MapleStory Classic World Release Date - MapleStory Classic

MapleStory Classic World likely launches in late 2026 or early 2027; Nexon has not set a date. The second Closed Online Test is live now. It opened on August 4 at 6:00 PM UTC, which is 11:00 AM Pacific, and it closes on August 13 at 12:00 AM UTC, which is 5:00 PM Pacific on August 12. It adds 3rd job, Ossyria, and macOS play. Everything below is what Nexon has confirmed, refreshed monthly.

Contents

1. Current release status
2. What time does the second test start?
3. Project leadership
4. Confirmed content at launch
5. What's NOT at launch
6. Level cap and job progression
7. What the second test's trailer shows
8. What changed since the first test
9. Classes
10. Pricing and platforms
11. How to prepare for launch
12. Frequently asked questions

Current release status

As of August 4, 2026: the second Closed Online Test is live. It opened at 6:00 PM UTC, which is 11:00 AM Pacific, and it closes at 12:00 AM UTC on August 13, which is 5:00 PM Pacific on August 12. The first Closed Online Test is done, sign-ups for the second closed July 29, and Nexon started emailing the players it selected on July 31, per Nexon's post on the official MapleStory X account. On August 3 Nexon published the second test's release notes, which set the exact hours, the content list, and the mid-test unlock dates. Playing in the first test did not carry over: everyone had to sign up again for a chance to join. Nexon reviewed the sign-ups and emails selected players directly; there are no beta keys. Pre-registration for the first test ran March 10 to April 7, 2026, per Nexon's announcement; Maple Con LA and PC Cafe attendees were auto-invited with two days of early access. The full timeline:

What time does the second test start?

It already started. Nexon's release notes give the window as August 4, 2026 6:00 PM UTC to August 13, 2026 12:00 AM UTC. In Pacific time that is 11:00 AM on August 4 through 5:00 PM on August 12, the same opening slot the first test used. Two things unlock partway through, so the rest of the schedule is:

Project leadership

Lead game designer is Nemi, an original MapleStory dev since 2001. CPO Inkwell joins him on dev panels. This is an official Nexon production.

New here? What is MapleStory Classic World? covers the game itself.

Confirmed content at launch

• 3rd job advancement at level 70 is confirmed, straight from the second test's release notes. The old plan to launch with a level 50 cap is gone: that test hands out level 100 characters, so its ceiling is at least double the first test's.
• Four original classes: Warrior, Magician, Bowman, Thief. Beginner as the starter class until level 10.
• 2nd job advancement at level 30 (branches in the Classes table below).
• Forgotten Hollow, a brand-new area no version of MapleStory ever had. It unlocked mid-COT on April 21, 2026. See the Forgotten Hollow guide.
• Classic maps on Maple Island and Victoria Island (Lith Harbor, Henesys, Ellinia, Perion, Kerning City, Sleepywood, Florina Beach).
• Ossyria, the second continent, is confirmed: Orbis, El Nath, and Dead Mine are in. In the second test the airship opens on August 8 for characters level 10 and up.
• Kerning Party Quest (KPQ) for group play and EXP.
• Scrolling with renamed grade tiers: Lesser (100%), Intermediate (60%), Greater (10%), Chaos (10%, bigger stat bump, destroys the item on fail). The old numeric names are gone.
• Craftable gear through six crafting professions, from Smithing to Arcforge.
• Bosses available at launch: Mushmom, Zombie Mushmom, Rotten Mushmom, Jr. Balrog, King Slime, Mano (and their alt-palette variants). See the monster database.

