The Secret World
The Secret World was Funcom's modern-day supernatural conspiracy MMO, blending real-world locations with occult horror and a skill-based, classless progression system. It was relaunched as the free-to-play Secret World Legends in 2017, replacing the original subscription version.
Platform availability
Highlighted platforms are confirmed in MMOFinder’s current profile. Dimmed platforms have no confirmed listing.
- Status
- Active / Legacy
- Business model
- Buy-to-play
- Genre
- Modern supernatural MMO
- Release
- 2012
- Platforms
- Windows
- Developer
- Funcom
- Publisher
- Not verified
- Profile
- Full
MMO DNA
A visual fingerprint built from MMOFinder’s current verified catalog fields—not a review score.
PvE investigation missions and dungeons are the stronger signal, with optional PvP battlegrounds
Solo investigation missions are core, with group dungeons at endgame
Structured story missions in a modern-day setting are the stronger catalog signal
Real-time combat with a skill-wheel build system is recorded
Why you might like it
- A genuinely distinctive dark, modern-day occult setting rather than another medieval fantasy world — cults, conspiracies, and real-world locations reimagined as horror.
- A classless, skill-wheel progression system lets you freely mix weapons and abilities instead of being locked into a fixed class.
- Widely praised for its investigation-style puzzle quests, which are unusually cerebral compared to typical MMO fetch quests.
- Buy-to-play with no mandatory subscription, so the original purchase covers ongoing access.
- The original game's story and questlines remain accessible, distinct from the 2017 Secret World Legends relaunch's more action-combat-focused reboot.
Things to consider
- Development has effectively stopped — Funcom has not produced meaningful new content for years, running the game in long-term low-maintenance mode rather than active development.
- There are two separate, non-interoperable versions: the original The Secret World (subscription-optional, classic systems) and the 2017 relaunch Secret World Legends (free-to-play, reworked action combat) — progress and characters don't transfer between them.
- Population is very low on the original version, with some reports of servers running with only a handful of concurrent players.
- Account and storefront access for the original version has been unreliable at times, including a 2023 outage that temporarily blocked new account creation.
- Funcom has given no indication of investing further in either version, so don't expect new story content going forward.
Research record
- Last checked
- 2026-08-28
- Profile depth
- Full
- Source note
- Funcom official feature documentation and Secret World Legends relaunch notes
What MMOFinder has checked
- Gameplay featuresStructured gameplay fields were source-checked for this profile.Verified
- Gameplay mediaTwo source-attributed gameplay images are recorded.Verified
- Source trail2 linked sources are recorded for review.Verified
- Last reviewedCatalog fields reviewed Sep 6, 2026.Verified
Coverage measures documentation completeness—not game quality, popularity or an endorsement.
How verification worksGame details can change. MMOFinder separates verified catalog fields from information that has not yet been confirmed.
The Secret World relationship map
Follow verified catalog signals to another world.
Connections use current MMOFinder catalog fields—not review scores or paid placement.
The Secret World timeline
A concise timeline built only from dates and lifecycle fields recorded in MMOFinder.
- 2012Released
MMOFinder records The Secret World as released in 2012.
- CurrentCatalog status
Active / Legacy
The Secret World screenshots & gameplay
Two verified gameplay images and a gameplay video for a quick look at the game in action.
Source: Verified YouTube gameplay video
Gameplay, availability and research notes
The Secret World is cataloged by MMOFinder as a Modern supernatural MMO. Its recorded status is Active — as the free-to-play relaunch Secret World Legends (2017); the original subscription-based version was discontinued, while the business model is listed as Buy-to-play. MMOFinder records its release year as 2012. Current platform data lists Windows. The profile keeps uncertain fields explicit so incomplete research is not presented as established game information.
Gameplay metadata currently describes combat or multiplayer structure as Real-time modern-day combat with a skill-wheel class-free progression system. Discovery tags on the record include Modern supernatural. The developer field lists Funcom, and the publisher field lists Not verified. Together these catalog fields help distinguish this title from similarly named games and provide useful inputs for MMOFinder’s filtering and comparison tools.
For related options, the Similar Games links below use shared genre, platform, business-model and gameplay-tag signals. Players can also filter the MMO catalog for specific requirements, browse MMO categories and genres, or use Compare MMO games to inspect multiple profiles side by side.
If you like The Secret World…
These alternatives share verified genre, platform, access-model or gameplay signals with The Secret World. Connections describe catalog overlap rather than a quality ranking.
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Why it connectsMortals and MonstersShared modern, supernatural classification signals, though genre labels differ (Modern supernatural MMO vs. Modern supernatural MUD/MMORPG).Modern supernatural MUD/MMORPG · Free-to-play
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