The Best Online Games You’ve Never Heard Of

Yes, we all know what Call Of Duty is, and everyone dabbles in Battlefield from time to time. But what if we said that there is a whole other world of popular online games? Games that you’ve probably never heard of, yet games that are all exceptionally good. Impossible? Well, take a look at our list of the most popular, but also some lesser-known online games in 2023.

Make no mistake, the games on this list have communities of millions of players. You may not know about them, but they have dedicated fan bases that are growing every day. If you’re looking to branch out from the same old same, you can’t go wrong with any of these hidden gems. At least, you can’t go wrong with most of them. There are a few on our list that are a little sketchy.

Fate/Grand Order

You’ve never heard of Fate/Grand Order? What if we said that the franchise makes in excess of $4 billion annually? Fate/Grand Order is a mobile game popular in Japan and Korea, with a fan base that is somewhere in the multiple millions. It’s a turn-based tactical RPG, with a special focus on anime characters. Most astonishing of all is that the game is free to download.

Why haven’t you ever heard of it? Probably because the English version is only available in a handful of countries. So, sadly, unless you live in an area where the game is available, you may not ever get to try it out. But fret not, when something finds this level of success, chances are it’s going to sweep around the world eventually.

Warframe

Okay, this one might actually be on your radar, given that it’s been around since 2013. But have you ever actually gone and tried it out? Warframe is a third-person MMO, offering the option to either go player versus player, or player versus environment. Most interesting of all is that, since launch, Warframe has hit major success, boasting around 50 million players across multiple platforms. Yet, here we are in 2023 and the game is still barely making headlines at all.

To be fair, the MMO scene suffers from oversaturation, and chances are bigger MMOs like Final Fantasy and Guild Wars 2 are stealing all the spotlight. Warframe isn’t as visually impressive as those alternatives, but is still very much worth a look. Best of all, Warframe is free to download, so jump in and give it a bash whenever you feel like it.

Rules Of Survival/Knives Out

Now, let’s approach this cautiously. Rules Of Survival and Knives Out, separate games, underwent a major lawsuit. Why? Because they’re almost exact replicas of a game you do know; Player Unknowns Battleground (PUBG.) The lawsuit came to a close in 2019, and both Rules Of Survival and Knives Out are still online. So, some sort of deal must have been reached.

Why, then, are we putting these games on our list? Because, between Rules Of Survival and Knives Out roughly half a billion players are logging in on a daily basis. Absurd, to be sure, and a number that far exceeds virtually any game you have heard of. The only thing is that these 2 games are only available in China.

Don’t worry, though, you can always just go and play PUBG instead. Or you can just as easily go to Casino Grand Bay if you’re looking for a few online games that are equally as popular.

Trackmania

You may have heard of Trackmania, given that the online gem is finally starting to get a little attention. If you haven’t heard of it, Trackmania is a game that actually holds numerous world records. It went into the history books in 2008 twice, with Guinness recognising it as not only the most popular racing game in the world, but also for hosting the biggest online race in history. But what exactly is Trackmania?

As the name suggests, the game is all about letting players design and upload their own tracks. The big draw then is that, not surprisingly, the tracks you can make do not have to obey the laws of physics in any way. So, most tracks are twirling, whirling, corkscrewing shenanigans. It might not be for you if you prefer realistic racing games, but there is no question that Trackmania is a ton of fun.

Dungeon Fighter Online

As we come to the end of our list, this is where we get to the truly crazy online game entries. Almost no one that lives outside of Japan, China or South Korea has any idea why Dungeon Fighter Online is. But, guess what, it happens to be one of the most successful free-to-play games ever. The game is a fairly standard side-scrolling slasher, similar to the likes of Golden Axe. The original Golden Axe that is, not the more recent failure. Only Dungeon Fighter Online adds an RPG element. So, the gameplay mostly involves moving from left to right, slashing monsters, and watching popping numbers indicate how much damage you’re doing.

The kicker? Around 600 million players are into the game, with a lifetime revenue, up until now, of roughly $13.4 billion. Yes, this is perhaps one of the only games that outdoes the likes of GTA in terms of total profit. The additional kicker? Dungeon Fighter Online doesn’t even have 3D graphics. It’s entirely 2D, has little to no story, and probably took the developers a fraction of the budget required for GTA 5.

Crossfire

Last, we have the most popular online game in the world in 2023. Crossfire, mostly popular in China and South Korea, is similar in many ways to Counter Strike: Global Offensive. It has similar graphics, a similar style, and a similar player-versus-player focus. Only Crossfire boasts many more times the number of players than CS:GO. How many more? The most recent numbers put the Crossfire player base at over half a billion.

Multiple attempts have been made to bring Crossfire to Western audiences, but so far no one is really keen. It just goes to show that the trick to major success really is to get in early.