Western RPGs You Can’t Play Anymore (And It’s So Unfair)

Before high-definition gaming, it was usually possible to find a copy of any game somewhere, because people had physical copies. While it’s convenient to download games now through platforms like PlayStation Network, Nintendo eShop, and Steam, many are disappointed to see physical game copies becoming less common.

Some games might be unavailable today, particularly those that require an internet connection. While some older games like The Matrix Online, Marvel Heroes Omega, Star Wars Galaxies, and City of Heroes are still playable thanks to dedicated fans running their own servers, many others aren’t so lucky. The following Western-made RPGs, unfortunately, have no working servers and can’t be played at all.

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Anthem

The Latest Cut

The RPG Anthem has been officially discontinued, but many were surprised it lasted as long as it did. Launched in 2019, development ceased around 2021, and EA fully shut down the game in January 2026.

Although Anthem didn’t quite meet the standards fans expect from a BioWare game, it introduced some interesting concepts, notably its mech suit system. Players could choose from four types of suits—Ranger, Colossus, Interceptor, and Storm—and eventually unlock all of them. The game was designed for four-player teamwork, allowing players to create well-rounded squads in its fast-paced, aerial combat.

Fable Legends

Almost Came Out

Despite never being officially released, Fable Legends almost saw the light of day. Announced in 2014, the game went through two large-scale beta tests with a limited number of players over the next two years. The final version even included optional in-game purchases, which were thankfully refunded when the project was canceled in 2016. Though different from the traditional single-player Fable games, Fable Legends had a promising idea for a multiplayer RPG experience.

The game involved four players teaming up to navigate a dungeon, battle monsters, and try to survive challenges set by another player acting as the dungeon master. Sadly, when the game was canceled, the studio behind it, Lionhead Studios, also closed down. This put the Fable series on hold for many years, and it won’t return until 2026.

Magic: Legends

Deck-Building Diablo

Magic: Legends drew inspiration from both Magic: The Gathering and Diablo. While it featured collectible cards, the game played more like a Diablo-style action RPG. Players selected a hero and embarked on adventures, either alone or with friends, battling numerous monsters. Each hero had a customizable deck of cards that determined their special abilities during combat.

Abilities cycled on a cooldown, meaning a new one became available after each use. This offered a fresh way to integrate the series’ famous cards into the action RPG gameplay. The game’s beta test ran from March to October 2021, but it was ultimately canceled without a complete launch, similar to what happened with Fable Legends.

Legends Of Norrath

EverQuest With Cards

Developer: Sony Online Entertainment
Publisher: Sony Online Entertainment
Platforms: PC, Mac
Released: 9/5/07

Legends of Norrath was a collectible card game released in 2007, originally connected to the popular online games EverQuest and EverQuest 2. Players first accessed it through those games. EverQuest, developed by Sony, is a very long-running and well-known massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMO).

It’s amazing that both EverQuest (released in 1999) and EverQuest 2 (released in 2004) are still active games. While the spin-off game, Legends of Norrath, was discontinued in 2016, it had a respectable lifespan as a fairly simple online card game.

Skyforge

A Hidden Obsidian Gem

Skyforge is an action RPG that first launched on PC in 2015 as a free-to-play online multiplayer game. Due to its success, it became available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2017, and later on Nintendo Switch in 2021. Developed by Allods Team and Obsidian Entertainment, the game’s servers will be discontinued in 2025.

Allods Team, a Russian game developer known for Allods Online, previously created Skyforge, which is still available to play. RPG enthusiasts will recognize Obsidian Entertainment as the studio behind classic titles like Fallout: New Vegas and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Despite strong support and initial success, Skyforge eventually ceased operations.

WildStar

A Space Fantasy

WildStar launched on PC in 2014 and players had to pay to play. The game switched to a free-to-play system in 2015, which briefly increased the number of players, but ultimately it shut down in 2018. It was created by Carbine Studios, a team made up of former Blizzard employees, giving it a strong reputation from the start.

WildStar was the only game created by its studio, and when the game’s servers went offline, the studio itself closed down. However, dedicated fans have worked to keep it running, and a basic version is currently playable. Players can still create characters and explore some areas, but without the core gameplay features like battles and quests, it’s currently just an empty version of the original game. There’s hope that fans might be able to fully restore this space-themed fantasy game over time, similar to what’s happened with other canceled RPGs and online games.

Darkspore

A Spiritual Spinoff

Will Wright, the mind behind popular games like SimCity and The Sims, once aimed to revolutionize simulation gaming with Spore. Released in 2008 by Maxis, Spore didn’t initially find the same widespread popularity as Wright’s other titles. Despite this, the team at Maxis Emeryville repurposed the creature-building aspects of Spore to develop Darkspore, an action role-playing game similar to Diablo.

The game launched on computers in 2011 and surprisingly stayed live until 2016, despite not receiving great reviews at first. Interestingly, Spore is still available to buy and play online today.

Tabula Rasa

Perfect Dark

Despite significant financial support, the online game Tabula Rasa was surprisingly short-lived. Launched in 2007 for PC, it was created by Richard Garriott, famous for the Ultima series. He envisioned it as a large-scale, science fiction MMO filled with weapons and futuristic technology. The game’s packaging was visually appealing, showcasing a female protagonist reminiscent of Joanna Dark from Perfect Dark.

Originally, Tabula Rasa was designed as a game you paid a monthly fee to play, which was typical for online games like it back then. However, on January 10, 2009, it switched to a free-to-play model. Unfortunately, the game’s servers were permanently shut down just over a month later, on February 28, 2009. While fans have tried to keep the game alive, those efforts haven’t yet resulted in a large-scale revival.

2026-02-11 16:39