Betawatch: Dune Awakening launches, possibly without rhythm

Eliot Lefebvre 2025-06-06 00:00:00
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Finally! After ten thousand years, Dune Awakening is free! It’s time to conquer Earth! By which I naturally mean “get a lot of players who are happy to play the game.” The head start has kicked off, and that means that everyone can explore what it means to walk without rhythm to avoid attracting the worm. Also, ornithopter, spice, fear is the mind-killer. There. I know nothing about Dune as a franchise and I refuse to learn, so I’m glad that I don’t have to pretend any more.

In other news, BitCraft continues its testing and is showing off its empire-building mechanics. We’ve also got an interview with the Chrono Odyssey team about embracing the MMORPG label and design goals, and Sea of Remnants has been announced along with hints that it may, in fact, be a gacha exercise. We’ll have to find out as new information is presented.

Did you know that we have a a whole column about gacha games and what keeps people playing them? You probably did. You’re a really attentive reader, I respect that about you. Did you also know we have a whole rundown of beta news just below this, and our full list of games in testing? Yeah, I bet you did. You’re so clever! Let us know if you’re even more clever than we know in the comments if you notice something missing down in the full list.

Dune Awakening’s $70+ headstart has officially begun – are you playing? Star Citizen recounts efforts on AI and gameplay as alpha 4.2 looms and players grumble over PvP Star Citizen outlines alpha 4.2’s upcoming new persistent sandbox activity: Storm Breaker NetEase’s new multiplayer RPG Sea of Remnants is gorgeously weird and punk (and probably a gacha game) Dune Awakening will have rentable private servers ahead of the full launch after all EVE Fanfest 2025: EVE Vanguard is leaning into full MMOFPS gameplay Interview: Kakao on Chrono Odyssey’s global parity, opt-out PvP, and embracing MMORPGs Choose My Adventure: Rock climbing, rock recovery, and rocking engines in Lost Skies Kickstarted superhero MMO Ship of Heroes shows off its animation and FX overhaul Vindictus Defying Fate nails down timing and details for its June 8 global open alpha test Hands-on with Siege Camp’s sandbox MMORPG Anvil Empires ahead of its Steam Next Fest demo MMO Hype Train: Palia’s been given a chance to flourish — and it has Eldramoor discusses class design, crafting, PvP systems, and dungeons in Q&A livestream Post-apocalyptic MMO shooter Pioner shows pre-open beta gameplay trailer The Stream Team: Taking a first peek inside of the current test of BitCraft Online BitCraft releases an empire-building showcase video as its demo marches on Pax Dei’s major Verse 3 update and wipe will get underway after lengthy downtime June 11 Past Fate shares UI updates and combat changes in latest dev vlog Pax Dei answers questions about crafting, PvP, PvE, gear, and more in Discord Q&A The Stream Team: Checking out the multiplayer ‘sci-fi space adventure’ of Jump Ship’s demo Pantheon Rise of the Fallen confirms Ashbreather Enclave and Smoldering Trench update for June 11

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. Open Testing Open testing
Closed Testing Closed testing
Paid Access Paid access
Legitimate MMORPG Legit MMORPG
Multiplayer Multiplayer
Malingering in Perpetual Testing Malingering

