Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs or MMOs) are just that: immersive gaming monsters that entertain millions of people and rakes in massive amounts of money along the way. Huge, complex, and addictive, these games let you live in a virtual world for a short period of time, playing as any hero or villain you want. While these MMOs all started out as subscription services, most are now free-to-play. The only question is: where do you start?

World of WarCraft is the fourth game in the WarCraft franchise. The game was released in 2004 and has received seven major expansions, the most recent of which was released in 2019. The game is set in the world of Azeroth, just a few years after the events of WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne. Since its release, the game has become the most popular and most subscribed to MMORPG of all time, with over 12 million subscribers at its peak.

Players control a character from either a first- or third-person perspective and begin exploring the world, completing quests, interacting with other characters, and battling a variety of monsters from the WarCraft universe. The game features multiple realms, or servers, that run independently of each other. The realms include a player-versus-environment (PvE) mode, where players complete quests and battle AI-controlled characters; a player-versus-player (PvP) mode, where players must contend not only with monsters but also with other player characters; plus two variations on PvE and PvP, where players play through various scenarios.

World of Warcraft’s frequent updates and expansions have helped it maintain its popularity, making it the most renowned MMORPG in history. There have been seven expansions that have updated nearly every aspect of the game, from gameplay to graphics. The expansions include The Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm, Mists of Pandaria, Warlords of Draenor, Legion, and Battle for Azeroth.