MMOs are a fantastic genre of games where you can share the world with tens, hundreds, or even thousands of people. Interact with others, fight with them or against them, it’s all up to you. A good MMO can captivate players, making them willing to put hundreds of hours into it.
The downside however is MMOs were originally designed for PC. Playing them on a console was difficult, unintuitive, bulky, and felt wrong. Hotbars with dozens of skills and items, and you’re limited to a controller.
Thankfully, some MMOs have considered console players and released some fantastic console versions of their games. Let’s dive into the 5 best MMOs for console and hope we don’t end up spending 500 hours there.
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Final Fantasy 14
FFXIV is renowned for its stunning visuals, breathtaking landscapes, and meticulously crafted character designs that contribute to a visually appealing and detailed game world. The inclusion of various job classes, each with its unique abilities and playstyles, provides players with a ton of options for character customization and gameplay.
On launch, FFXIV did not do so well. The developers chose to listen to the players and overhauled the game into what it is now, one of the most popular MMOs. Constantly releasing new content, and being able to play most of the game for free makes this a no-brainer for MMO fans.
With controls designed with the controller in mind, and performance optimization for consoles, the developers ensured that simple things like menus wouldn’t be nearly impossible to navigate on consoles. Final Fantasy 14 feels like you’re playing just another Final Fantasy but with thousands of other people!
Elder Scrolls Online
Boasting an expansive and intricately detailed open world, Elder Scrolls Online allows players to explore the iconic lands of Tamriel. The game offers a level of immersion and freedom, much like that of the beloved Elder Scrolls single-player series. The game’s narrative is impressive, with each region having its compelling storyline and quests, providing players with a rich and varied gaming experience.
One of my best friends is captivated by ESO, putting well over 1000 hours into it. Every time I fire up the PS5, he is playing ESO. People love to explore a world that’s alive, and ESO will have you dropping hundreds of hours into it as you become entranced by the extremely detailed world of Tamriel.
Being able to bind spells to controller buttons, and switch between two hot bars on the fly, ESO for consoles is a great pick for a console MMO. The times I have played this game, I felt that using a controller was natural and that it played well… Me playing well? That’s another story.
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Destiny 2
Not all MMOs have to be RPGs. Destiny and the follow-up Destiny 2 are MMOFPS games (Massive Multiplayer Online First Person Shooter), which when you think about it works well for consoles. Yes, PC elitists will tell you the only way to play a first-person shooter is with a PC and a monitor that has a 4,000 refresh rate.
What if I told you though, that playing Destiny on consoles isn’t just okay… it’s fun! Missions, raids, and PVP are all available for you to take on, and you have the choice of which to play. If you’re not the most competitive person, you can relax and play alongside others in missions and raids, but if you’re one of the hardcore ones, PVP is for you. Regardless of your playstyle, Destiny 2 can have the best of the shooter and MMO worlds in one.
Fallout 76
Before you jump to the comments on this one, hear me out. Yes, Fallout 76 had a terrible launch, it had bugs that made even Bethesda blush, and people got cheap imitations of the swag they were promised by pre-ordering.
The team stuck with it, however, because six years after launch the game is pretty good. It shouldn’t have taken so long, but credit should be given to these guys not abandoning the project right away. After countless updates, the game falls in line with the rest of the series, offering multiplayer and an expansive world.
But how does it make a good console MMO? It’s the same game style as Fallout 4, which is a great console game, and in the time that it has been live, more than 15 million players have made their way into the wasteland.
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DC Universe Online
Championed by video game legend Greg Miller, DC Universe Online is the MMO that every Marvel fan wished they had. You start by creating your hero or villain, already a fantastic start letting you choose if your character is good or bad. Once made, your character is injected into a world full of DC characters.
Unlike a lot of MMOs that have menus upon menus, and hot bars galore, DCUO is focused on fast action-packed combat. Aiming for more of a hack-and-slash style gameplay benefits controller users greatly and makes the game very enjoyable even if you don’t have a big ol’ gaming rig at your disposal.
When I asked Greg why he loved DCUO, I didn’t expect this:
“It’s my childhood definition of heaven — just getting to exist in the DC Universe and be a hero. When I finally was invited into the Watchtower’s inner sanctum to meet Superman… that was a moment in gaming that I’ll never forget.”
That’s a pretty great endorsement. It’s very clear that if you enjoy DC in the slightest, DC Universe Online is your pick. The console version works very well, despite still lacking a next-gen upgrade, so you don’t need to be a ‘dirty PC player’ as Greg would say. Hack-and-slash action combat compliments controller users, giving them the ability to play just as well as PC users.
MMOs are popular for a reason, and with the number of consoles out in the wild, it’s good to know some MMOs are functional on your preferred platform. Are there any more MMOs that work well on console? Let us know in the comments!
