With the incredible growth of mobile gaming and the widespread proliferation of Smart Phones, it's surprising that mobile MMORPGs aren't bigger. Mobile strategy games like Game of War and Clash of Clans are minting money. RPGs like Puzzle & Dragons and Monster Strike are enormously popular too, but they aren't “MMORPGs” in the traditional sense because they don't have persistent worlds. Some games do though; Avabel Online for example is an actual MMORPG on Android and iOS with a persistent world and thousands of players to interact with. Most mobile “MMOs” have persistent hubs, but instanced gameplay, which is okay, but doesn't have that immersive MMORPG feel. Mobile gaming is BIG, but mobile MMORPGs aren't; one reason for this is that designing a fully fledged MMORPG on a smartphone isn't easy. Games have to work well on smaller screens and need to be designed with the touchscreen in mind. Still, despite these challenges there are a more than a few mobile MMORPGs out there, and some of them are surprisingly good.

Mobile MMORPGs with Persistent Worlds

Aurcus Online

Release Date: January 6 , 2016

Aurcus Online is an open world free to play fantasy action MMORPG developed and published by Japanese game studio Asobimo. It features open world questing, pvp, and player interaction. Like other Asobimo titles, Aurcus looks and feels like a traditional PC game, but on mobile. Choose from 1 of 4 starting jobs and advance into new ones as you level.

Pocket Legends

Release Date: April 3, 2010

Launched on April 3, 2010 on iOS and on November 11, 2010 for Android, Pocket Legends is widely considered the first mobile 3D MMORPG. The game was developed by Spacetime Studios and features a large persistent world with PvE and PvP. Pocket Legends was one of the first “actual” mobile MMORPGs. The game features lighthearted cartoony graphics, but has a tremendous amount of depth. The game's development cycle has slowed down, as the developer has been focusing on other mobile games.

Avabel Online

Release Date: February 4, 2013

Developed by Japanese game studio Asobimo, Avabel Online features a large persistent world that can handle hundreds of players on the screen at any given time. The game is available on both iOS and Android systems. Avabel has surprisingly good 3D graphics for a mobile game and a ton of content to boot. With 300,000+ reviews on Google Play, Avabel Online is one of the most popular mobile MMORPGs.

Order & Chaos Online

Release Date: April 27, 2011

Developed by GameLoft, Order & Chaos Online is one of the few MMORGs on mobile platforms that actually feels like a traditional PC MMORPG. The game features dungeon raids, PvP battlefields, 2,500+ skills to learn and over 5,000+ pieces of gear. Order & Chaos Online is also one of the most popular mobile MMORPGs in the world with 345,000+ reviews on Google Play. It's available for iOS and Android.

Order & Chaos 2

Release Date: September 16, 2015

Developed by GameLoft, Order & Chaos 2 is a sequel to the enormously popular Order & Chaos Online. The game features a large open world enviornment and is available on Android, iOS, and Windows Mobile. With 5 distinct classes and thousands of quests, Order & Chaos is one of the most polished mobile MMORPGs out there. It was released 4 years after the first title and is a much more refined title.

Dawn of the Immortals

Release Date: July 30, 2014

Based on the “Immortals” franchise from Arc Games (Think War of the Immortals and Battle of the Immortals), Dawn of the Immortals is a 3D fantasy themed mobile MMO developed and published by Fedeen (an affiliate of ArcGames). The game features real-time gameplay and a persistent world. The game is available on iOS and Android devices.

Star Legends

Release Date: August 25, 2011

Developed and published by Spacetime Studios, the same company behind Pocket Legends, Star Legends is a sci-fi themed MMORPG. Essentially, Star Legends is a revamped version of Pocket Legends, except with a sci-fi setting.

Dark Legends

Release Date: May 4, 2012

Yet another mobile MMORPG from Spacetime Studios. Dark Legends is a vampire themed mobile MMO set in a large 3D persistent world. Unlike the more “tame” Pocket and Star Legends, Dark Legends is aimed at an older audience and features a bit more gore.

Arcane Legends

Release Date: November 27, 2012

Arcane Legends is perhaps the most popular MMORPG from SpaceTime Studios. The game has over 295,000 reviews on Google Play and has received recognition from dozens of gaming websites as being one of the best mobile MMORPGs.

TibiaME

Release Date: May, 2011

The mobile version of CipSoft's incredibly popular MMORPG Tibia. TibiaME features a large persistent game world and is developed by the same folks behind the original Tibia game, which has been running for over 12 years. The game's charming 2D graphics and in-depth gameplay makes it well worth checking out! TibiaME is available for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone.

Element Knights Online

Release Date: October 28, 2011

Element Kingdoms Online, or simply EKO, is a Japanese developed MMORPG with cute anime inspired graphics. The game's official page claims “100% made in Akihabara”, which is a cultural hub for anime and video games in Japan. Element Knights Online features 100s of NPCs, quests, and apparently “a trillion” clothing and cosplay combinations.

Celtic Heroes

Release Date: June 16, 2011

Celtic Heroes is a persistent world fantasy MMORPG developed and published by One Thumb Mobile. The game features a large 3D open world environment with 5 playable classes. Celtic Heroes is available both iOS and Android.

Conquer Online

Release Date: January 12, 2012 (Mobile Release Date)

Netdragon ported their popular pc MMORPG Conquer Online to mobile platforms back in 2011, and since then the game has done quite well. Conquer Online is a fully fledged persistent world MMORPG on mobile devices that plays almost exactly like its PC counter-party.

The World of Magic

Release Date: April 15, 2010

Developed and published by Com2uS USA, The World of Magic is a 2D open world MMORPG with over 1 million registered users. The game has 3 classes and real-time PvP combat.

Vendetta Online

Release Date: April 17, 2013 (Mobile Release Date)

One of the only truly cross-platform mobile MMORPGs. Vendetta Online is a subscription based MMORPG on the PC, but has a mobile version available on iOS and Android. The game is also available on PC, Mac OS X, and Linux. Vendetta Online is a sci space combat MMORPG that originally launched in 2004. The game's mobile version is free to play, but the PC version has a free trial.

School of Chaos Online

Release Date: January 10, 2013

A sandbox school themed MMORPG developed and published by VNL Entertainment. With over 160,000 reviews on Google Play, School of Chaos is one of the more popular mobile MMORPGs, despite its lackluster graphics. The game is set in a large open world environment.

Parallel Kingdom

Release Date: October, 2008

A 2D MMORPG with a player driven economy. Parallel Kingdom is a location based MMORPG that uses your GPS location to place you into the game world. The game hasn't been updated in some time unfortunately.

Forsaken World Mobile

Release Date: July 23, 2015

Forsaken World Mobile is a mobile version of Arc Games' desktop MMORPG Forsaken World. It's set in the same universe with similar characters and visuals, but the mobile version of the game does not take place on the same server. The game features a large open world environment and brings traditional persistent world environments to the mobile phone.

While games like Brave Trials, Dungeon Hunter 5, and Iron Knights, are popular, they don't have persistent worlds. The list above only includes MMORPGs with persistent worlds. Did we miss any popular mobile MMOs? If so, let me know and I'll add it to the list!