Some of the monsters are brand new. Three from Forgotten Hollow:

Rotten Mushmom, Lv 60 boss

Myewood, Lv 54

Sporewood, Lv 59

What's NOT at launch

• Zakum. Not available at launch; expected in a later patch.
• Ludibrium Party Quest (LPQ), Ariant Party Quest (APQ). Level-gated content beyond the launch cap, coming with future updates.
• 4th job. 3rd job is in (see above), but 4th job content has not been announced.
• Star Force, Arcane Force, Authentic Force. Post-Big Bang equipment enhancement systems that don't exist in Classic World.
• Cubes and potential lines. Gear value in Classic comes from scroll slots, base stats, and attack speed.
• Cygnus Knights, Resistance, Heroes, Aran, Evan, Mercedes: none of the later classes. Just the original four plus Beginner.
• Pet auto-buff and auto-pot macros. Pets follow the older ruleset.

Level cap and job progression

The hard level 50 cap from the first closed online test is gone. The release notes put 3rd job advancement at level 70, with 1st job at 10 and 2nd job at 30 as in the original game, and from 5:00 PM Pacific on August 10 the job instructors in El Nath will let you jump your test character straight to level 100 so 3rd job skills can be tried. That puts the second test's ceiling at least double the first test's 50.

Early-to-mid progression is still the heart of the game. See Best Grind Maps and the EXP Table.

What the second test's trailer shows

Nexon's trailer for the second test answered a few questions the sign-up page didn't. Now that the test is live, here is each read checked against the build itself.

• The highest level shown is a level 75 F/P mage. The first test's hard cap was 50, so a 75 on screen was the first sign the cap had moved past the 3rd job mark. The release notes went further and handed testers level 100 outright.
• Steal hits 2 targets. In the first test it hit exactly one monster. The live build settles it: Steal attempts to steal from up to 2 monsters at once, and a successful steal stuns them for 1.5 seconds.
• Fire Arrow still hits one target, same as the first test. The live build agrees: one enemy, plus a burn that ticks for 3 seconds.
• HP and MP pools look much bigger than first-test characters had at similar levels, across every class shown. We can't put numbers on it from footage alone; our HP/MP guide documents the first-test values.
• Level 70 weapons appear, and one is recognizable: Redemption. It is in the live build as a level 70 Warrior spear with 95 attack and 7 scroll slots, which lines up with 3rd job advancement at 70.

What changed since the first test

Both tests have official release notes, so the differences are documented rather than guessed: the first test's and the second test's.

Hair and faces are obtained a different way

• The salon coupons are not in the second test's notes. The first test sold Henesys and Kerning City coupons in REG (random) and VIP (pick your own) tiers. The second test lists two instead: the Mystery Coupon, which rolls a random style, and the Signature Coupon, which lets you choose.
• The lists cover 46 hairstyles and 26 faces. Only nine of them, all faces, were in the first test's coupons: Worrisome Glare, Rebel's Fire, Wisdom Glance, Pucker Up Face, Babyface Pout, Look of Death, Hypnotized Look, Alert Face and Curious Dog.
• 62 of those styles were not in the game during the first test at all, going by the first test's in-game data. The rest of the second test's list is either carried over or was already in the game without being sold.
• The classic styles are not in these lists: Fantasy, Rockstar, Mo Rawk, Pigtails, Medium Cornrows and the rest of the April rotation. Nexon has not said whether the old salon coupons still exist in game, so that is not the same as those styles being gone.

Events

• Growing Leaf replaces Gathering Leaves. In the first test you farmed letters from monsters in your level range and traded them in. In the second you take a Pale Maple Leaf, stay online 60 minutes until it ripens, and hand it back. Once a day per account, resetting at 12:00 AM UTC.
• Three new events: Coconut Harvest (August 5, 8 and 11), Up and Up (August 7 and 10), and Last Day Photo, a group photo with the GMs in Orbis on August 12 at 11:00 PM UTC.
• The ring rewards stack. Anyone who finished the two ring quests in the first test and finishes them again in the second gets two of each at launch.
• Physical Fitness Challenge changed from two 30-minute sessions to one two-hour window. Monster Invasion is unchanged, with the same five bosses.
• The starter gift grew but expires sooner. It adds a Safety Charm (x3) and a Hired Merchants Box, and its items now last 7 days instead of 10. Cash Shop pets last 3 days instead of 7.

