Its shift to free-to-play can definitely be attributed to drawing in many more players. The Lord of the Rings Online is another of these MMORPGs that has been around for quite some time now, releasing all the way back in 2007, yet it still retains a rather sizable and dedicated fan base. Eve Online has also featured on our list of most popular MMORPGs, ranked by peak concurrent players. For example, players of one alliance spent eight months building the game’s biggest starship. The game has been inducted into the Museum of Modern Art, celebrating its accomplishments of the player base. The game’s player base saw a rise after going free-to-play, as it is now available to anyone with a PC.

However, free accounts are limited to the number of skill points that they can allocate, as well as lacking access to some advanced ship types. Playing with a free account (known as an alpha account) allows you access to most of EVE Online. However, due to the decline in popularity, the game added a free-to-play version in 2016. In 2013, EVE Online managed to reach over 500,000 subscribers. It follows games like Star Wars: The Old Republic and Star Trek Online, taking the genre to outer space for a sci-fi setting. Many MMORPGs opt for a high fantasy setting, which makes EVE Online a standout entry on this list. Sources: Eve Online Status Monitor, Steam Charts.

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