The 5 Oldest MMOs That Are Still Online Today

Did you know that the first true MMO was Island of Kesmai, a text-and-ASCII-based online RPG released in 1986? Playable on CompuServe, it supported up to 100 players at a time in a persistent world. The game was developed by Kesmai Corporation and featured turn-based combat, character progression, and dungeon crawling — all through a command-line interface. It's no longer available, though, so below are some of the oldest MMOs still online today. And they're all free-to-play.

Ultima Online

Released in September 1997, Ultima Online was developed by Origin Systems and published by Electronic Arts. You probably know this one — it’s a landmark in MMORPG history. Set in the world of Britannia, it offered a true sandbox experience where you could do just about anything: craft, build a house, fight other players, or roleplay a blacksmith in a tiny village. Its player-driven economy and persistent world design were way ahead of their time and helped shape the genre.

Tibia

Tibia launched in January 1997 and was both developed and published by CipSoft, a small indie team from Germany. Don’t let the simple 2D graphics fool you — it’s got a massive open world, intense PvP, and a strong sense of community. With brutal death penalties and little guidance, it’s a favorite for players who like their MMOs old-school and unforgiving.

Furcadia

Developed and published by Dragon's Eye Productions, Furcadia came out in December 1996 as a social MMO with a big focus on creativity and roleplay. Instead of combat or leveling up, the game leaned into creativity and expression — players (as anthropomorphic characters) could build custom maps, run events, and tell their own stories. It had modding tools long before that was the norm. Also, fun fact: furries? Around since at least 1983.

Meridian 59

Meridian 59 dropped in September 1996, developed by Archetype Interactive and later published by The 3DO Company. It’s actually considered the first 3D graphical MMORPG, using a first-person view and real-time combat, with a heavy focus on guilds and politics. Besides PvP, there was drama, betrayals, and alliances. These days, it’s kept alive by a group of dedicated community developers under the Open Meridian Project.

GemStone IV

Made and published by Simutronics, GemStone IV has been around since April 1988. That’s over 37 years ago, man! It’s a text-based MUD, which means no graphics — just deep storytelling, turn-based combat, and roleplay, all through typed commands. It’s the kind of game that lives in your imagination. Who needs graphics, right?