The Ultimate MMO Tier List (Backed by SCIENCE) (sort of)

[@ErikGsson]

if my game dont win, i unsub

[@Dustyscalps]

Video will either become the gamer bible (my game won) or the focus of all of our rage (my game lost)

[@balaam_7087]

You worked on Black Myth Wukong didn’t you 😅

[@ok_listen]

Same, it's a rule now

[@CynicalReprobate]

Mine already won solely by being the highest grossing video game of all time

[@Treeskrub]

Your game won let’s gooo

[@Bindie]

I quit mmos, rejoined, and quit again and josh only uploaded once in that period.

[@Tyrone2714]

Honestly I can quit and rejoin mmos within a day so I can't bash josh lol

[@Bindie]

@@Tyrone2714 getting into an MMO is / was like a massive time investment to me. it would take me months to quit

[@prefontaine9940]

Josh you can literally turn this into an academic paper. this is basically a popularity contest with the method we use in communication studies called "computer-assisted qualitative discourse analysis": basically you take bunch of texts, search for specific keywords and enumerate how many times they were utilized along with whether they were used in a positive or negative manner (you also have a scale, that's better), aggregate the results and present / summarize it in the article. you can actually publish these results in a scientific journal* for a fee, you may approach an academic from a communication department to be 2nd author to get funding covered by the university itself. *although it would be nice to attach the data to the article but most would look at the summary in the article

[@Sevandres]

This was a phenomenal two hours very well spent. Thank you for the insightful words, and for your work as an MMO content creator as a whole. Looking forward to your next work.

[@CronicasDeGisthia]

The ending is absolute cinema. Never expected that.

[@CEverett9979]

Josh has been teasing this exact video for weeks on his weekend streams. I'm really excited to see his thoughts, opinions and conclusions on his MMO tier list deep dive. Thanks, Josh!

[@terra3673]

Where does he stream

[@lordcorgi6481]

I learned more about myself than the MMO industry in this video. I was surprised by how many 200+ games on the list I liked and some I love and still play today 😂

[@Vallun]

2nd most impressive part (besides the compiling) is that you edited a 2 hour long video with all of that information

[@zomgl2pnoobffs]

I was gripped. And that final bombshell! Fantastic work and I hope it brings you much success and enjoyment. Thank you Josh!

[@drinkingandgaming]

I've got a 12 hr drive tomorrow, be as long as possible.

[@cthellis]

Sadly under 2 hours. What gives?!!

[@RF-Ataraxia]

Welp, time to play it on loop!

[@Norwolf2097]

this video will cost a few french subs and generate a ton of german ones

[@NyahNyum]

Hey... French here! Good work, you bloody brit!!!

[@thisiswherethefunbegins]

omlette du fromage! ( Dexter )

[@NyahNyum]

@@thisiswherethefunbegins ;D

[@MrArthys]

The fact that Ragnarok Online was not mentioned made me very very very sad.

[@VDViktor]

true, that's a crime. Especially since there's a new installment on its way apparently, Ragnarok Begins

[@BlobBlobkins]

​@@VDViktorWent straight forward to check what's a Ragnarok Begins, and I'm very disappointed, looks like sht...

[@b1gsea]

Awesome watch man, fantastic work in documenting all this, with a poignant and true message at the end to boot.

[@aqueleseditssreal]

i declare this video the best video of the year 2024

[@FantasyYeet]

This was amazing. Your hard work is much appreciated by the community

[@1995dragon]

absolute cinema and real life lesson at the end, josh strife says should now discuss this video for 8 hours

[@Daniel-q9f8p]

I can't believe my favourite MMORPG won!!

[@robintst]

7 year long player of City of Heroes on the live servers here... just happy to see us in the conversation, we loved our game very much. It's been great having it back on Homecoming, I encourage folks to give it a try if they never got the chance when it was officially running, just keep in mind it's an engine dating back to 2004.

[@Treeskrub]

I don’t watch your videos all the time, but I treat them like a new album dropping whenever I get to see a premiere

[@MadnessRealm]

Considering just how far back in time Josh went, I'm surprised that Ragnarok Online or Entropia Universe were not mentioned in any videos Josh found. Both are really old games that are still alive.