Paid AccessMultiplayer33 Immortals: Early access
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOAbyss: Early access
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOThe Adventurer’s Domain Online: Early access
Open TestingLegitimate MMOAero Tales Online: Early access
Paid AccessMultiplayerAloft: Early access
Paid AccessMultiplayerAmmo and Oxygen: Early access starts November 7th
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOAnvil Empires: Intermittent alpha
Open TestingLegitimate MMOApogea: Open testing
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOArcane Waters: Early access
Closed TestingMultiplayerArc Raiders: Tech test this weekend, launch planned for 2025
Open TestingLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingArcfall: Pre-alpha
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOAdrullan Online Adventures: Weekend-long open test starts April 19th, renamed from Evercraft Online
Closed TestingMultiplayerARK 2: Paid early access
Closed TestingMultiplayerArkheron: Closed beta
Open TestingMultiplayerAscendant: Open testing in August
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOAshes of Creation: Alpha two
Closed TestingMultiplayerAshfall: Closed beta
Paid AccessMultiplayerASKA: Early access
Paid AccessMultiplayerBattlebit: Early access
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOBellatores: Closed testing
Paid AccessMultiplayerBellwright: Early access, developers of abandoned Last Oasis
Open TestingLegitimate MMOBitcraft: Early access launch on June 20th, open beta until then
Paid AccessMultiplayerBook of Travels: Early access
Open TestingLegitimate MMOBrighter Shores: Early access
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingCamelot Unchained: Closed beta, planning to launch in late 2025
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingChronicles of Elyria: Pre-alpha, again
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOChrono Odyssey: Closed beta targeting May, launch planned for Q4 2025
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOCinderstone Online: Closed beta
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingCity of Titans: Alpha
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOCoreborn: Nations of the Ultracore: Early access
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOCorepunk: Early access
Paid AccessMultiplayerCraftopia: Early access
Closed TestingMultiplayerThe Crew Motorfest: Closed testing
Closed TestingMultiplayerCrosswind: Future testing events planned on Steam
Paid AccessMultiplayerMalingering in Perpetual TestingDark and Darker: Paid early access, legal troubles.
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingDark and Light: Early access (abandoned?)
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingDarkbind: Closed beta (probably abandoned?)
Paid AccessMultiplayerDawn of Defiance: Early access
Closed TestingMultiplayerDestiny Rising: Closed beta
Paid AccessMultiplayerDragonwilds: Early access
Open AccessLegitimate MMODreamworld: Pre-alpha, open playtest until March 16th
Paid AccessMultiplayerDungeonborne>: Early access
Paid AccessMultiplayerECO: Early access, full launch planned in 2024
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingEleven: Closed alpha
Paid AccessMultiplayerEnshrouded: Early access
Paid AccessMultiplayerEquinox Homecoming: Early access on May 8th
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOEternal Tombs: Pre-alpha resumes October 11th
Closed TestingMultiplayerEVE Vanguard: Early access planned for summer 2026
Paid AccessMultiplayerEvercore Heroes: Ascension: June 19th early access
Paid AccessMultiplayerFinal Stand: Ragnarok: Early access (officially, really)
Closed TestingMultiplayerFellowship: Open testing in late May
Closed TestingMultiplayerFragPunk: Closed alpha, launch planned for March 6th
Paid AccessMultiplayerFrozen Flame: Early access
Closed TestingMultiplayerHavenhold: Closed beta
Open TestingLegitimate MMOHomestead: Open alpha
Paid AccessMultiplayerIfSunSets: Early access
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOIlysia: Early access
Open TestingLegitimate MMOInferna: Early access
Closed TestingMultiplayerKing of Meat: Alpha test December 4th through the 14th
Open TestingLegitimate MMOKurtzpel: Closed beta
Open TestingLegitimate MMOLegend of Ares: Open testing ahead of relaunch
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOLegendarium Online: Paid alpha access
Open TestingLegitimate MMOLife is Feudal Arden: Open beta
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOLoftia: Alpha planned for April
Paid AccessMultiplayerLost Skies: Early access
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOMagic to Master: Somehow, Palpatine returned in early access
Closed TestingMultiplayerMarathon: Alpha testing
Closed TestingMultiplayerMecha Break: Open beta concluded, launching 2025
