same experiences on the small screen. In fact, they're often stripped-down versions of their desktop counterparts.
Outside of automated gameplay concerns, however, they do still offer the kind of grinding, customization, and socialization MMORPG players expect from their games. They're just not all that unique by today's standards and may struggle to entice anyone looking for a new and exciting or nostalgic adventure. Some can be quite difficult for older phones to run as well.