[@novum2915]

There is no Grand Chase, no Elsword, no Ragnarok Online, DFO was #130, science is wild lol

[@alfabeta-c7c]

bravo! I needed to see the full scope of all MMOs and i got it. Im too happy now! Best day this year because of many reasons, one of those - this video

[@yugimoy]

Logan Thackeray: I'm on the cover!

[@SpecShadow]

I know nothing about MMOs, never had a chance to experience it so I'm looking for this video to learn about this unknown world...

[@VVabsa]

Wow, lucky you! I found out that almost 20% of MMO's I've played or had experience with ended up on Josh's Worst MMO ever review.

[@DevonDekhran]

The one flaw I can think of, is not standardizing the list points vs the number of games per list, since that makes long lists extra impactiful, while shorter are lesser by default.

[@fakeaccount7913]

This is seriously one of the most impressive videos ever uploaded to the internet. Bravo, Josh. Incredibly fine work, lad.

[@JRushPro]

"Warning: this is a 2 hour video" I'm very impressed you didn't just mash your old videos together, that would have easily been over 24 hours! You actually put creative ideas, editing, effort, and the scientific method into this video!

[@radaro.9682]

Unless you had heard him talk about this at all over the last few weeks. Never even occured to me it'd be recut old stuff.

[@JRushPro]

@radaro.9682 other people are just lazy and recut stuff. This is why I like Josh

[@radaro.9682]

@JRushPro You watch creators that disappoint you regularly, then?

[@frikcodisko]

Hats off to you Josh. I would never comment on anything ever online but I feel the need to give you a sincere thank you.

[@exisTxD]

OSRS 10 pixels being here is a statement by itself.

[@MrExoticSnow]

Lemme trim your hat for free.

[@Gulantik]

This was genuinely the wildest ride I spent 1 hour and 50 minutes on, and that ending was beautifully chaotic. Bless our lord and saviour, Josh Strife Hayes.

[@zanestearns2143]

With his conclusion at the end he should change his name to Josh Sisyphus Hayes. Literally poured in all this effort to hit a tie and tell us it never actually mattered.

[@АлексейЛогинов-ж1ц]

This title made me feel like doctor Insano is going to show up at any moment in the video

[@mariodobric1322]

I cant believe City of Heroes had only one point. This whole list and points are an example of "THE NUMBERS DON'T LIE AND THEY SPELL DISASTER FOR YOU" lol. Epic job, Josh.

[@MCDexpo]

You know you've made it in life if your Patreon Backers list is so huge, its nearly illegible on a single non-scrolling screen

[@notanick14]

That joke got an honest laugh out of me - love the pirate gaff

[@ryanbabecki3187]

Josh's magnum opus. It all come's down to this.

[@TDOTCRFH4]

genuinely the funniest way the rankings could possibly have ended, perfect, chef's kiss, no notes

[@MedievalMarty]

Awesome video Josh!

[@mrnickname850]

i played way to many games on this list, this brings back a lot of good memories.

[@DeoFayte]

This is quite the trip down memory lane.

[@itsagabe]

Josh, Wayfinder isn't a shooter. It has a handful of firearms, but the vast majority of weapons are melee. Also, PSO2 isn't exactly what you mentioned. You referred to PSO2 New Genesis specifically. OG PSO2 is a mission, instance-based online game with primarily procedurally generated maps. And finally, I'm pretty sure Genshin Impact isn't an MMO. It requires an online connection, but an MMO it is not. I doubt the games that follow in its footsteps are MMOs.

[@Mantaur104]

Refer to the chart.

[@crualangel2829]

Top 10 best video of the year ... Nr.1 Josh Strife Hayes with "The Ultimate MMO Tier List"

[@dektarey4024]

Josh continuing his streak of being an absolute mad lad.

[@diego199302]

As a Black Desert player, seeing it get in the top 5 is *insane*. It seems to be the game everyone hates, including (especially?) its players. So it's nice seeing it so high up.

[@Tiwill]

I know it's not meant to be taken seriously, but one takeaway I got from this video is that Dofus players need to start making Top MMO lists. It's strange that both Wakfu and Waven are here but not Dofus, when it's the original Ankama game, more popular than both, and has gone through the same process as RuneScape and World of Warcraft in having both a modern and a classic version of the game running at the same time. Also, shoutout to Rubies of Eventide my beloved. Fun video Josh.

