FreeSO

VS

Last Epoch

FreeSO is a fan-made, open-source recreation of The Sims Online (an MMO from the early 2000s). Being a niche project mainly for nostalgia or Sims fans, and with minimal marketing or support since 2017, the community is small and activity is usually limited to a few hundred dedicated players daily. Its MMO status is justified by persistent worlds and large shared spaces, but its audience is limited by age and unofficial nature.

Last Epoch is an action RPG released in early 2024, developed by Eleventh Hour Games. It has received strong attention from the ARPG community, especially in the wake of Diablo IV's mixed reception. Daily player count is estimated around 70,000 based on Steam charts peaks and genre trends for new, well-received indie ARPGs. Continued post-launch content could sustain or grow this. It is not an MMO, as it does not feature a true persistent world or large-scale multiplayer environments—multiplayer is limited to smaller parties.