While Steam’s “Most Popular” list was largely skewed by the upcoming release date of Hogwarts Legacy, new MMORPG Gloria Victis exploded in popularity overnight, channeling the new world of Amazon games and pushing gamers in a medieval adventure. Oh, and did I mention it’s very, very cheap?

Gloria Victis is described as a “low fantasy MMORPG with an emphasis on realism”, championing its “deep and mature story” and focusing on PvP combat style.

The game has been in early access for a while, but it finally released on February 7 with patch 1.0. Almost as soon as it launched, the game grew in popularity, jumping from a peak of 412 players in late January to 1,640 overnight (four times its player base!), and that number is growing according to Steam Charts.

While not the highest number on the planet, the game has over 5,000 “mostly positive” reviews, with recent posts citing server access and lag issues.

I’m not saying these issues aren’t important, but it’s always worth remembering that MMO builds are largely characterized by server issues at this point. The WoW Dragonflight World server crashed when it launched last year, and I still vividly remember those FFXIV Endwalker queues. Should they be there? Probably not, but like it or not, launching a new MMO and server issues go hand in hand these days.

Unlike WoW or FFXIV, however, Gloria Victis is a one-time purchase, mirroring her New World counterpart. Right now you can save 50% on the game, so it’s $9.99 instead of $19.99. However, you will have to pick it up before February 14. 

The developer’s other game, Nadir, which we described as Slay the Spire meets Darkest Dungeon, also left early access on February 7 and is 30% off on Steam right now, so if a roguelike deck is your thing , there is also this

Like someone who really in reality I wanted to love New World, but I just couldn’t deal with it. both grind, Gloria Victis certainly aroused my curiosity. As I play Final Fantasy XIV with my partner for Valentine’s Day, maybe, just maybe, we’ll try to throw axes at each other, with love of course.

If you’re a fan of all things historical, be sure to check out our list of the best medieval games, as well as our roundup of the best fantasy games if you’re looking for something a little more spectacular.

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