Guild Wars Reforged Returns as Free Mobile MMO Experience
Matthew Miller
Published May 17, 2026
By Published Apr 29, 2026, 2:16 PM EDT Kyle Gratton is an editor and writer based out of Kansas City. He received a bachelor's degree, dual majoring in English and History with a minor in Film and Media Studies, and has been a senior staff writer and reviewer for Screen Rant's Gaming section since 2026, with roles in editorial, and various freelance projects.
A terminal Midwesterner who graduated from the University of Kansas, Kyle also has knowledge and interest in literature, film, film adaptions of literature, and history.
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It's common for games to charge players a subscription fee, but one of the genre's most venerated entrants gained its fame on the back of one-time purchases. Years later, it's making a comeback, and is about to re-release for free, giving an opportunity to try out one of the greatest MMOs to ever release.
This summer, Guild Wars Reforged will launch on iOS and Android devices, and can be downloaded for free, albeit with ads. Reforged is a 2026 remaster of the original Guild Wars, which first came out in 2005, and quickly gained prominence for being a subscription-free alternative to contemporaries like World of Warcraft. Those who play Guild Wars Reforged for free on mobile will only have access to the original Prophecies campaign, with subsequent expansions available for individual purchase, per a press release.
Playing Guild Wars for free will also come with a few other restrictions: a campaign must be purchased to "enable chat and trading, and remove ads." Those who already own Guild Wars Reforged, which was a free upgrade for players, will be able to log into their ArenaNet account and access their characters to play in the new version. The full price list for Guild Wars Reforged content on mobile is below.
- Prophecies (first campaign): $6.99
- Factions (second campaign): $6.99
- Nightfall (third campaign): $6.99
- Eye of the North (expansion): $9.99
- Bonus Mission Pack: $5.99
Pre-registration for Guild Wars Reforged's mobile version is open now on (App Store pre-registration coming soon), and the game will first soft launch in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the Philippines before its wider launch sometime later in 2026. This new version will boast "optimized UI and controls" for mobile platforms, but also has controller support, which was a new addition to Guild Wars with its Reforged update.
The mobile version of Guild Wars Reforged appears to be the full experience, including shared servers between iOS, Android, and PC players. It also includes full cross-progression, which may help its adoption rate out of the gate – all existing players have to do is log into their ArenaNet account, and you'll be able to pick up where you left off, whether that was recently or 20 years ago. Reforged itself was a surprise after the , but this new mobile version may help keep the classic MMO alive even longer.
iOS and Android devices are ubiquitous, and a free option will let millions of people try Guild Wars without any hassle. Despite its clear potential to help the aging game keep an active player base, it remains to be seen how well Guild Wars actually plays on a touchscreen. MMOs are notorious for having numerous overlapping systems that are only easily navigable on PC, and Guild Wars is no exception. Especially in high-level play, the screen is often filled with various windows, but Guild Wars Reforged already made strides to make the game more accessible, and its mobile version may continue that trend.
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