[@koppsr]

I'm calling it: TESo. WoW, Guild Wars 2 and FF 14 will fight like Monkeys on crack for the Top four places. 😎

[@puppetstudio4989]

you got it right except wow and ffxiv are tied

[@hayatojin2886]

That was one hell of a video, your stuff is so damn good!

[@davidbiernatowski9375]

Thanks for this gift Josh, merry chrysler

[@viewtifulpes]

I only scored 10 out of 250. LOTRO, DDO, Neverwinter Online, Runes of Magic, TERA, Tibia, Tree of Savior, Rift, Champions Online (which I presume I was banned from for copyright infringement), and The Elder Scrolls Online (briefly). The games I play weren’t even mentioned, which is good because I like unpopular games. Thank you, Josh, for the 2-hour-long video. Have a fantastic Christmas and a wonderful, prosperous New Year for you and your family as well! 2025 will be the year of the MMORPG genre (probably not, but hopefully). 🏆😊❤

[@cthellis]

Haha oh wow I hadn’t considered counting up what I’ve played, or at least what I’be played “at least to a reasonable degree” Sadly my Auto Assault mileage won’t count for anything😝

[@viewtifulpes]

@@cthellis right now i am playing Royal Quest (previous on Steam and now re-launched) it is quite charming, ragnarok like kind of game!

[@BlekDimon]

At least one of the MMO's I love made this list, that's something.

[@anogragaming5640]

another amazing video as always josh. keep going! this is the type of content we all enjoy!

[@Truecaveman1999]

He did it, the madman finally did it.

[@whykeyc8054]

Insane video, thank you so much for the effort!

[@StinkleDink]

Destiny 1 character art instead of Destiny 2 speaks for itself on the quality of those games

[@Esotericspirits]

this is some passion project stuff, thanks for your efforts

[@nerdSlayerstudioss]

this video requires a big member to make, or so I was told

[@carlhannah1884]

Using the greenscreen to display a spreadsheet in the least efficient way possible is a very funny gag.

[@ramzan_0095]

I don’t even play games, let alone MMO’s. I just love watching these videos (correction: typo)

[@DeoFayte]

I miss Firefall, I got into the very first public test with like 100 other people, all we did was move around on a checkerboard flat map to test movement and connecting to the server.

[@MrCaptnrex]

dam wow and ff14 tied thats crazy

[@TorMatthews]

Just a small sampling of hyper niche games not mentioned: Face of mankind, starquest online, shores of hazeron, empiremud, puzzle pirates

[@MysteryMastery69]

Been waiting for this since the physical spreadsheet reveal. Woop!

[@randomwhitekid666]

You should do a video on Silkroad. It’s very nostalgic for me, I remember playing that game when I was a kid and then coming back to it years later and being like WTF!?

[@HyperboreanStruggler]

The Ultimate MMO Tier List (Backed by OPINION)

[@GameHammerCG]

As a gamer and a science nerd, I appreciate a good chart when I see one.

[@xxJing]

Probably my favorite experience in an MMO was in EverQuest at its height. It felt like a genuine RPG more than a multiplayer online game. I think the majority of gamers really just want a game they can play with people online. There is an enthusiastic minority that wants to live in the MMO though.

[@LarkanElRegresado]

So Ragnarok Online launched in 2002, had 3 PC iterations, versions, reboots, remakes, renewal, Ragnarok Zero, Ragnarok Classic, ALL the mobile games, wich I recon there must be more than 10. And it got NO mention. My dissapointment is unmesurable 😔

[@MrArthys]

I know ragnarok online is far from the best MMO, but I have my best cherished memories of any MMO I ever played there, still playing it from time to time.

[@PhenomRom]

Lmfao completely snubbed😭😭

[@Aikurisu]

... how has Josh not even heard of it? That's one of the greatest mysteries right there.

