17 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 data in late 1997. With the lore of the previous Ultima titles to pull on the game launched with a rich world of history despite it being a spin off title of the popular role playing franchise. 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 UO was still able to command a thriving community 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. While no game can truly ever match the experience that many gamers had with UO these titles will get you some of the way there.
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 playe...[Read Review]
Life is Feudal: Your Own
Step into a massive medieval world in Life is Feudal: Your Own that blends combat, crafting, building, sandbox, realistic directional combat and many other mechanics to create an adventure set far into the past. Alternatively explore the much larger world in Life is Feudal: MMO, the MMO variant of the title with different f...[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...[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 app...[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 acti...[Read Review]
Haven and Hearth
Haven and Hearth is a free to play survival based MMORPG that will have you fighting to survive in an unforgiving game world with permanent death. You will have to fight off animals, hunger and other players. The game is being developed by Jorb and Loftar and takes place on a persistent single server. Haven and Hearth is fr...[Read Review]
Uncharted Waters Online
Uncharted Waters Online is a sandbox focused MMORPG that is set in the great age of sea travel. Explore the world in a century gone by as you trade from Europe to Asia and beyond. With this player driven game world paired with large scale naval battles Uncharted Waters Online was carved out a niche in the MMO space. Set in ...[Read Review]
RuneScape
RuneScape has long been a popular free to play MMORPG. It is widely regarded as one of the most popular browser based games around and has been constantly evolving since its humble beginnings over a decade ago. With hundreds of millions of accounts there are plenty of players to join you in this fantasy MMORPG. RuneScape of...[Read Review]
Wurm Online
Wurm Online is a sandbox style MMORPG that has a creative focus allowing you to create your own adventure. You 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. The game also has a stand alone version released on Steam in 2015 ...[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 ...[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 ...[Read Review]
Salem
Salem is a free to play MMO with a focus on exploration and crafting mechanics. Seatribe is behind development of the game who also run the popular hardcore MMO, Haven and Hearth (to which Salem has many similarities). Just like in Haven and Hearth players can expect permanent death in Salem so it definitely isn’t for the f...[Read Review]
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is the relaunched Final Fantasy MMORPG adventure that addresses the key issues of the original version to give you that MMO in the FF universe that you’ve always craved. Set on the continent of Eorzea there is a huge amount of ancient lore to explore with a map that is split into vari...[Read Review]
Eldevin
Aiming to bring the MMO genre back towards story driven gameplay is Eldevin a title that is simply packed full of game content. 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. These ancient artifacts ha...[Read Review]
Ascent – The Space Game
Ascent – The Space Game is a PvE sandbox title that uses space and over 200 billion star systems as the foundation of your experience. Set after the vast human empire has crumbled it’s time to build a new civilisation and rekindle the human drive for exploration. In addition to exploration players will construct...[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...[Read Review]
Mortal Online
Offering a hardcore sandbox experience Mortal Online is not a game for the faint-hearted player. Set in a deep medieval fantasy realm the struggle of life in Mortal Online is a real challenge for even MMO veterans. Your game starts in Mortal Online in a similar manner to other MMO titles with you carving your own character ...[Read Review]