Classes

Four original classes plus Beginner. Each 1st-job class advances into one of several 2nd-job branches at level 30, and the second test's release notes name the 3rd-job branches at level 70:

Warrior

Magician

Bowman

Thief

For class picks, see the tier list. For leveling each class 1 to 30, see the dedicated guides linked at the bottom of this page.

Pricing and platforms

Pricing: free to play with a cash shop for cosmetics and convenience items. Nexon has not published the launch catalog or prices, so any pay-to-win verdicts you read before launch are guesses. The community expects an old-school-style shop like the original.

Platforms: Windows and macOS. The second test's release notes confirm both, plus Xbox and PlayStation controller support and English and Spanish language options. No mobile or console version has been announced.

How to prepare for launch

• Check your inbox if you signed up for the second test. Nexon emailed the players it selected from July 31. The test opened at 11:00 AM Pacific (6:00 PM UTC) on August 4 and closes at 5:00 PM Pacific on August 12. Sign-ups closed July 29 and Nexon has not announced another window.
• Earn launch rewards in the test: reach Lv 10 and Lv 15 and finish the two event quests to earn the Classic Beginnings Label Ring and Chat Ring, claimable on your account when the game launches. Players who did the quests in both tests get 2 of each ring. Test characters are wiped when the test ends. The rings are not: they land on your account at launch.
• Pick a class using the class tier list and the 1st-job leveling guides linked below.
• Learn the damage formula so you're not guessing about gear tradeoffs. Damage formula explained.
• Scout your grind path with Best Grind Maps for Every Level 1-50.
• Plan your build in advance. The Character Builder lets you AP-allocate, skill-allocate, and equip-test before launch day.
• Learn the language. The Glossary explains every acronym and slang term you'll run into on Discord.
• Join the community. Official Nexon channels + the MeowDB Discord for launch-day strategy and patch notes.

Frequently asked questions

Will my existing MapleStory characters transfer over?

No. Classic World is a separate world with its own characters. You start fresh at level 1.

Is this replacing modern MapleStory?

No. Modern MapleStory keeps running. Classic World is a separate world type for the pre-Big Bang experience.

Is it free to play?

Yes. Classic World is free to play with an in-game cash shop for cosmetics and convenience items. Progression does not require purchases. Full cash-shop pricing details have not been published yet.

Can I play on Steam?

Not confirmed. Modern MapleStory is on Steam; whether Classic World launches there too has not been announced.

Is the game Mac compatible?

Yes. The second Closed Online Test runs on Windows and macOS, per Nexon's release notes. The April 2026 test was Windows-only.

I signed up for the second test. When will I know if I got in?

Nexon started emailing selected participants on July 31, 2026, four days before the test opened. It said the emails begin that day, not that they all go out that day: in the first test, invites went out in waves and the last ones landed on opening day, so a quiet inbox on day one is not a no. Nexon has not said how many players it picked. There are no beta keys and no late sign-up, so ignore anyone selling a spot. Nexon's announcement.

When is the release date?

Likely late 2026 or early 2027. Nexon has not published a date. The second Closed Online Test is running now, August 4 to 12, 2026, so launch comes after that.

Will it be pay-to-win?

Classic World uses the original progression: scrolls and base stats, no potential, no star force. That caps how much power the cash shop can sell. Real monetization details land at launch.

Is Zakum in at launch?

No. Zakum is expected to arrive after launch. See the list above for which bosses ARE present at launch.

What's the level cap at launch?

Nexon has not published one. The old 50-cap plan is gone: the second test puts 3rd job advancement at level 70 and from 5:00 PM Pacific on August 10 hands testers a free level 100, so that test runs to at least 100. What the game caps at when it launches is a separate decision Nexon has not announced.

Staying updated

Spot something missing or outdated? Tell us in the MeowDB Discord and we'll fix it.

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