Betawatch: RuneScape Dragonwilds’ dedicated servers, Heroes of Might & Magic Olden Era’s release countdown

Before now, you could not have them, but RuneScape Dragonwilds has added dedicated servers with its latest update! That’s right, unlike other updates where the servers refused to commit and wanted to keep their options open, the latest patch adds more quest content and dedicated servers that’ll just be with you, baby. I am being informed by the frantic waving of my producer off in the corner that this is not what dedicated servers are, but I confirmed that it has added dedicated servers and I’m not changing that paragraph.

Meanwhilst, Heroes of Might & Magic Olden Era is preparing to go into early access on April 30th at long last, which is good news for people who are fond of this spinoff revival which itself is a spinoff of the original Might & Magic series. There’s also a new tutorial experience in Stars Reach providing fewer rails for starting players, and Petit Planet has opened signups for its petit beta on petit April 21st. A little beta. A teensy-weensy beta.

My producer is now breaking down the door because I guess “meanwhilst” is not a word according to, you know, the dictionary, so I need to finish this up quick. Check out our roundup of beta news down below, and we’ve got a list of games in testing below that. If something slipped to a new test phase without our noticing, let us know in the comments! Don’t let them drag me away, I’m too young to face consequences!

We consider an MMO to be in open testing if it features free, public signups and will server wipe prior to launch. An MMO is marked in closed testing if it’s running a private test phase that cannot freely be accessed by the general public; it’s often under NDA as well. Early access and crowdfunded MMOs whose tests we deem legitimate will be included. So-called “open beta” soft-launch MMOs with cash shops, no sign of launch in the west, or limited interest for our readers will not be listed, nor will games that are NFT/blockchain scams; we also do not list expansions, with occasional exceptions. Finally, we’ll mark games “malingering” if they’ve been in a certain tier of development for a long time with no clear path to launch.

