Sometimes you just want to be a solo adventurer, experiencing the world and all it has to offer at your own pace. These 10 MMORPGs are great for giving you a fantastic solo experience. While all MMORPGs can be enjoyed with friends, these games offer a special something that makes soloing through them enjoyable.
Guild Wars 2
The beginning story of Guild Wars 2 is a solo story that unfolds as you level, and the leveling experience is designed so that solo players can easily move through the world completing objectives and seeing all the game has to offer.
Even activities such as the awesome world bosses can be done without having to group up. Just show up and help others there take down the boss and you’ll receive all of the rewards without ever joining a group.
Star Wars The Old Republic
Star Wars The Old Republic’s class storylines are as close to a single-player game as it gets in the MMO genre. Each class has its own instanced story that gets told throughout your adventures in the world. Very soon you’ll even be given your very own starship to cruise the galaxy and explore unique worlds.
SWTOR is as close as we may ever get to KOTOR III, but the stories told for each class along the way more than carry their own weight and make playing the game worth it just to experience them.
With the new character creation system, it’s easier than ever to play any storyline you wish devoid of having to have create that specific class like in years past, but we recommend starting with the Imperial Agent storyline, it’s a great “classic spy story” type story.
Elder Scrolls Online
Every quest in Elder Scrolls Online is voice-acted and provides context to what you are doing. Extremely solo-player friendly, the voice-acted story of the game and all its quests keep your interest in game and help keep you from just mindlessly grinding mobs.
If you’re into the story of an MMO and feeling immersed in a world, ESO does a fantastic job of making you feel like a part of a living breathing world.
Neverwinter
Pick a class in Neverwinter and adventure through a Dungeons & Dragons world where you can easily complete the story quests solo. There is a ton of solo questing to be done and once you get to the campaign portions of the game, that can all be done solo as well. The campaigns alone are each hours of content and a solo player can easily make their way to level cap and beyond all by themselves if they wish.
While the F2P model can get a little dicey in later endgame/PvP content, it won’t stop you from playing through the main story content for each module provided you have the required gear level.
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is the king of the casual MMORPG. Soloing through the game can be done with no problem. Dungeons and PvP are optional activities you can do, so playing alone through the entire game experience can not only be done but can also be quite fun, just note that SOME dungeons will be required in the game’s most recent expansion when you get there… but that’s HOURS and HOURS away.
Nearly every feature in WoW is designed around a casual solo experience. Even if you want to jump into some dungeons, the dungeon finder queue makes it easy to get partied up with minimal interaction.
Black Desert Online
Black Desert Online is a gorgeous game that can be played solo fairly easily. You can concentrate on life skills, or grind out your class to become the most powerful combatant.
The end game is heavily centered around grinding so most of that can (and will) be done solo.
Lord of the Rings Online
Lord of the Rings Online has made big strides when it comes to solo play over the years. Many story points that used to be mandatory for finding a group are now solo-able instances, and often times quests give you a choice to continue as a group or solo.
The world of LOTRO is massive and you’ll spend hours exploring, completing quests, and following along with the main story as you shadow the movements of the fellowship of the ring as they make their way toward Mordor.
Star Trek Online
Star Trek Online’s chapter stories are a wonderful way to play through the game taking on solo challenges and experiencing the life of a Star Fleet officer. Or you can be part of the Klingon Defense Force. Or you can choose a Romulan and then pick which side you want to join.
No matter what you choose, you will be greeted with episodic quests that are not only self-contained stories but also lead into the next chapter. It’s a fun solo experience and laid out in a way that makes it enjoyable alone.
New World
If you’re into solo exploring and crafting, then New World is a great choice. The game is designed so that the majority of group content is in the end game. There are leveling dungeons you can do, but they are all optional and can be skipped while leveling in the game.
New World has a heavy emphasis on gathering and crafting, and you will be spending a large portion of your time on those. The classless system allows you to change your weapons and spec which gives you the freedom to approach encounters however you want.
Final Fantasy XIV
The main story quest in Final Fantay XIV is easily soloable, and even when you hit spots where you have to do a leveling dungeon the Duty Finder makes it easy to jump in a group, get the dungeon done, then move on your merry way through the MSQ… if you REALLY hate playing with people the Trust system even allows you to do most of the dungeon content you’ll do in the main story with AI controlled characters from the main story.
Players often rave about the great storytelling in FFXIV, and you can level up and experience that fantastic story all by yourself, free all the way through the Heavensward expansion!
Got a recommendation for a great solo-friendly MMORPG that we didn’t include? Let your gamer friends know about it in the comments!
