Best PvP MMOs To Play In 2025

 Typically, MMORPGs put a majority of their focus into building a living world, crafting an epic storyline, and/or creating in-depth roleplaying elements. However, sometimes players get tired of working together to take down the latest big bad and just want to throw down against each other. Here are the top MMOs of 2025 to get your PvP fix in.

Albion Online

Currently, it’s hard to argue that any other MMO on the market has the size, scope, and/or depth of PvP as Albion Online. Regardless of what type of PvP you’re looking for, Albion Online has it. Even though a lot of content results in full-loot PvP, there are still options for traditional, casual PvP.

Want casual or hardcore 1v1 fights? There are duels and corrupted dungeons for those. Small groups can practice in non-lethal Hellgates and eventually move into lethal ones to go after the big loot drops or try their luck in the Roads of Avalon. Competitive teams can fight in the Arena, Crystal Arena, or Crystal League to earn various types of loot.

For larger-scale fights, there’s faction warfare on the Royal Continent and massive guild vs guild fights in the Outlands. Even if all you want to do is run around and solo gank, there are plenty of spots for that in the Red Zones and more competitive content in the Mists.

Although the MOBA-like combat style might not be for anyone, there is a plethora of PvP content in Albion Online and no shortage of players to engage with.

Throne and Liberty

As one of the more recent MMORPGs to launch in the West, Throne and Liberty also offers a solid variety of PvP options with a more traditional combat style and without the fear of actually losing gear.

While Throne and Liberty does have an arena mode, it’s one of the weaker forms of PvP in the game. Instead, open-world PvP and PvP events are where the MMORPG really shines. Guilds can fight over territory and participate in Castle Sieges, which can involve thousands of players and massive golem battles.

On the more casual side, daily events rotate between cooperative and competitive modes, certain zones have dedicated PvP times, and open-world dungeons turn into PvP zones at night.

If you’re looking for all the PvP options of a sandbox MMO without the risk of losing any gear, then Throne and Liberty might be the game for you.

World of Warcraft

Even if it isn’t the behemoth it once was, World of Warcraft remains one of the most popular MMORPGs around and still has a thriving PvP community.

During the Battle for Azeroth expansion, World of Warcraft added the War Mode option, which allows individual players to enable or disable world PvP. This mode can only be activated in capital cities to avoid exploitation, but it greatly expanded the option for open-world PvP without locking players to specific server types. In addition to getting the chance to slay your rival faction, players who enable War Mode also earn additional experience, gold and currencies from questing.

In addition to open-world PvP, World of Warcraft also has some of the best-curated battleground experiences of any MMORPG. It’s hard to top an epic battle at Alterac Valley or a brutal game of capture the flag in Warsong Gulch. For the more competitive PvPers, there are ranked arenas and rated battlegrounds.

Black Desert Online

Despite its decline over the years, Black Desert Online still has an excellent combat system and gorgeous visuals, which can lead to some exciting PvP battles. While open-world PvP has fallen to the wayside due to harsh penalties towards griefers, there are still quite a few options available.

The dedicated PvP servers allow players to go crazy and attack whomever they want without penalty. These are a good option if you’re looking for a true Wild West scenario.

The Red Battlefield offers instanced PvP modes where players can show off their powerful gear, while the Arena of Solare provides more balanced content. There are also still multiple tiers of Node Wars and Castle Sieges for guilds to participate in and War of the Roses for massive 300 vs 300 PvP content.

Guild Wars 2

In Guild Wars 2, PvP mostly comes in 2 different flavors: Instanced and World vs World. Instanced PvP in Guild Wars 2 is typically capture and hold, but there is also team deathmatch and my personal favorite Stronghold where players can summon NPC allies to attack the enemy base and eventually take down their lord.

What really sets Guild Wars 2 apart, however, is its World vs World content where 3 armies fight for control of castles and territories in a gigantic battleground accumulating points for your faction. Matches end after a week and players are rewarded with ability points, ranks, and WvW track rewards, which can unlock some exclusive legendary armor.

EVE Online

Even if spreadsheets in space aren’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea, EVE Online offers a space sandbox experience like no other game. There are hundreds of ships to fly through thousands of solar systems.

Roleplay as a pirate and attack unsuspecting travelers in low-security systems, or join a corporation and siege stations in nullsec with thousands of other players to claim your own little piece of space.  With hundreds of different skills and nearly infinite options to outfit your ships, In EVE Online, the content is what you make it.

The Elder Scrolls Online

Similar to Guild Wars 2, PvP in The Elder Scrolls Online is split into battlegrounds and a separate open-world campaign. There are quite a few different options for battlegrounds, including the standard capture and hold and team deathmatch, but there is also Capture the Relic and Chaosball, which can be fun to break things up.

That being said, Alliance campaigns within Cyrodiil have made up some of my most memorable MMORPG PvP experiences of all time. Three separate alliances fight for control of keeps around the Imperial City, and the player at the top of the leader board can even be crowned emperor. Alliance Wars also have their own skill trees that can be unlocked with Alliance Points, as Alliance Ranks are gained by capturing keeps and outposts.

New World

If action combat is more your style then New World PvP might be right up your alley. The combat system in New World is one of its best assets requiring players to actively block, dodge, swap weapons and manage stamina. Even positioning is important with melee weapons gaining access to backstab bonuses and headshots with ranged weapons are guaranteed crits.

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While New World does have a 3v3 arena mode, the bulk of its PvP belongs to the Outpost Rush and War modes. Outpost Rush is a 20 vs 20 outpost capture mode that adds in PvE objectives that can provide player buffs or team resources to turn the tide of victory. On the other hand, War uses the game’s faction system to make a territory vulnerable to attack and a 50 vs 50 battle begins where control of that territory and its resources is on the line.

PlanetSide 2

Even if things are not exactly clear for the future of PlanetSide 2 due to Toadman Interactive’s imminent closure, there aren’t a whole lot of other options for a massive, open-world FPS RPG.

In PlanetSide 2, players choose 1 of 3 factions and fight in an epic-scale, never-ending war for territory control. When an empire completely conquers a continent, it becomes locked and a previously locked continent will be unlocked where the fighting can continue.  Players can progress their skills by killing enemies, healing allies, capturing objectives, and actively participating in large battles.

Foxhole

While Foxhole isn’t a traditional MMORPG, it does offer a semi-persistent 20th-century war experience. Individual battles can last from a few days to multiple weeks. There are no NPCs, classes, or progression systems in Foxhole. Instead, everything from creating ammunition to running supply lines and spotting for artillery is done by the players. Additionally, there are day/night and weather systems that can drastically affect the battlefield.

So grab a rifle and head to the front lines, pick up a first aid kit to heal enemies or hop in a truck driver to deliver supplies to strategic locations. If you want a truly immersive, realistic PvP experience where every action matters then Foxhole might be the game for you.

There you have it. Whether you’re just looking to get your feet wet in an arena or jump head-first into full-loot combat, here are the best PvP focused MMOs of 2025.