MapleStory (Korean: 메이플스토리) is a free-to-play, 2D, side-scrolling massively multiplayer online role-playing game created by the South Korean company Wizet and published by Nexon. Different versions of the game are available for specific countries or regions, each published by different companies, such as Nexon.

Players explore multiple worlds, including Maple World, the Arcane River between worlds, and the extraterrestrial world of Grandis. They defeat monsters and improve their characters' skills and abilities, which is common in role-playing video games. Players can chat, trade items, and join groups called parties to hunt monsters and share rewards. They can also form guilds to interact with others more easily. Additionally, players can visit the in-game "Cash Shop" to buy character appearances or gameplay improvements using real money or in-game currency earned through various activities.

In July 2010, the Korean version of the game received an update called the "Big Bang." Other versions of the game later received the same update. Later that year, the Korean version got the "Chaos" update, which added player versus player (PvP) combat and new character professions. A sequel called MapleStory 2 was released in July 2015. It includes updated 3D graphics and a storyline similar to the original game. As of 2020, MapleStory had over 180 million registered users worldwide and had earned more than $3 billion in total revenue.

Plot

The story of MapleStory takes place in several different worlds, including Maple World, Arcane River, and Grandis. These worlds were created by powerful beings called the Overseers, who gave each world three guardians to protect them: the Transcendent of Time, the Transcendent of Life, and the Transcendent of Light. The first major part of the story focuses on the main enemy of Maple World, the Black Mage. The Black Mage was once the Transcendent of Light, known as the White Mage, until an experiment failed and his pure light core became corrupted. Six heroes sealed the Black Mage for many years, but this cost them their own freedom. In the present day, the Black Mage’s forces, called the Black Wings, began to return and tried to bring him back. Worried about his return, Empress Cygnus formed the Cygnus Knights to stop the Black Wings and the Black Mage’s Commanders. As the seal on the Black Mage weakened, the heroes from long ago began to return. After the Black Mage broke free, Empress Cygnus created the Maple Alliance, which brought together the free-spirited Explorers, the Cygnus Knights, the Resistance against the Black Wings, the six Heroes of Maple, and brave adventurers from other worlds.

The Alliance continued fighting the Black Wings and won an important victory in the battle of Black Heaven, during which a hero from the Alliance became the Adversary, a champion given special energy. Soon after, the Black Mage created a place called the Arcane River to destroy the world and rebuild it in his image. The Adversary traveled through the Arcane River and fought the last of the Black Mage’s Commanders before the Alliance launched a final battle to stop the Black Mage from destroying their world. The Adversary defeated the Black Mage and saved Maple World from destruction.

After the Black Mage’s death, the second major part of the story began in Grandis, a world that had slowly merged with Maple World because of the Black Mage’s actions. The main enemy of Grandis, Gerand Darmoor, believed his race, the High Flora, was better than all others and wanted to change all life to match his vision. To stop him, groups from Grandis joined the Maple Alliance. After the Black Mage’s death, the Alliance sent its forces to fight Darmoor and his followers.

Gameplay

MapleStory is a 2D scrolling platform game. Players use the keyboard and mouse to control the game. The keyboard handles many functions, and players can change its settings to fit their preferences. The mouse is mainly used to interact with non-player characters and manage items. Gameplay involves exploring dungeons, fighting monsters, and battling bosses in real time. Players defeat monsters, complete quests, and earn in-game currency called "Mesos," experience points, and items. Players can choose professions to create equipment, accessories, or potions.

Players can interact with others online in several ways. They can join parties to share loot and experience from defeating monsters. They can also form in-game marriages, which recognize two players as a heterosexual couple. Guilds are groups shown by a name listed under a player's character. Families are groups that include younger and older players. Players can increase or decrease their "Fame" stat, which affects popularity, and compete in games like Gomoku or Concentration. They can also trade "Mesos" or items with other players.

MapleStory characters exist in different worlds or servers. Players can create multiple characters in each world, but characters in different worlds cannot interact. Each world has similar content. Worlds are divided into channels, and players can switch between them. In December 2007, the ability to move characters between worlds was added to Global MapleStory, but with restrictions on items. This feature was removed in May 2012 because it harmed gameplay.

