ArenaNet has previewed Guild Wars 3, an "action-adventure MMO" designed to break with two decades of stagnant genre conventions. Studio director Colin Johanson argues that MMOs have barely evolved since titles like World of Warcraft and Guild Wars 2 launched, and that the genre's demanding time commitments have alienated players with busy, "real-life schedules." Guild Wars 3 aims to address this by reducing the administrative "preparing to have fun" phase before sessions and letting players make meaningful progress in short bursts, such as a 30-minute lunch break.

The game is being built in Unreal Engine 5 for PC and PlayStation 5, with a beta planned for autumn 2027. Beyond streamlining moment-to-moment gameplay and combat, ArenaNet is also rejecting the industry norm of designing MMOs to lock players into constant engagement; Johanson says players should be able to step away and return without feeling penalised, continuing an approach the studio began exploring with Guild Wars 2.