This is a list of multiplayer online battle arena games, sorted chronologically. Information regarding date of release, developer, platform, setting and notability is provided when available.
Year | Game | Developer | Platform | Free-to-play | Still playable | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1989 | Herzog Zwei | Technosoft | Sega Genesis | No | No | Herzog Zwei has been cited as an inspiration to the developers of Warcraft, StarCraft, Dune II, and Command & Conquer [1] [2] [3] and is also considered a precursor to the MOBA genre. [4] [5] |
2002 | Future Cop: LAPD | EA Redwood Shores | PlayStation, Windows, Mac OS | No | No | Future Cop: LAPD is well known for inspiring MOBA games like DotA and League of Legends. [6] [7] |
2003 | Defense of the Ancients | Eul, Guinsoo, IceFrog | Windows, Mac | See Notes | Yes | Custom map that requires installation of Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos or Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. |
2008 | Minions | Casual Collective | Browser | Yes | Yes | |
2009 | Avalon Heroes | WeMade Entertainment | Windows | Yes | Discontinued | Officially shut down on February 8, 2013. |
2009 | Demigod | Gas Powered Games | Windows | No | Yes | First commercial game inspired by DotA. [8] |
2009 | League of Legends | Riot Games | Windows, Mac | Yes | Yes | |
2010 | Heroes of Newerth | S2 Games, Frostburn Studios | Windows, Mac, Linux | Yes | Discontinued | Became free to play in July 2011. Servers shut down June 19, 2022. [9] Garena bought the rights of the game from S2 in May 2015 and founded Frostburn Studios to maintain it. |
2010 | Monday Night Combat | Uber Entertainment | Windows, Xbox 360 | No | Yes | |
2010 | Realm of the Titans | Ningbo Shengguang Tianyi | Windows | Yes | Discontinued | Discontinued in all regions except China. |
2011 | Bloodline Champions | Stunlock Studios | Windows | Yes | Yes | |
2011 | Rise of Immortals: Battle for Graxia | Petroglyph Games | Windows | Yes | Discontinued | Officially shut down since June 2013. [10] |
2012 | Awesomenauts | Ronimo Games | Windows, Mac, Linux, Xbox 360, PS3, PS4, Xbox One | Yes | Yes | 2D sidescrolling MOBA game. |
2012 | Guardians of Middle-earth | Monolith Productions | Xbox 360, PS3, Windows | No | Yes | Game based around The Lord of the Rings film series. [11] No longer available on PlayStation Store and Steam. [12] [13] |
2012 | Super Monday Night Combat | Uber Entertainment | Windows | Yes | Discontinued | |
2012 | Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes | Mythic Entertainment | Windows | Yes | Discontinued | Officially shut down on March 29, 2013. [14] |
2013 | Dota 2 | Valve | Windows, Mac, Linux [15] | Yes | Yes | Sequel to Defense of the Ancients. [16] |
2013 | Panzar | Panzar Studio | Windows | Yes | Yes | |
2014 | Adventure Time: Battle Party | Cartoon Network | Browser | Yes | Discontinued | MOBA based on popular TV series, Adventure Time. [17] |
2014 | Dawngate | Waystone Games | Windows | Yes | Discontinued | Officially shut down since March 2015. [18] |
2014 | Fates Forever | Hammer and Chisel | iOS | Yes | Discontinued | Officially shut down since October 2015. |
2014 | Prime World | Nival | Windows | Yes | Discontinued | Shut down on March 31, 2021. [19] |
2014 | Vainglory | Super Evil Megacorp | iOS, Android, Windows | Yes | Yes | Announced in November 2014 |
2014 | Smite | Hi-Rez Studios | Windows, Xbox One, PS4 | Yes | Yes | MOBA based around different cultures spiritual entities and in over-the-shoulder Third Person perspective. [20] |
2015 | Heroes of the Storm | Blizzard Entertainment | Windows, Mac | Yes | Yes | The game brings various Blizzard characters together as playable heroes, as well as different battlegrounds based on Warcraft, Diablo, StarCraft, and Overwatch universes. |
2015 | Infinite Crisis | Turbine, Inc. | Windows | Yes | Discontinued | Officially shut down as of August 14, 2015. [21] |
2015 | Sins of a Dark Age | Ironclad Games | Windows | Yes | Discontinued | |
2015 | Strife | S2 Games | Windows, Mac, Linux | Yes | Discontinued | Released May 22, 2015. Servers became inaccessible in September 2018. |
2015 | Arena of Fate | Crytek Black Sea | Windows | Yes | Discontinued | Last known state was Closed Beta in 2016. The developers were purchased by SEGA in 2017. |
2015 | Wangzhe Rongyao | Timi Studio Group | iOS, Android | Yes | Yes | Released November 26, 2015. Released internationally in 2017 as Arena of Valor. |
2016 | Paragon | Epic Games | Windows, PlayStation 4 | Yes | Discontinued | MOBA in third person perspective. Servers shut down on April 26, 2018. [22] |
2016 | Warhammer 40,000: Dark Nexus Arena | Whitebox Interactive | Windows | Yes | Discontinued | Officially shut down on March 31, 2016. |
2016 | Mobile Legends: Bang Bang | Moonton | iOS, Android | Yes | Yes | Released July 14, 2016. |
2017 | Star Wars: Force Arena | Netmarble | iOS, Android | Yes | Discontinued | Released January 12, 2017. In-app purchases disabled as of December 19, 2018. No longer accepting new players as of January 17, 2019, and servers were permanently shut down on March 18, 2019. [23] |
2017 | Arena of Valor | Timi Studio Group | iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch [24] | Yes | Yes | Released August 10, 2017. |
2017 | Battlerite | Stunlock Studios | Windows | Yes | Yes | Released November 8, 2017. |
2017 | Gigantic | Motiga | Windows, Xbox One | Yes | Discontinued | The game focuses on team-based action combat in a third-person perspective with heroes battling alongside a massive guardian. Officially shut down on July 31, 2018. [25] |
2017 | Master X Master | NCSOFT | Windows | Yes | Discontinued | Officially shut down January 31, 2018. |
2018 | AirMech | Carbon Games | Windows, Google Chrome | Yes | Yes | Inspired by Herzog Zwei. |
2019 | Marvel Super War | NetEase | iOS, Android | Yes | Yes | |
2020 | Bleeding Edge | Ninja Theory | Windows, Xbox One | No | Yes | Team brawler video game. Ninja Theory announced that there would no longer be any content updates, but the game is still playable on Xbox and PC. [26] |
2020 | Eternal Return | Nimble Neuron | Windows | Yes | Yes | MOBA with battle royale mechanics. |
2020 | League of Legends: Wild Rift | Riot Games | iOS, Android, consoles | Yes | Yes | Modified version of League of Legends for mobile and consoles. |
2021 | Pokémon Unite | Timi Studio Group | iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch | Yes | Yes | Pokémon themed MOBA developed in partnership with Tencent Games |
Herzog Zwei was a lot of fun, but I have to say the other inspiration for Dune II was the Mac software interface. The whole design/interface dynamics of mouse clicking and selecting desktop items got me thinking, 'Why not allow the same inside the game environment? Why not a context-sensitive playfield? To hell with all these hot keys, to hell with keyboard as the primary means of manipulating the game!
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