When creating a new character, players choose from nine class branches. Three classes have no specific branches: Explorers (residents of Maple Island who travel to Victoria Island), Cygnus Knights (protectors of Maple World and their home), and Heroes (original fighters who sealed the Black Mage). Other branches include Resistance (residents of Edelstein fighting the Black Wings), Sengoku (warriors from a Japan-inspired region), Nova (dragon-like residents of Grandis), Flora (elf-like residents of Grandis), Anima (animal-like residents of Grandis), and Jianghu (residents of a forest-like region). Sia Astelle, Zero, and Kinesis are classes without specific branches. Some classes are only available in certain regions or during specific times of the year.

Explorer characters start on Maple Island as Beginners. Beginners can advance to one of five classes: Warrior, Bowman, Magician, Thief, or Pirate. After choosing a class, players can only advance within that class at levels 30, 60, 100, 200, and 260. Three Explorer classes—Dual Blade (Thief), Pathfinder (Bowman), and Cannoneer (Pirate)—have unique creation methods.

Cygnus Knight characters begin as Noblesse in Ereve. At level 10, they can advance to one of five Cygnus Knight classes.

Six Hero classes are available: Aran, Evan, Mercedes, Phantom, Luminous, and Shade. These classes are linked to the Black Mage, a major antagonist. Aran uses a Combo System to gain buffs by hitting monsters. Evan fights alongside a dragon. Mercedes uses dual bowguns. Phantom copies skills from Explorer characters. Luminous uses light and dark magic. Shade, the forgotten hero, uses spirits in battle.

Resistance characters start in Edelstein, a town controlled by the Black Wings. They begin as Citizens and can advance to four classes: Battle Mage (uses a staff), Wild Hunter (rides a jaguar with a crossbow), Blaster (uses an arm cannon), or Mechanic (uses a robotic suit). Demon and Xenon are separate Resistance classes. Demon characters can become Demon Slayer (uses blunt weapons and axes) or Demon Avenger (uses a specialized weapon called the Desperado). Xenon is a cyborg who escaped from the Black Wings and uses Whip Blades.

Three main continents exist in MapleStory: Maple Island, Victoria Island, and Ossyria. Maple Island is where players begin their journey. Victoria Island has eight cities and is where most classes start. Ossyria includes seven regions with different environments: El Nath Mountains, Ludus Lake, Aqua Road, Minar Forest, Mu Lung Garden, Nihal Desert, and Temple of Time. Ereve and Rien are separate areas where players begin new jobs.

The Cash Shop is an in-game store where players use real money to buy virtual items like avatars, digital pets, and other goods. Most Cash Shop items expire after some time. Players can also use a shop permit to open a store in the Free Market, which is only available in the classic game mode.

Music

The main composer for MapleStory is NECORD (ASTERIA). In 2016, Nexon created two teams: ASTERIA for music and NECORD for sound. These teams began making music and releasing albums on their own. In 2017, they recorded music with an orchestra in Budapest, Hungary.

The game's music has received praise from players. Because MapleStory has been available for many years, its music has helped some players remember the game. Songs such as the music from Lith Harbor village, Eos Tower/Helios Tower in Ludibrium, Blockbuster: Black Heaven, Chu Chu Island, and Lachelein the Dreaming City have been played on South Korean television shows. The "Aquarium" music from the village of Aqua Road has been included in some South Korean music textbooks.

From 2006 to 2015, Studio EIM composed the music for MapleStory. Starting in 2014, official sound recordings were released, beginning with FriendStory and Blockbuster: Black Heaven. At this time, M2U, a team previously working with Studio EIM, composed music for Ariant Coliseum and Ereve.

In 2010, Kim Eun-bi, who was in the top 6 of Superstar K 2, became a Maple Girl, a promotional model for MapleStory. She released a song called "I'm My Fan," which was different from other Maple Girls' songs. In 2015, professional singer Taru performed a song for the game. From 2017, Second Moon began performing songs at MapleStory events because they worked on the music for the hologram musical Comic MapleStory in 2016. In 2018, Ha Hyun-woo of Guckkasten and the Guckkasten band performed songs related to the game. In 2021, Bewhy also performed a song for MapleStory.

S.I.D-Sound composed music for events such as the MapleStory 8th anniversary in 2011, the RED theme song in 2013, and the FriendStory soundtrack in 2014.

In 2015, SQUARE MUSIQ composed songs such as "Violeta Over Flowers," a promotion song, and "Promise of Heaven," a song from Blockbuster: Black Heaven.