Closed TestingMultiplayerMidnight Murder Club: Closed testing this weekend
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOMonsters & Memories: Intermittent pre-alpha
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOMortal Exodus: Closed testing
Paid AccessMultiplayerNecesse: Early access
Paid AccessMultiplayerNightingale: Early access
Open TestingLegitimate MMOOdd Giants: Alpha
Paid AccessMultiplayerMalingering in Perpetual TestingOsiris: New Dawn: Back from the dead, not on Steam any longer
Closed TestingMultiplayerOutbound: Alpha testing
Paid AccessMultiplayerMalingering in Perpetual TestingOutlaws of the Old West: Early access
Paid AccessMultiplayerPalia: Paid “open” beta, planning for launch in Q2
Paid AccessMultiplayerPalworld: Early access
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOPantheon: Early access
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOPast Fate: Closed testing
Paid AccessMultiplayerPath of Exile 2: Early access December 6th
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOPax Dei: Early access
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOPerfect New World: Closed beta
Open TestingMultiplayerPioner: Open beta planned for summer
Open TestingLegitimate MMOPow Vista: Open beta (mobile)
Closed TestingMultiplayerProject Crawl: Closed testing
Closed TestingMultiplayerProject Friendship: Beta signups open now
Closed TestingMultiplayerProject Genom: Closed alpha (servers offline, abandoned?)
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOProject Gorgon: Early access beta
Closed TestingMultiplayerProject Loki: Closed beta
Open TestingMultiplayerProject ST: Closed testing, open event ended
Open TestingMultiplayerProsperous Universe: Early access
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOQuinfall: Early access
Closed TestingMultiplayerReturn Alive: Closed beta
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOReign of Guilds: Early access
Open TestingMultiplayerRodent Rumble: Launching next year, playtest on October 11th
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOSamuTale: “Paid closed alpha early access” according to the developer, which is just early access, come on dude
Paid AccessMultiplayerSand: Early access delayed
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOScars of Honor: Next test October 26th
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingSeed: In pre-release, test run starts October 24th
Paid AccessMultiplayerSeekers of Skyveil: Early access
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOShip of Heroes: Beta testing, plans for launch in 2025
Paid AccessMultiplayerShips at Sea: Early access
Open TestingLegitimate MMOSky: Children of Light: Open early access
Paid AccessMultiplayerSkygard Arena: Early access
Open TestingMultiplayerSmite 2: Open beta
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOSoulframe: Open pre-alpha planned for 2025
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOSpacecraft: Alpha in the first half of 2025, might not be an MMORPG but it’s vague
Paid AccessMultiplayerThe Spell Brigade: Early access
Paid AccessMultiplayerSpellfarers: Early access
Open TestingMultiplayerSplitgate: Open beta
Open TestingMultiplayerSteel Hunters: Early access
Open TestingMultiplayerSupervive: Open testing November 20th
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingStar Citizen: Backer alpha
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOStar Resonance: Closed beta in China, rebrand of Blue Protocol Mobile following main title’s shutdown
Paid AccessMultiplayerStarbase: Early access open alpha
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOStars Reach: Pre-alpha started
Paid AccessMultiplayerSynduality: Echo of Ada: Early access
Paid AccessMultiplayerTemtem Swarm: Early access
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOTombstone: Closed testing, release planned for this year
Paid AccessMultiplayerTower of Aghasba: Early access planned for November 19th
Paid AccessMultiplayerTribes 3: Rivals: Early access, development slowing/stopping
Open TestingLegitimate MMOTrimurti Online: Stress testing, open beta February 13th
Paid AccessMultiplayerValheim: Early access
Paid AccessLegitimate MMOMalingering in Perpetual TestingValiance Online: Closed beta
Closed TestingMultiplayerVaultbreakers: Closed testing, formerly known as Project F4E
Open TestingMultiplayerVindictus: Defying Fate: Test with multiplayer on June 8th
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOWalkScape: Closed beta until June 15th
Closed TestingLegitimate MMOWarborne Above Ashes: Alpha
Open TestingLegitimate MMOWaven Early access
Open TestingMultiplayerZeroSpace: Public beta through November 24th

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.

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