This article is sponsored by Ragnarok X: The Next Generation
Some of my fondest high school memories include finishing my typing lessons with just enough time left on the clock to boot up Ragnarok Online. My friends will be there with me – or rather, a few seats down – and we'll all grind together in one place before the bell rings. If you had told me back then that I could one day relive those moments, wherever I was, I would have found it hard to believe.
Yet in the age of smartphones and on-the-go gaming, Ragnarok X: Next Generation can make me feel like a kid in computer class again, whether I'm at the park, on the bus, or hanging out with those self-identified high school friends. Much like the previous iteration of the Ragnarok franchise, Ragnarok X: Next Generation is available on PC, but it's also a perfect fit for iOS and Android devices. It's better than its predecessors, bringing the striking color palette I know and love to a sophisticated 3D setting with admirably diverse biomes.
A robust job class system, plenty of exemplary dungeons, a player-led auction house, and heaps to do in the open world make Ragnarok X: Next Generation one of the best new free-to-play releases of the year here in North America, where servers launch on May 8, 2025. A huge celebration of Next-Daves was celebrated in six celebrations of Next-Daves. ROX Global has assembled the Half-Anniversary Update, which is the game's most exciting update yet. Come on, let's dive in and see what's on tap for Midgard over the next several weeks.
First, the level cap is increasing to 90. This means there are not only more powerful abilities to unlock and ever-stronger equipment to acquire, but also suitably stronger monsters to challenge along the way. At level 90, new maps await; Plus, you can set out to explore all-new areas: the newly discovered ancient city of Glast Heim, and Sealed Island, a brand new example dungeon. Glast Heim Enchanter offers an unprecedented stat boost, which is for the best, as those monsters and their iconic card drops won't be easy to beat.
The evil lord of the sealed island, the Dark Lord, will be a similarly tough nut to crack. But players familiar with Ragnarok X: The Next Generation's deep player-versus-player system will be happy to see the game's first-ever PVP-focused equipment roster — and the ROX Global Half-Anniversary Update includes level 90 bosses who can drop those pieces so you're prepared and ready.
Festivities continue with the award-winning Thanksgiving Carnival, a limited-time event that runs from late November to early December, followed by limited-time events at the Snow Festival in December. Exclusive outfits to ring in the New Year will be offered, as well as opportunities to win in-game diamond currency, Google gift cards, or an iPhone 17 or iPad Mini. They are doing it, honestly!
Ragnarok X: The Next Generation has everything I remember from my halcyon high school days, and it's all complemented by so much more. The thorough crafting and gathering systems sport brightly lit and easy-to-read tooltips so you'll never feel lost when all the fish you just caught are out of whack. Open-world elite mobs reminiscent of Final Fantasy XIV's memorable hunts give players a reason to venture out into the wild and challenge mighty monsters. And the fully integrated Transmog system lets you look stylish all the way out while doing so.
Oh, and a Ragnarok X: The Next Generation collaboration with the popular Japanese anime IP is also on the way for the global servers.
Before we wrap things up, I want to briefly highlight Ragnarok X: Next Generation's nifty class system. Swordsmen can become knights or crusaders. Sorcerers can graduate to wizards or sages. Archers have hunters or bards. Thieves, merchants, and acolytes all have their own pairings, and each one of them is very customizable.
Each class can be tailored for success in PVE, PVP, or Ragnarok X's more grandiose GVG (guild-versus-guild) system. Grinding your way through high-level enemies like Wraiths and Jokers is mercifully fun thanks to the auto-battle mechanic, but the fights are fun enough in their own right to force a more direct approach even against those fake porings.
With all the freebies available through the ROX Global Half-Anniversary Update, there's really no better time to check out Ragnarok X on PC, iOS, or Android. Or all of the above, really – true cross-platform play enables players to hop between platforms at will, keeping track of progress all the way out and about for relaxing holiday gaming at home wherever Midgard we roam.
