Though Steam has no shortage of RPGs for players to enjoy, Guild Wars 2 is a particularly stand-out option, with reportedly over 21 million players having registered an account. This unique free-to-play MMORPG has been going strong for nearly 14 years, and judging from its “Very Positive” reviews on Steam and consistent player count, Guild Wars 2 is showing no signs of stopping any time soon.
On August 23, 2012, right in the middle of the MMORPG golden age, ArenaNet released Guild Wars 2. It never became the “World of Warcraft killer” many claimed it would be, but it nonetheless carved a niche in the market due to its unique combat system and gameplay loop, not to mention its lack of a subscription fee.
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Guild Wars 2 Is Still Going Strong After Nearly 14 Years
Almost 14 years later, Guild Wars 2 is still going strong. According to SteamDB, Guild Wars 2 has 25,898 reviews on Steam, nearly 87% of which are positive, giving it a “Very Positive” rating. With between 7,000 and 10,000 daily players as of late, this establishes Guild Wars 2 as the 127th best-selling game on the platform and number 254 in daily active users.
However, it is important to note that Guild Wars 2 isn’t exclusively on Steam. In fact, Guild Wars 2 only came to Steam in 2022, before which it was only available via its independent client. It also arrived on the Epic Games Store in November 2024, meaning only ArenaNet has the full data on how many players the game has. Sources like MMO Populations estimate around 50,000 players on Guild Wars 2 on any given day, but according to the Guild Wars 2 home page update from June 2025, the game has over 21 million users.
It is unclear if this 21 million player count includes only active players or all accounts made in history.
Is Guild Wars 2 Worth Playing in 2026?
Guild Wars 2 has a lot of things that set it apart from the competition and contribute to its continued success. First and foremost, Guild Wars 2 features a living world that reacts to player actions. Rather than picking up a bunch of quests like a traditional MMO, zones in Guild Wars 2 have events that react to player activity. Enemies conquer towns that are not protected or capture critical objectives in dynamic event chains, with some leading to zone-wide sieges and raids. There are also static regional activities called Renown Hearts that can be filled in different ways, as well as the Personal Story, which conveys the main storyline of the game.
The unique servers ArenaNet uses for Guild Wars 1 and 2 also mean both games have virtually no downtime for maintenance or updates.
Over the years, Guild Wars 2 has released six different expansions. However, the game features horizontal progression, unlike the vertical progression used by other MMOs. The level cap and item level of equipment does not go up, so while fans can still obtain powerful new abilities and upgrades, old gear and zones are not rendered obsolete in each release. Indeed, world events from expansions over a decade old are still regularly completed by large groups of gamers.
Of course, one of Guild Wars 2’s biggest draws is its business model. The base content of the MMORPG is completely free to play, with purchases required to unlock the zones, story, Elite Specs, and other content added in its expansions or Living World updates. The in-game store also contains various exclusive cosmetics and quality-of-life improvements, such as extra storage space. Lastly, Guild Wars 2 lacks the monthly subscription fee World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy 14, and many other MMOs require.
At the end of the day, Guild Wars 2 is worth giving a shot, especially since it is free to play. Players can easily sink hundreds of hours into the game without spending a single cent, after which they can decide if they want to commit any money. If gamers are looking for a rich and colorful open world live-service game that respects their time, Guild Wars 2 might just be what they are looking for.
