MapleStory Classic World is Nexon’s take on early MapleStory: Maple Island, Victoria Island, four classic jobs and a level cap of 100, with a few new systems on top. It launched worldwide on October 21, 2026, and it’s free to play on Windows and macOS through the Nexon Launcher or Steam. If you played MapleStory in the 2000s, this is the closest official version of that game you can play today.
Classic World at a Glance
What’s the Same as Old MapleStory
Every character starts as a Beginner on Maple Island and travels to Victoria Island. At level 10 you take your 1st job from the same NPCs as before: Dances with Balrog in Perion, Grendel the Really Old in Ellinia, Athena Pierce in Henesys and the Dark Lord in Kerning City. At level 30 you choose your 2nd job:
The Kerning City party quest, First Time Together, is back for level 21 and up, ending with King Slime, and so are the Free Market, Store Permits and Megaphones.
What’s New
Classic World isn’t a straight copy. Nexon has added several systems the original never had:
Crafting. From level 10, crafting NPCs teach Smithing, Weaponcrafting, Tailoring, Woodcrafting, Leatherworking and Arcforge, with more recipes unlocking as your skill grows.
Citizenship. From level 12, you can become a citizen of Henesys or Kerning City. Citizens get shop, taxi and storage discounts, and earn Contribution by completing requests on the town’s Community Board.
Housing. Citizens can buy a house in Henesys or Kerning City with mesos, decorate it and invite other players. One house per account, shared by all your characters.
A new area. Perion has a new Excavation Site, and a new zone called Forgotten Hollow is due in November.
Modern controls. You can choose Classic or Modern key bindings, and Modern supports WASD movement.
How Much Does It Cost?
The game is free. It has a Cash Shop, and NX is shared with regular MapleStory, though nothing else carries over between the two games, including Maple Points and MVP benefits. Classic World also has its own alternative Cash currency, Leaf Points.
Founder’s Packages (Snail, Orange Mushroom and Zakum) were sold before launch for early access and cosmetics. Sales ended on October 14, 2026, so there’s nothing you need to buy to start today.
Bots and Real-Money Trading
Like the original, Classic World has a trading economy, and Nexon is clearly worried about abuse. New accounts can’t trade until 24 hours after one of their characters reaches level 15. Citizens can buy a Lie Detector Test to use on players who seem to be botting, and anyone who fails is sent to the Truth Booth for a while.
On October 22, Nexon also introduced a Debt System. Accounts caught in real-money trading or trading in illegitimately obtained mesos are put into debt and can’t trade, use shops or drop items until the debt is repaid in mesos.
What’s Coming Next
Nexon outlined its plans at MapleStory Fest 2026. Forgotten Hollow and its Rotten Mushmom field boss are planned for November 18, along with the Moon Bunny’s Rice Cake party quest. Guilds follow on December 9, and a 3rd job test server is planned for early 2027. Ossyria, 3rd job itself and the Archon boss raid have no dates yet.
Is It Worth Playing?
Yes, if you miss early MapleStory. The towns, the job advancement NPCs, the Kerning City party quest and the Victoria Island bosses are all here, and it costs nothing to try.
Maybe wait, if you want endgame. With a level 100 cap, only 2nd jobs and no Ossyria yet, there’s a ceiling for now. The pace of the roadmap will decide how long Classic World holds players.
It’s a good fit for Classic WoW and WoW Forever players. The appeal is the same: a slower, more social version of a game people remember. If you’re between WoW sessions, it’s worth a look.
For more on what’s happening outside WoW and RuneScape, see our Other MMOs section.