Best Live Service Games 2025

While most single-player games are treated as ‘one and done’ affairs, it’s a lot more common these days to see fresh titles, particularly multiplayer games, extend their longevity with a live service model.

Whether it’s new characters, cosmetics, maps, modes, or seasonal events, live service games are constantly evolving through ever-expanding content updates.

In this list, we’ll highlight the best live service games to play in 2025, including the best new live service games on Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.

We’ll be updating this list in the future with new titles, so make sure to check back and let us know if we missed any of your cherished live service games!

Related:Best Free PC Games 2025Best Online Co-op Games 2025Best Competitive Games 2025

Despite pre-release concerns regarding its gameplay and visuals, Halo Infinite came out the gate swinging and has (so far) done an excellent job living up to the franchise’s remarkable legacy.

The story campaign sees you traversing a verdant open-world and vying for control against the Banished using an assortment of familiar weapons and a new grappling hook.

These elements are all prized additions that translate perfectly to the game’s online multiplayer, which introduces a new battle pass for unlocking cosmetic rewards.

While it still has some room to grow and enhance, such as adding co-op support to the campaign and refining the battle pass progression, we’re optimistic 343 will steer the game in the right direction.

Another live service game that does an outstanding job at translating its single-player gameplay to an online multiplayer experience is Grand Theft Auto V.

In GTA Online, players are set loose in a vibrant open world where they can explore, wreak havoc, and have fun with up to 16 other players publically or in private sessions.

There are a multitude of activities to explore in GTA Online that will increase your rep and ranking, including heists, races, jobs, and more.

While it can take some time to figure out the optimal ways to level up your character, unlock vehicles, weapons, and housing, you’ll find numerous guides for getting started in GTA Online.

If you’re a devotee of anime visuals, open-world gameplay, and gacha rewards, then you’ve likely already heard of Genshin Impact.

This live service game has grown its popularity off the strength of its free-to-play structure, gratifying real-time combat, and expanding roster of characters.

Additionally, the game offers multiple quests, events, and opportunities to explore its diverse cities via consistent content updates that drop about every two months.

Last but not least, Genshin Impact makes it uncomplicated to link up with friends across PC, console, and mobile by including itself in the expanding number of games that support crossplay.

After experiencing a brief decline in its numbers in 2020, Fortnite made a huge comeback by introducing a slew of new characters, maps, skins, quests, and modes.

These days, players have abundant reasons to hop on for a few matches and complete daily quests while checking out the latest crossover update.

This is one area Fortnite especially excels at, with Epic Games managing to secure cherished properties and incorporate them into the game’s growing in-game universe.

From Marvel to DC, PlayStation to Xbox, and everything in between, it’s always worth coming back and seeing what new skins or characters have been added each season.

Following a thorough overhaul based on player feedback, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn has gone on to become one of the most prosperous MMORPGs across its numerous expansions.

In it, players are dropped into a magical open world where they battle monsters, take on jobs, and complete quests to level up their character.

Like many MMOs, the game is best experienced with a group of friends but you can always meet other players by striking up a conversation on Discord, Reddit, or in-game.

This adds a distinctive social aspect to Final Fantasy XIV that isn’t typically found in live service games.

Valorant is an amalgamation of every great online FPS rolled into one vibrant, technically-sound beast of a game.

Since its launch, the game has managed to establish itself as a formidable rival in the competitive shooter space while iterating on tried and true gameplay.

Each match sees you facing off in 5v5 squads with Offensive and Defending sides as both teams try to complete objectives and eliminate the hostile team.

Like many live service games, Valorant features a comprehensive roster of playable characters called ‘Agents,’ which introduce distinctive abilities and strategies to add to your arsenal.

It took Path of Exile some time to get to the level of popularity it has today as fans were somewhat hesitant of committing to another Diablo-like action RPG back in 2013.

Fortunately, the playerbase has grown over the years due to the amount of new features, characters, and content that has been added ever since.

Much like Blizzard’s highly-praised dungeon crawler, it sees players traversing environments in search of loot and glory while also participating in seasonal events year-round.

It also benefits from being one of the few live service games to use a complimentary-to-play model that doesn’t include paywalls to gate advancement.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 was the first game in the series to deviate from the traditional multiplayer shooter format and capitalize on the recent battle royale craze.

Its success led Activision to greenlight a standalone successor, Call of Duty: Warzone, which launched in 2020 as a complimentary initial-person shooter.

Relatively new compared to many of the other live service games on this list, Warzone has already shown it’s more than capable of going toe to toe with other popular battle royale games.

Each round sees up to 150 players dropping on a sprawling map and competing in one of two modes: standard battle royale or plunder.

Rainbow Six Siege is another live service game that made a substantial comeback following its 2015 release where the game initially struggled to catch on.

