Quite a few games have players wondering if they will stick around or not. Wizard101 is one of these titles, and many gamers wonder if Wizard101 is actually dead – or if Wizard101 is even dying at all.
Wizard101 has seen some dips in player counts over the past couple of years, but it seems that the community is still active. The game is possibly seeing better player counts at the moment, with a fair amount of users – particularly around Christmas and events.
Although many gamers have speculated that Wizard101 is dead, there is a good chance that now is the best time to give it a go. Stick around to find out everything you need to know about Wizard101, as well as the sister game Pirate101, to see why it may still be worth playing.
Wizard101
Wizard101 is an MMORPG that was initially released back in 2008, setting players in a world where they take the role of students at Ravenwood School of Magical Arts. In doing so, the protagonists will need to ultimately save the Spiral.
Players get the chance to battle enemies using a range of cool spells topped with a range of unique weapons. Wizard101 uses a turn-based combat system, somewhat similar to other collectible card games.
How Many Players Still Play Wizard101?
Although Wizard101 has seen better days, it would definitely not be the first game to see massive dips over the past 2 or 3 years. Many players feel like the community has changed a lot since back then, especially considering that Wizard101 has been around for many years now.
A handful of games – particularly MMOs and RPGs – have seemed to be making a slow yet steady return. The devs of some games still appear to be maintaining basic needs like running servers, memberships, and at least a few events here and there.
The community of Wizard101 kind of fits into this group, since there are quite a lot of old players still saying that Wizard101 can still be a great game to play – it more depends on when you play and what you like. Many players have said, mainly on Reddit, that it might be more active than it has been in about 3 years – although, it’s still not anywhere as close as it was while it was fresh.
“As long as the servers are on, the game is alive. Also, make sure you go to nearly full servers if you want to see the pure chaos of the commons.”
Wizard101 had 453 players active an hour ago at the time of writing, with an all-time peak of 1,042 and a 24-hour peak of 879. Although, the averages are not too low when put up against the all-time highs, which means that the community whoever was playing may still be more active than one might expect.
Player counts have actually been more or less stable within 2023 so far. Below are all of the stats and player counts for Wizard101, according to Steam Charts:
| Month | Avg. Players | Gain | % Gain | Peak Players |
| Last 30 Days | 548.3 | +22.1 | +4.21% | 1,042 |
| December 2022 | 526.2 | +129.8 | +32.74% | 1,042 |
| November 2022 | 396.4 | +35.0 | +9.70% | 747 |
| October 2022 | 361.4 | -37.0 | -9.29% | 725 |
| September 2022 | 398.4 | +18.4 | +4.84% | 867 |
| August 2022 | 380.0 | -23.4 | -5.81% | 701 |
| July 2022 | 403.4 | +7.9 | +2.00% | 711 |
| June 2022 | 395.5 | +29.2 | +7.97% | 783 |
Reported player counts may seem low, especially compared to the numbers flaunted by bigger titles, but numbers do not always reflect the potential gaming experience. There are some games that have smaller, more niche communities that thoroughly enjoy the game – without the thought of quitting the game anytime soon.
Is Pirate101 Dead?
Pirate101 is a sister MMORPG, originally released in 2012 only a few years after the release of Wizard101. It is a slightly different game, but it is set in the same universe as Wizard101.
According to most players, the developers are pretty active – although there may be no plans for new story content. Pirate101 appears to be doing quite well without any plans to shut down anytime soon, and KingsIsle confirmed that new Pirate101 content for 2022 is in the works.
Will Wizard101 Shut Down?
Many players thought that the game would be shut down by now, but its progression took a few unexpected twists. Wizard101 Taiwan announced that it would shut down on May 25, 2015, and the announcement was made in April 2015.
However, the date was then changed to October, and Wizard101 China announced its shutdown date as November 1, 2015. Only a few years later in September 2018, the game was given a separate re-release on the gaming platform, Steam, to celebrate the game’s 10-year anniversary,
With all that being said, there are still players who have their doubts. Although it’s still playable, some players feel like it may not be dead but it might be dying. There is a solid chance, as with all games, that this incline may only be temporary, and that the game might eventually just fade out.
Is Wizard101 Worth Playing In 2023?
It’s not every day we see a game be seen as ‘dead or dying’ for years, and then follow up with a player count spike. There are definitely people who still enjoy playing Wizard101.
It is an extremely unique game that is actually way more fun than one might expect it to be, despite its range of flaws. Below are some of Wizard101’s ratings according to MMOByte:
| Combat | 5/10 | The combat is fun, but players might end up having to wait on members of your party, which can be boring. But, many find that solo is actually better – which may defeat the purpose of playing an MMO, to begin with. |
| Graphics | 4/10 | It had a unique charm but it may just be the same charm that most magic-type games would have – at least, those developed in the 90s and early 2000s. |
| Narrative | 5/10 | The narrative was actually pretty good, a mixture of fun and quirky, and felt like something out of a children’s novel. |
| World | 7/10 | The world is surprisingly big, packed with a bunch of unique regions to explore, each of which has special aesthetics and stories. But, all of these aspects are locked behind a paywall. |
| Content | 5/10 | Realistically, players will have access to the same features that most MMOs provide to players, making it average in this department. |
| Overall | 26/50 | “I had fun in Wizard101. I did. I was laughing hysterically throughout the story because of how silly it got at times. The voice acting was also pretty good, surprisingly. The world was cute. The combat was unique.” |
It’s definitely a good game in many ways, with a special charm that can be enjoyable for some. But, it does not necessarily mean that tons of people would love it if they started playing – there are a few points that might throw you off.
“Is this an MMO I’d play long-term? No. It felt too slow for me, and I’m definitely not part of its target demographic.”
Also, although Wizard101 is technically a free-to-play game, it’s actually more of a free and paid game, since there is a paywall that can end up preventing players’ abilities to get past a certain threshold in the game.
“I wish I’d had access to more cards, though. Seeing the kinds of things that some of our viewers were summoning mid-battle though were incredible.”
Wizard101 may not be at the top of the lists or raking in thousands of players, but it definitely has a pretty tight community who love it. Although it’s uncertain is Wizard101 will be around for much longer, it’s safe to say that 2023 might be the best time to try it out.
