Summary
By their very nature,MMORPGsare designed to be played with other people. That’s literally what MMO denotes, after all. Not everyone wants to play with other people though. Fromthe very first MMORPGsto modern examples of the genre, some MMORPGs have always made at least a token effort to appeal tosolo 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 onhow 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.
Updated July 31, 2025, by Robbie Mitchell:Not everyone likes to team up with others and, thankfully, plenty of MMORPGs cater to the loners among us. We’ve had another look and updated this list with a handful more MMORPGs that are fun to play solo. They include a couple of relatively new releases as well as an MMORPG classic that we overlooked the first time around. All these games are fun to play solo and have excellent content aimed at those of us who like to play alone.
New Worldgot off to a famously rough start when it was released in 2021, but years of updates have helped to turn the game around. In its current state,New Worldis a lot of fun and has a lot to offer solo players. For a start, its classless combat system is exceptionally solo-friendly for an MMORPG, to the point that there’s even an “Only Play Solo” title option when joining a Faction. While some content like certain quests, Expeditions, and PVP War Campaigns require the player to join a group, pretty much everything else is soloable.
Tons of quests can be completed solo, and it’s possible to out-level difficult areas. Besides combat, side activities like fishing, hunting, and crafting feel tailor-made for solo players. Currently, one of the game’s biggest weaknesses is a lack of compelling endgame content. While that’s usually a problem, that kind of content is usually aimed at groups, meaning a lack of endgame content shouldn’t bother solo players.
The Lord Of The Rings Onlinemight be one of the oldest games on this list, but it’s only gotten better with age. Featuring stunning reconstructions of some of Tolkien’s most famous locations, the game has a lot to offer solo players.
It’s free-to-play up until level 95, and its entire story can be completed solo. Besides the main story, there is tons of extra content to complete, much of it also soloable. Solo skirmishes, in which the player can fight alongside customizable AI soldiers, feel epic, and every instance added after Mordor has a solo mode. Furthermore, older content originally aimed at groups can be completed by over-leveled solo players. Some aspects of the game, like its tab targeting, feel dated, but this is an old-school MMO where the developers have gone out of their way to support solo players.
Whereas most MMORPGs focus mostly on combat,Paliais a much more laid-back experience. It takes what people love about cozy farming sims likeStardew Valleyand blends them with more traditional MMO elements. Set in a world where humans went extinct long ago, the player is given a plot of land and tasked with doing their bit to help rebuild the human race.
That can be done by farming crops, hunting for food, mining resources, or myriad other peaceful ways. For those of us uninterested in talking to real humans, there are even romanceable NPCs. As the player searches farther afield, they’ll come across other players, but working with them is completely optional. Players are free to spend dozens of hours perfecting their homesteads, only inviting others to check them out when they’re ready. Or not at all. Some people might miss the combat of traditional MMORPGs but a game likePaliaencourages role-playing in the purest sense.
Fallout 76has 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 andreworked much of the game.Fallout 76’smain quest line and most of its side quests now feel like something out of a traditional single-playerFalloutgame. 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, likethe best daily ops, is still clearly angled at multiplayer but can be tackled solo by the brave of heart.Fallout 76also 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.
Temtemis 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 ofPokemonthat 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 traditionalPokemonexperience, but with friends (for those who want that). Players can catch and collect a huge list ofnot-Pokemoncalled 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 ofthe best monster-taming games aroundand, as long as they can get over the always-online requirement, an awesome choice for lovers of solo play.
World of Warcraftis an MMORPG that needs no introduction, but it might seem like an odd pick for this list at first. As one ofthe 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 ofWoW’ssbest 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 Warcraftis 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.
The Elder Scrolls Onlinegot off to a rough start in life. It launched as an unholy mix of traditionalElder Scrollselements and MMORPG systems that failed to keep fans of either happy. It didn’t play exactly like the legendarySkyrimthat 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 Onlineis a very different beast today.
It still doesn’t play likeSkyrim(not thatSkyrim’scombat 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 ofTheElder Scrolls, and with multiple countries to explore, the game is huge. Played solo, it’s one ofthe 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.
Black Desert Onlineis 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.
Thanks to the success ofBaldur’s Gate 3and 2023’s surprisingly goodDnDmovieHonour Among Thieves, Dungeons and Dragonsis 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 intoDnDcan be pretty intimidating. And costly. Thankfully, there’s alwaysNeverwinter. It’s a huge MMORPG set in the same world asBaldur’s Gatethat’s been going strong for over ten years. It’s bothcompletely free to play and pretty solo-player friendly.
Neverwinteris a great choice for gamers looking to get intoDnD. 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. WithNeverwinterplaying with others is never necessary, and neither is engaging with the game’s microtransactions.
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 Republicis the perfect game for that kind of MMORPG player. One ofthe best sci-fi MMORPGs ever made,The Old Republichas 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 classicKnights of the Old Republicgames 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 Republicremainsan excellent pick for gamers who put story over gameplay.
