Guild Wars 2 vs Throne and Liberty
Every attribute in the database, side by side — MMOlist scores Guild Wars 2 at 81 and Throne and Liberty at 64, but the right pick depends on how you play.
Guild Wars 2
2012 · Buy-to-Play · Hybrid
Throne and Liberty
2024 · Free-to-Play · Soft-lock Action
The short version
What they share: a themepark world.
Compared with Guild Wars 2, Throne and Liberty is less casual-friendly and heavier on scheduled chores, with soft-lock action combat instead of hybrid combat, a free-to-play model instead of buy-to-play and open-world PvP.
Guild Wars 2 — strengths: Horizontal progression respects your time; Best mount system in the genre. Watch out for: Endgame direction can feel aimless.
Throne and Liberty — strengths: Spectacular 100v100+ sieges run well; Weather/day-night systems matter in PvP. Watch out for: Trait/gear system rewards spending.
| Guild Wars 2 | Throne and Liberty | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Live | Live |
| Release year | 2012 | 2024 |
| Developer | ArenaNet | NCSoft |
| Business model | Buy-to-Play | Free-to-Play |
| Platforms | PC | PC, PlayStation, Xbox |
| Combat type | Hybrid | Soft-lock Action |
| World design | Themepark | Themepark |
| MMOlist score | 81 | 64 |
| Steam rating | 87% | 62% |
| User score | 8/10 | 5.9/10 |
| Critic score | 74 | 72 |
| Steam peak CCU | 27K | 336K |
| PvE focus | ||
| PvP focus | ||
| Grindiness | ||
| Solo friendly | ||
| Duo friendly | ||
| Casual friendly | ||
| Typical session | 30–60 min | 1–2 hours |
| Time to endgame | Under 40h | 40–100h |
| Catch-up friendly | ||
| Chore pressure | ||
| Endgame progression | Horizontal | Vertical |
| Alt friendly | ||
| Crafting depth | ||
| Guild importance | ||
| P2W perception | Low | High |
| Open-world PvP | No | Yes |
| Full-loot PvP | No | No |
| Housing | Instanced | None |
| Steam Deck | Playable | Playable |
| Cross-play | Partial / N/A | Yes |
| Cross-progression | Partial / N/A | No |
| Update cadence | Active | Very Active |
| Best for | Explorers; Players who hate gear treadmills; WvW large-scale PvP fans; Altoholics | Large-scale siege PvP; Guild loyalists; Players who like vertical gear chases |
Pick Guild Wars 2 if you want…
- Explorers
- Players who hate gear treadmills
- WvW large-scale PvP fans
- Altoholics
Pick Throne and Liberty if you want…
- Large-scale siege PvP
- Guild loyalists
- Players who like vertical gear chases
Keep exploring
Still torn? Add a third game, or let the quiz decide from how you actually play.