15 Games Like Ultima Online
These MMO games like Ultima Online (UO) offer deep and engaging worlds that have sandbox mechanics to help you live a second life within a virtual setting.
Ultima Online is one of the original massively multiplayer online role playing games with a launch date back in late 1997. With the lore of the previous Ultima titles to pull from the game launched with a rich world of history despite it being a spin off title of the popular role playing franchise at the time. The success of Ultima Online led to other spin off attempts including games like Lord of Ultima and Ultima Forever although they never reached the same level of success.
Key to the success of Ultima Online was the focus on a persistent world that players felt at the centre of while still being able to interact freely with other players, building lasting relationships to the point where the game became almost a second life to those that occupied the game world. With the layers of mechanics in addition to this social appeal UO was still able to command a thriving community in the modern day despite the introduction of new MMO titles that eventually saturated the genre.
The games like Ultima Online selected for this list attempt to capture the same experience as UO with a focus on games that encourage regular socialisation and give you some ability to craft the world with sandbox mechanics.
ArcheAge
In terms of fleshed out MMO experiences ArcheAge is near the top of the list with an impressive game world filled with adventures, secrets and features around every corner of the fantasy world. While ArcheAge innovates in a few areas of MMO gameplay much of the focus is put towards delivering vast content, quality and player choice over attempting to reinvent the historical MMO mechanics. Set in a fantasy game world the focus of ArcheAge is on being able to change the game world around you while...[Read Review]
Second Life
Second Life is a free to play online life simulation game designed to appeal to fans of the virtual world genre that want to go a step deeper with enhanced customisation and a real world inspired economy. Developed by Linden Labs Second Life has been online since 2003 for Windows and Mac with regular core releases occurring on 6 monthly cycle. With the added possibility of turning your game time into real world dollars Second Life has been able to maintain a thriving community of nearly a millio...[Read Review]
Haven and Hearth
Haven and Hearth is a free to play survival based MMORPG for Windows that challenges you to fight for survival in an unforgiving game world with permanent death if you fail in the deadly environment. Fighting off animals, hunger and even other players due to the integrated PvP mechanics Haven and Hearth should not be entered lightly. Currently under development by a small team Haven and Hearth is fundamentally free to play with the full suite of game content available to players without paying a...[Read Review]
Uncharted Waters Online
Uncharted Waters Online is a sandbox focused MMORPG that is set in the great age of sea travel between powerful nations. Explore the world in a century of the past as you trade from Europe to Asia and beyond as you fight for influence as Venice, France, Ottoman Empire, Netherlands, Spain, England and Portugal. With this player driven game world paired with large scale naval battles Uncharted Waters Online has carved out a niche in the MMO arena with its setting unlike the usual fantasy adventure...[Read Review]
Wurm Online
Wurm Online is a sandbox style MMORPG that has a creative focus allowing you to create your own adventure in a medieval themed world. Players can play Wurm Online with a basic account for free but to remove some restrictions you will have to commit to a subscription based premium account. Following the initial 2012 release a stand alone paid version was launched in 2015 known as Wurm Unlimited gives players the toolkit they need to have their own single player adventure or host a multiplayer ser...[Read Review]
RuneScape
RuneScape has long been a popular free to play MMORPG and grown significantly since its original 2001 release date with regularly updated content delivered to its millions of registered players. It is widely regarded as one of the original and most popular browser based MMO games ever created. While RuneScape is no longer available to play in your browser it has expanded to be a cross platform adventure for computer and mobile gamers. Alongside this modern RuneScape version (also known as RuneSc...[Read Review]
Mabinogi
Mabinogi allows you to create your own anime life in an experience that is simply overflowing with content, features and options while revolving around social elements. For those MMO players that crave customisation, anime styling and large scale friendship groups Mabinogi has proven to consistently deliver this experience since its original launch in 2008. Centred around the growth of character through the game world of Erinn the core Mabinogi experience revolves around questing, community enga...[Read Review]
EVE Online
EVE Online is a space adventure just waiting for you to join in. The game is a player driven MMORPG with an insane amount of depth. Launching in 2003 the game has slowly gained a loyal following to reach half a million subscribers in 2013 and went free to play in 2016. EVE Online is a game of freedom allowing players to approach the game in the way they want and find their own place in this ever expanding universe. The game features thousands of different star systems which are connected by star...[Read Review]
Eldevin
Aiming to bring the MMO genre back towards story driven gameplay is Eldevin a free to play title that is packed full of game content. Offering a familiar MMO framework that sees you meeting other players, exploring the vast realm with hundreds of locations, unique creatures, distinct factions and countless quests along the way. The story behind the kingdom of Eldevin is one of a peaceful land that over the past decade has slowly fallen into chaos upon the discovery of powerful Elemental Spheres....[Read Review]
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (also known as Final Fantasy XIV Online) is the relaunched version of the 2010 Final Fantasy MMORPG adventure that addresses the key issues of the original. With vast enhancements players are finally able to experience the MMO and Final Fantasy universe that you’ve always craved. Set on the continent of Eorzea players have a wealth of ancient lore and locations to explore with the map split into various city states that have their own biomes and specialiti...[Read Review]
Black Desert Online
Hailing from Korea and focused on sandbox orientated mechanics is Black Desert Online a buy to play for those in Europe and North America. You’ve got most of the traditional MMO features and a host of interesting design choices to explore in the Black Desert Online universe which also includes a mobile version (Black Desert Mobile). Central to the game world are the Black Stones which have corrupted the minds of the ancient civilisations and lay in the desert between the two major game civ...[Read Review]
Ascent – The Space Game
Ascent – The Space Game is a PvE MMO sandbox title that uses space and over 200 billion star systems as the foundation of your vast galactic experience. Set after the far reaching human empire has crumbled it’s time to build a new civilisation and rekindle the human drive for exploration using your available ships and other game tools to explore the galaxy and progress your own exploration story. In addition to this exploration focus players will construct, colonise, research, mine, ...[Read Review]
EverQuest II
EverQuest II is a 3D MMORPG that builds on the EverQuest series. The game was released in November 2004 and as of 2011 went free to play so everyone can enjoy the experience. For gamers who played the original EverQuest the game takes place in the same fictional world (Norrath) although 500 years have passed since that time. This makes the game separate enough from the original that it won’t affect new comers to the series but still has those nostalgic moments for EverQuest fans. Character creat...[Read Review]
Mortal Online
Offering a hardcore sandbox experience Mortal Online is not a game for the faint-hearted player where your death can lead to losing a significant amount of equipment due to the full loot on death mechanic. Set in a deep medieval fantasy realm with medieval themes the struggle for life in Mortal Online is a real challenge for even MMO veterans with their customised character avatar. Released in 2010 a sequel with similar mechanics and setting (Mortal Online 2) was released in 2021. The world for ...[Read Review]
Albion Online
Albion Online centres itself heavily on the guild and sandbox mechanics that often form secondary features in other MMOs. Originally released in 2017 as a paid MMO Albion Online’s free to play shift in 2019 and large 2020 update (Queen) has seen a resurgence of interest in the unique sandbox MMO pushing its daily active accounts into the six figure mark and nearly half a million monthly active. With a single server housing these players you can expect an overwhelming number of players in f...[Read Review]