In 2024, online games have come a long way, especially for those fond of large-scale interaction and exploration. While the list below may not reflect official titles from studios yet (some might surprise), here’s an unconventional guide to what’s hot — or about to be.
Digital Wilds That Never Rest
A true open environment means freedom, whether it's roaming ancient forests, post-cyberpunk landscapes, or medieval kingdoms teeming with guild rivals. The following games offer this immersive space while letting you clash, team up, or just explore endlessly.
| Title | Premise | Trend in Austria |
|---|---|---|
| Rain World: multiplayer edition (unofficial mod) | You play as a tiny mammal trying not to die in a harsh ecosystem filled with predators far bigger than your cursor. | Viral trend among Steam users |
| Helldivers vs Earth Modded Server | Co-op where players accidentally shoot each other as frequently as enemy bugs, due to poor positioning or lack of caffeine. | Popular in Austrian gaming groups |
| Deadlock Project | An abandoned sci-fi project turned player-hosted open simulation — basically “Cities: Skylines meets alien invasion." | Slowly rising across Discord |
What People are Playing — Or Think They Are
- Beyond Divinity Remastered (Unofficial 5v5 PVP mode): A once single-player game now hosting chaotic duels where no one remembers how resurrection spells work.
- The Forest Expanded Multiplayer Mode: Originally designed as survival with cannibals. It now features weekly competitions — think hunger challenges mixed with knife-only duels and very bad lighting decisions on someone's GPU.
- Noita: Mass Ritual Servers: One character per life. You experiment with spell combinations that explode faster than expected, preferably near a squadmate who is too close. Classic bonding through spontaneous detonations!
This isn’t a formal release schedule; some projects don't want mainstream attention, preferring underground hype fueled by forum leaks and Reddit experiments.
Open Worlds Beyond Expectation
The classic triple "T" trio — Towns, Traders, Taverns — feels outdated in next-gen experiences, where procedural politics shape nations overnight and your actions decide which AI lords take over. Players don’t need scripted content anymore if the game can invent its own rules mid-session via rogue mods.
- NPC states shift due to player economy shifts, sometimes without warnings
- New factions pop up in unexplored zones like fungus
- Trade routes are formed, stolen, sabotaged
- Governments change based on who bribes developers or hosts the most popular livestream rally
If Not Now, When? Games Waiting to Break Free
- Rogue Terra Alpha - Still unstable but has cult followers testing new maps daily.
- Mercator Prime Online - An ambitious mix between EVE-style politics and base building... hosted entirely by fans since publisher silence.
- Dustborn Extended: Multiplay Branch – No official launch date yet, but the beta has real-time vehicle sharing where one group drives a sandbug into town only to discover someone has repurposed it as a dance club during sunset.
The future doesn't always start polished, often beginning as fan-run chaos before studio intervention or complete abandonment by original creators due to internet fatigue.
Conquering the Virtual Unknown
To thrive requires more than just reflexes and good gear — strategy evolves constantly. Here’s a rough cheat list for anyone trying to rise without rage quitting at least twice nightly:
Faction Switcher Rule: Don’t tie your legacy to one team. Alliances break, betrayal runs rampant, and even kings get voted out over late logins or meme-related infractions.
Crucial Traits for Open World Survival:
- Rogues adapt fast — they either become mercenaries or get robbed.
- Cities grow from small markets into contested capitals overnight
- Mystery zones attract crowds but also curses. Proceed only after checking Discord threads
The Final Word
2024 proves that massive world exploration isn't restricted to AAA exclusivity — sometimes the weirdest experiments create lasting memories. Whether you join a server because you love crafting cities, hate dying solo, or enjoy arguing over base layout until dawn... there's something growing for everyone.
Even if your name appears on a rogues' wall, at least someone somewhere remembered the password that day… probably. Probably?
Key Points to Recall: Keep rotating characters, backup important gear off-world, read wiki patches when they drop (they rarely match gameplay), trust guild mates but back data regularly, and never underestimate random NPCs with sudden admin powers — they’ll ruin your night in seconds.