[@camtnasoel]

It did get a mention, it was mentioned at 99 - Project Ragnarok, when Josh said not to confuse it with Ragnarok Online. 💀

[@ForceG27]

​@@Aikurisuhe is saving that episode for an "in case of emergency" I bet No way he's danced around Tree of Saviour, Nostales, Eden Eternal and all the other RO adjacent MMOs, but not RO itself 😂

[@ParadoxVIII]

Josh is THE chad of video game rankings

[@Suilujz]

Now this is main monitor content

[@TheAirborneKite]

Release the data! I want to rescore this using each list as a ranked ballot

[@ClassicCat]

Spoiler everyone, number 1 was: Conquer Online

[@mr.maiesplozie8259]

I'm werry interested to see this video tomorow.

[@gilney.mathias]

i didn't know there were still so many obscure MMOs online till now 🤔 Nice, and crazy, video 👍

[@marcinzysko1653]

I would like to mention Project Offset. A game that never released, from 2007. Was supposed to have cinematic graphics (at the time). There are some trailers still on youtube.

[@TheMapleDaily]

Damn a tier list this early and you still have yet to play many of games, mabinogi, maplestory, star trek online, fallout 76, and many many more..

[@blinxguy]

He's played Swtor and MapleStory. He's said in the past he can't do a video on MapleStory because of something to do with Nexon, which probably applies to Mabinogi too

[@TheMapleDaily]

@blinxguy makes no sense when coppersan makes videos directly dissing the entire company as a whole..

[@Daniel-q9f8p]

it's not based on his subjective opinion, he's doing a meta study

[@yorickvlt1021]

This advert is a banger actually a whole lot more convincing than the usual suspects

[@inkblotCrisis]

That data sheet should be in a museum.

[@outlawdg]

feel like I'm here for an epic gamer moment at the premiere of this video

[@crayyonnyadrav4055]

I was so flabbergasted that this video came out, that I stopped everything and started watching it on my Primary monitor.

[@solthas]

How the hell did city of heroes only get a single point across all those MMO lists wow. Unless city of villains is higher up...

[@GeorgeL909]

I can't watch this right now but I'm leaving this comment so you can feel the sweet caress of the algorithm. I saw that mmo spreadsheet, you're an absolute madman and you have my proverbial axe.

[@ar1i_k]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="91">1:31</a>:52 Warframe having 69 points… Nice…

[@Airigal]

That video was a fucking ride!

[@StreetSurfersAlex]

I haven't watched the video yet, but I already have SO MUCH respect for wish henry cavill

[@graceggale]

Haha he has to acknowledge FFXI. Haha. Now if only.... It would be more than for 10 seconds.

[@Marauding_Llama]

It's here, It's finally here!

[@marcinzysko1653]

Chat reaction to New World at 11 was priceless xp

[@mikeb9486]

Now this is primary monitor content!

[@NPChuman]

Oooooohhhh boy! Josh about to make internet folks angry! Get the popcorn! HURRRRY!

[@xehcdatbeast4941]

Oh man I can't believe Free Realms was only mentioned once - I played it a bunch and didn't realize it was that niche of a game

[@caxfourd]

impressive - awesome work!

[@Kaldor-Draigo-h6q]

I was here for the title change

[@Cacastacio]

Starts <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="684">11:24</a> (if you want to skip explanation). <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="664">11:04</a> if you want to support, i guess.

[@zelesim]

you missed magic world online the game that sold itself as the only mmo that embraced bots and had a whole ui to customize the performance of your character from hours to skills used to potion consumed

[@mask7959]

GW2 is almost certainly going to be high on the list, so I'm safe, but I'm curious what Josh views as the best in the current market.

[@MarlotteTR]

What a great job. I secretly wished to see TESO in first place, but I found several surprises thoughout the list. I remember playing Ragnarok Online during summer 2012, but I barely remembered how much I enjoyed Flyff the same year with the cool looking class that fights using yo-yos. Warframe was a revelation when I played it back at its beginnings, shamefully I lost an account with a ultra rare Excalibur Prime Frame T_T

[@DoeSeeDoe123]

How long how far in this list I can go before I get mad Edit: I only made it to 245, City of Heroes is goated

[@CodeAndGin]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="2450">40:50</a> Oh god i remember Landmark. I in my naive teenagerhood thought it looked cool and threw money at them, it barely ran on my poor little laptop and then I look a few years later to find it was completely abandoned. I still feel cheated out of the money they got out of me.

[@K1m9857]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="429">7:09</a> timestamp got me good Haha I was going to watch the whole thing, but decided to click it anyway haha ❤