ArcheAge Chronicles

ArcheAge Chronicles is an online action RPG developed by XL Games and published by Kakao Games. Originally announced as ArcheAge 2 at G-Star 2022 in Busan, the game was rebranded and formally revealed at Sony's PlayStation State of Play in September 2024. It runs on Unreal Engine 5 and targets PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

XL Games positions the game as a "shared-world online action RPG" rather than a traditional MMORPG, though it retains many MMO hallmarks: persistent housing, player-driven crafting economies, cooperative dungeons, and large-scale raids. The current release target is Q4 2026 after several delays from its original 2025 window.

Setting

The game takes place on Auroria, the northern continent of Erenor, roughly 50 years after the events of the original ArcheAge. This period, called the "Age of Pioneers," sees explorers returning to a land that was abandoned centuries ago following catastrophic wars. Players join a trading company based at Central Harbor and investigate an airship crash while uncovering the continent's buried history. The Settlers' Council governs the newly established pioneer communities.

Gameplay

Chronicles replaces the original's tab-target combat with a full action combat system built around weapon-based combos, dodging, parrying, blocking, rolling, dashing, and jumping. Confirmed weapon types include swords and axes. The developers cite Elden Ring, The Witcher 3, and Breath of the Wild as design references.

Returning franchise systems include trade runs, Naval Combat, housing (with roommates, NPC housemates, and gardening), crafting, and an evolved version of the Crime and Justice System. PvP is structured and opt-in through arenas, battlegrounds, and zone-based events, with a 40-player faction PvP mode at the largest scale.

PvE content centers on dungeons for teams of 2-5 players. Larger raids scale up to 20 players, requiring coordinated skill chaining against bosses. Solo play is fully supported, and the developers have stated that the game should "feel as good playing solo as it does in a group."

Business model

ArcheAge Chronicles uses a buy-to-play model with cosmetic-only microtransactions. The developers have stated they will avoid pay-to-win monetization, a direct response to the controversies that plagued the original franchise. A premium subscription tier may also be offered.

Development

The game was created under the direction of Jake Song, who founded XL Games and designed both Lineage and the original ArcheAge. Song departed XL Games in January 2025, and development continues under Executive Producer Ham Yong-jin.

A closed NDA focus group test with around 100 Western players ran during June-July 2025. The game was showcased at Gamescom in August 2025. As of February 2026, no public Western beta has been held. Kakao Games' Q4 2025 financial report placed the release at Q4 2026. A small global test is planned for H1 2026.

System requirements

• Minimum: Windows 10 64-bit, Intel Core i5-12400 / AMD Ryzen 5 5600, 16 GB RAM, NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti, 100 GB storage

• Recommended: Windows 11 64-bit, Intel Core i7-12700 / AMD Ryzen 7 5700X, 32 GB RAM, NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti, 100 GB storage

Supported languages

English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese.