Guild Wars 3 is an upcoming massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by ArenaNet. It is set to be the third major entry in the Guild Wars series, following Guild Wars 2 (2012). Set more than 1000 years before the original game in the fantasy world of Tyria, players join the Vaelwardens, a guild that protects the land of Orr and the people and spirits that call it home. [1] Guild Wars 3 will be the first game in the series to be released on both PlayStation 5 and Windows.[2]
Gameplay
ArenaNet has described Guild Wars 3 as “a modern evolution of the MMO”. The gameplay is intended to build upon the series’ existing open-world structure while introducing a stronger emphasis on movement.[3] and traversal within its environments.[4] Combat is described by developers as more action-focused and responsive than in previous entries in the series, while retaining cooperative gameplay elements and large-scale dynamic encounters.[5] The game’s overall design has been characterised as an attempt to further integrate exploration and combat systems within a seamless open-world MMORPG structure.[6]
Development
Guild Wars 3 was officially announced on 5 June 2026 at Summer Game Fest 2026. It is being developed in Unreal Engine 5, a first for the franchise. Beta access is scheduled to begin in fall 2027. According to ArenaNet, Guild Wars 3 will be a “premium” product, and that the game will not have a battle pass or a subscription service.[7]
References
- ^ Wilde, Tyler (June 6, 2026). “ArenaNet announces Guild Wars 3, promising ‘an entirely new type of MMO experience’“. PC Gamer. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
- ^ Harte, Charles (June 5, 2026). “Guild Wars 3 Announced For PC And PS5 With A Beta Coming Next Year”. Game Informer. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
- ^ IGN (2026-06-07). Guild Wars 3 Is Really Real: How ArenaNet’s Series is Transforming MMORPGs Again | IGN Live 2026. Retrieved 2026-06-11 – via YouTube.
- ^ Hernandez, Patricia (June 5, 2026). “15 years later, Guild Wars 3 is finally happening”. Polygon. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
- ^ Romano, Sal (June 2026). “Guild Wars 3 announced for PC and PS5”. Gematsu. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
- ^ Morton, Lauren. “Everything we know about Guild Wars 3 and how it plans to ‘push the MMORPG genre forward’“. PC Gamer. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
- ^ Maker, Connor (June 8, 2026). “Guild Wars 3 will have no battle pass or subscription because ArenaNet studio lead doesn’t want to “keep people hostage”“. Eurogamer. Retrieved June 14, 2026.