2XKO: Closed beta
33 Immortals: Early access
Abyss: Early access
The Adventurer’s Domain Online: Early access
Adrullan Online Adventures: Open alpha concluded
Aero Tales Online: Early access
Aloft: Early access
Anvil Empires: Intermittent alpha
Apogea: Open testing
Arcane Waters: Early access
Arcany: Early alpha
Arcfall: Pre-alpha
ARK 2: Paid early access
Arkheron: Closed beta
Ascendant: Open testing
Ashes of Creation: Early access, entire staff apparently laid off, in limbo
Ashfall: Closed beta
ASKA: Early access
Astrobotanica: Early access on February 16th, 2026
Battlebit: Early access
Bellatores: Closed testing, beta rolling out in South Korea
Bellwright: Early access, developers of abandoned Last Oasis
Bitcraft: Early access
Book of Travels: Early access
Brighter Shores: Early access
Camelot Unchained: Closed beta, early access planned???
Chronicles of Elyria: Pre-alpha, again
Chrono Odyssey: Closed beta, launch planned for 2027 after latest delays/revamps
Cinderstone Online: Closed beta
City of Titans: Alpha
Cloudheim: Early access
Coreborn: Nations of the Ultracore: Early access
Corepunk: Early access
Craftopia: Early access
The Crew Motorfest: Closed testing
Crosswind: Future testing events planned on Steam
The Cube, Save Us: Early access, free-to-play us
Dark and Darker: Paid early access, legal troubles.
Dark and Light: Early access (abandoned?)
Darkbind: Closed beta (probably abandoned?)
Dawn of Defiance: Early access
Dragonwilds: Early access
Drakanatos: Closed test weekend through July 27th
Dreamworld: Early access
Dungeonborne: Early access
ECO: Early access, full launch planned in 2024
Echoes of Elysium: Early access
Eldramoor: Testing access for sale now, tests begin in April
Eleven: Closed alpha
Enshrouded: Early access
Eternal Tombs: Open test this weekend
Etherwind: Open test on April 10th
Ethyrial: Echoes of Yore: Early access, 1.0 release planned for 2027
EVE Vanguard: Early access planned for summer 2026, open testing through October 2nd
Evercore Heroes: Ascension: Early access
Fellowship: Early access
Fractured: Conquest: Testing in 2026, full reboot of Fractured Online
FragPunk: Closed alpha, launch planned for March 6th
Frozen Flame: Early access
Havenhold: Closed beta
Homestead: Open alpha
Horizon: Hunter’s Gathering: First test planned for the end of February
Hytale: Early access
IfSunSets: Early access
Ilysia: Early access
Inferna: Early access
Kurtzpel: Closed beta
Legend of Ares: Open testing ahead of relaunch
Legends of California: Alpha test starts March 26th
Legendarium Online: Paid alpha access
Life is Feudal Arden: Open beta
Loftia: Closed beta on April 22nd
March of Giants: Closed alpha
Magic to Master: Somehow, Palpatine returned in early access
Monsters & Memories: Intermittent pre-alpha
Mortal Exodus: Closed testing
Neverness to Everness: Release on April 29th
Nightingale: Early access
Nin Online: Early access
Odd Giants: Alpha
Osiris: New Dawn: Back from the dead, not on Steam any longer
Outbound: Launch on April 23rd
Outlaws of the Old West: Early access
Palia: Paid “open” beta, planning for launch in Q2
Palworld: Early access
Pantheon: Early access
Past Fate: Early access
Path of Exile 2: Early access
Perfect New World: Closed beta
Petit Planet: Closed beta starting April 21st
Pioner: Early access
Pow Vista: Open beta (mobile)
Project Crawl: Closed testing
Project Friendship: Beta signups open now
Project Genom: Closed alpha (servers offline, abandoned?)
Project Loki: Closed beta
Project ST: Closed testing, open event ended
Prosperous Universe: Early access
Reaper Actual: Paid alpha
Return Alive: Closed beta
Rodent Rumble: Launching next year, playtest on October 11th
SamuTale: “Paid closed alpha early access” according to the developer, which is just early access, come on dude
Sand: Raiders of Sophie: Release planned for March but postponed
Scars of Honor: Internal testing
Sea of Remnants: In testing, multiplayer not available
Seed: In pre-release, test run starts October 24th
Seekers of Skyveil: Early access
Ships at Sea: Early access
Sky: Children of Light: Open early access
Skygard Arena: Early access
Smite 2: Open beta
Solarpunk: Closed multiplayer testing starting soon as of September
Soulframe: Founders pack for sale
Spacecraft: Alpha in the first half of 2025, might not be an MMORPG but it’s vague
The Spell Brigade: Early access
Spellfarers: Early access
Spirit Crossing: Closed alpha, launch in 2026
Star Citizen: Backer alpha
Starbase: Early access open alpha
Star Wrath: Closed beta
Stars Reach: Pre-alpha started
Steel Aces: Closed beta
Steel Hunters: Early access
Stormforge: Alpha testing through December 23rd
Synduality: Echo of Ada: Early access
Time Takers: Closed beta
Tombstone: Closed testing, release planned for this year
Tower of Aghasba: Early access planned for November 19th
Tribes 3: Rivals: Early access, development slowing/stopping
Trimurti Online: Stress testing, open beta February 13th
Valheim: Early access
Valiance Online: Closed beta
Vaultbreakers: Week-long open test through February 16th, formerly known as Project F4E
Vindictus: Defying Fate: Internal testing
WalkScape: Closed beta until June 15th
Waven Early access
ZeroSpace: Back in closed testing.

We welcome additions and corrections to this list; send your info our way via tips!

Yes, MMO gamers, you too can perform the unpaid quality-control work otherwise known as game testing! Check out Massively Overpowered’s Betawatch every week for a run-down of MMOs that are still on the road to launch, even if they appear to have set up a permanent residence in a shed called early access.