However, Ubisoft weathered the storm and continues to push out novel content, gameplay refinements, and patches that have resulted in an overall exceptional online shooter.

Now more than seven years since its launch, the game has a significant and lively playerbase and has even spawned a co-op spin-off, Rainbow Six: Extraction.

At the same time, Siege is constantly expanding following major updates that introduce new operatives, balancing, and events to keep the game feeling fresh and exhilarating.

One of the more modern games on this list, Apex Legends feels a lot like Titanfall’s online multiplayer mixed with a sprinkling of hero shooters on top of a battle royale base.

In it, up to 60 players drop onto a colossal island and immediately begin looting and shooting their way to victory while harnessing their character’s distinctive set of abilities.

Players are split up into three-man teams and can pick from a roster of 19 characters, referred to in-game as ‘Legends,’ that belong to diverse classes.

The game also offers several alternative modes such as Arena, where players can opt to play 2v2 matches or the conventional 3v3 configuration.

Another live service game that has a less-than-stellar debut is Sea of Thieves, which released in early 2018 to tepid reception.

Since then, Microsoft has invested a lot of resources to help Rare get the game back on track to considerable success, considering how well-received its expansions have been.

Each session sees crews of 1-4 players working together to steer a ship, sail the ocean seas, and hunt down treasure on islands and waters teeming with evil skeletons and enemy players.

On top of that, Sea of Thieves is one of the fortunate games to feature cross-platform support across PC and Xbox consoles.

Admittingly long in the tooth, Destiny 2 has had its fair share of highs and lows throughout its numerous seasons, with the recent Witch Queen among one of the better expansions.

In it, players pick from Titan, Warlock, and Hunter classes before setting out into the world to explore and rescue the universe from multiple alien factions competing for power.

The game features an array of planets to visit, each with distinct biomes, enemies, and activities to grind for experience, crafting materials, and gear.

Outside of the main storyline, Destiny 2 offers free-roaming exploration, communal events, PvP modes, six-player raids, and more.

At one point, Overwatch was the most celebrated live service game on the market, launching in 2016 to much fanfare as players flocked to the (at the time) unique hero shooter.

While the player count isn’t nearly as high these days, there are still sufficient players hanging around to make it straightforward to find a game and meet new friends.

Additionally, Blizzard has made some substantial changes over the years and even now, continues to rework certain characters in anticipation of its upcoming sequel, Overwatch 2.

Other than that, there are seasonal events, weekly challenges, and a flourishing competitive scene that encourage players to refine their skills and keep improving.

Originally launching on Steam back in 2013, Warframe has been running ever since and only gotten better with every enhancement.

In this sci-fi MMO, you play as a deadly space ninja traveling to different planets and waging war with various alien races.

The game is revered for its fluid character movement and open-ended combat that allows you to wield a wide range of abilities depending on your class, or warframe.

While it definitely falls under the category of grindy live service games, virtually everything can be obtained for free with enough time and endurance.

Most people are already aware that Dota 2 began as a fan-created mod for Warcraft 3 and has now become a huge e-sports phenomenon.

Falling under the MOBA descriptor, it sees players assembling a squad of heroes from over 120 playable characters to compete in 5v5 matches. 

The primary goal is to demolish your opponent’s ancient structure while protecting your own, all the while getting to know the innumerable ins and outs of team composition.

Due to how long the game’s been around and the extensive amount of content available, it can be challenging to get into for new players, so make sure to set aside some time to bring yourself up to speed.

Another live service game that primarily revolves around ‘search and destroy’ gameplay, CS: GO is among the most cherished tactical shooters on the market.

In it, 5v5 teams face-off to either detonate a bomb or prevent detonation depending on which side you’re assigned to.

Both teams can also win the round by eliminating each player on the opposing team, which requires tactical aggression and coordination.

Like many of the games covered in this list, CS: GO has an enormous competitive e-sports scene as well as its own economy dedicated to trading uncommon weapon skins.

Even today in 2025, League of Legends remains one of the most renowned MOBAs despite being solely available for Windows PC and Mac.

Part of its success can be attributed to the fact it remains free-to-play, with players given the option to customize their character in-game using real-world money.

The game currently offers 140+ characters, dubbed ‘Champions,’ to play as in 5v5 matches where teams attempt to demolish each other’s Nexus.

It’s considered one of the most advanced strategy games on the market, one that heavily relies on teamwork to win games, especially at higher rankings.

Our ultimate suggestion shouldn’t come as an inordinate amount of a surprise seeing as it’s existed indefinitely and continues to attract players back with every fresh expansion.

Of course, we’re talking about the forefather of MMORPGs, World of Warcraft, also known as WoW.

With more than two decades under its belt, the game has provided countless players with an outlet to meet people, go on adventures, and obtain powerful gear.

Although many games like WoW have come out since its release, none have been able to dethrone arguably the finest MMO of all time.