Guild Wars 2
Guild Wars 2 is an award-winning online roleplaying game with fast-paced action combat, deep character customization, and no subscription fee required. Choose from an arsenal of professions and weapons, explore a vast open world, compete in PVP modes and more. Join over 16 million players now!
- Released
- 2012
- Developer
- ArenaNet
- Platforms
- 1 systems
- Critics
- 90
- Steam Deck
- playable
- Download
- 70 GB
What is Guild Wars 2?
Guild Wars 2 is an award-winning online roleplaying game with fast-paced action combat, deep character customization, and no subscription fee required. Choose from an arsenal of professions and weapons, explore a vast open world, compete in PVP modes and more. Join over 16 million players now!
Description as published by the developer on its own store page, read 30 August 2026. It is marketing copy, not our assessment.
The record
| First released | 28 August 2012 |
|---|---|
| Developer | ArenaNet |
| Publisher | NC |
| Platforms | PC |
| Genres | Role-Playing |
| Languages | 4 supported |
Source. Catalogue facts from Wikidata Q484907, seeded 30 August 2026. Store data from Steam, read 30 August 2026.
How was Guild Wars 2 received?
Method. Player figures are Steam's own totals for the PC version, read 30 August 2026. The Metacritic score is the one Steam publishes on its store page and can lag the site itself. Metacritic page. Neither is our opinion. We have not published a review of this game.
What does it support?
| Capability | Support |
|---|---|
| Controller | Not stated |
| Cloud saves | No |
| Cross-platform play | No |
| Mod support | No official workshop |
| Online play | Yes |
| In-game purchases | Yes |
| Steam Deck | playable |
| Download size | 70 GB |
| Add-on content | 7 DLC listed |
| Age gate | None |
Method. Read from the publisher's Steam listing on 30 August 2026. Describes the PC version. Console versions differ.
What does it cost?
Steam price in US dollars, read 30 August 2026. Prices move hourly and vary by region. Check the current price.
Problems players report
We read the 300 most recent negative Steam reviews of Guild Wars 2 on 30 August 2026 and counted what they mention. These are complaints, not confirmed defects: we have not reproduced any of them, and a review describes one person's machine. What the counts tell you is which problems more than one person ran into.
- Monetisation inside the game17 of 300 (6%)
The game is pretty good, but the microtransactions and the amount of things locked behind them are maddening.
Steam review, 13 February 2026 · 6 hours played · 11 readers marked it helpfulThere's tons of Fomo and loot boxes just thrown in your face constantly.
Steam review, 4 May 2026 · 320 hours played · 9 readers marked it helpful
A further 10 reviews call the game buggy or broken without saying how, which is why they are counted separately rather than assigned to a theme. Counted by keyword across review text, so a review discussing two problems is counted under both. Read the reviews yourself.
Games like Guild Wars 2
24 games overlap with Guild Wars 2 on the tags Steam players applied to it, on genre, and on theme. The closest are FINAL FANTASY XIV Online, Black Desert and Warspear Online.
Common questions about Guild Wars 2
What platforms is Guild Wars 2 on?
Guild Wars 2 is available on PC. It first released in 2012.
Is Guild Wars 2 free?
Yes. Guild Wars 2 is free to download on Steam. It carries in-game purchases.
Do players recommend Guild Wars 2?
88% of 29,449 Steam reviews are positive, which Steam rates Very Positive. That is players rating it, not our review. We have not published a review of this game.
What is the Metacritic score for Guild Wars 2?
90 out of 100 for the PC version, as published on the game's own Steam store page. Steam can lag Metacritic by a few points.
Does Guild Wars 2 work on Steam Deck?
Valve rates Guild Wars 2 as playable on the Steam Deck, from its own testing.
How big is the Guild Wars 2 download?
70 GB on PC, from the storage requirement on its Steam listing. Console versions differ.