In 2020, ESTIMATE and ESTi composed music for songs such as Yum Yum Island, the theme for Adele, parts of Ristonia, Grand Athenaeum Episode VI: Sharenian Knights, and Hotel Arcus.

Development

MapleStory was first created and released in South Korea. By 2003, the game was made available in ten different regions. When other companies publish the game for their areas, special rules are used (except for the Korean version, which requires a KSSN), meaning players must use the version made for their region. In 2011, LevelUp! Games did not continue its agreement to localize the game for Brazil.

An update called "Big Bang" was released for Korean MapleStory in July 2010. Other regions followed shortly after. This update changed the game’s basic code and many features. Another update, "Chaos," introduced new character roles and player-versus-player combat.

A new update for Master’s North American server, named "Black Heaven," was released on March 11, 2015. Players who registered before the update and before March 9 received a free Ignition Pack if they logged in before March 14 and after the update was released.

In December 2015, Nexon launched the "MapleStory Reboot" update for its North American server. This update allows players to access the Reboot world, which has no trading, higher chances of receiving in-game currency, and equipment specific to a player’s class. The monsters in Reboot are the same as in other worlds but have stronger stats and give more experience points.

In December 2016, the "5th Job Advancement" update was released. When players reach level 200, they must complete special quests to unlock their 5th Job skills. These skills are divided into three types: Shared Skills, which all characters can use; Class-Specific Skills, which only certain classes can use; and Job Skills, which are unique to each job.

In July 2022, Nexon released the "Destiny: Remastered" update for its North American server. This update updated the skills of all Explorer classes (except the newest class, Pathfinder), added new story content, and simplified older storylines. A new boss named Kalos was also added to the game.

In October and November 2023, Nexon released the "6th Job Advancement" update, which introduced new skills for all classes. On April 16, 2025, Nexon America announced plans to develop a Global MapleStory Classic World during their 20th anniversary event. According to Miyoung Oh, an early lead developer of the game, MapleStory Classic World will be an accurate reproduction of the original game’s early experience, with some modern improvements. Nexon America’s Chief Product Officer, Hanbyeol Oh, did not share a release date for Classic World but said more details would be announced in the second half of 2025.

Players and revenue

In Global MapleStory (GMS), more than 1 million players bought items from the Cash Shop by 2010. By 2006, MapleStory had a total of 39 million user accounts worldwide. By 2011, MapleStory Global had over 8 million users. As of 2014, the game was among the top ten massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) by worldwide revenue. As of 2020, the game had more than 180 million registered users worldwide.

Up until 2011, the game earned $1.8 billion. Between 2013 and 2017, the game earned $1.181 billion. This included $326 million in 2013, $240 million in 2014, $253 million in 2015, $83 million in 2016, and $279 million in 2017. As of 2020, the game had earned more than $3 billion worldwide in total money over its entire history.

Microtransactions legal penalties

In 2024, Nexon was fined ₩11.6 billion (US$8.9 million) for breaking South Korea's Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce Act. The company is said to have changed how often certain items appeared in the game MapleStory without telling players. This was the largest penalty given for breaking this law at that time. It was also Nexon's second time breaking the law, after a 2018 fine related to its game Sudden Attack.

Related games

MapleStory DS is a game inspired by MapleStory and is designed for one player to play alone. It was released for the Nintendo DS on April 15, 2010, in Korea.

MapleStory: Thief Edition and MapleStory: Cygnus Knights Edition are single-player versions of MapleStory released for iOS devices in 2011. Each game allowed players to choose only one or two character types. In Thief Edition, players could only play as the Thief. In Cygnus Knights Edition, players could only play as the Blaze Wizard or the Dawn Warrior.

MapleStory – The Girl's Fate is a separate game for the Nintendo 3DS and is designed for one player. It features a new character named Mugi. The game was released on April 25, 2013, in Korea and Japan. It is called Maplestory: Girl of Destiny in other countries after a fan-made English translation.

MapleStory M is a mobile game released for iOS and Android devices in South Korea in October 2016. It was later released in other countries on May 28, 2018.

The sequel, MapleStory 2, was released in Korea on July 7, 2015. Unlike its predecessor, MapleStory 2 takes place on a 3D voxel-based plane, often viewed from an isometric angle.

MapleStory R: Evolution is an idle-game mobile RPG. It was officially released in Southeast Asia on July 28, 2023, and is played on a vertical screen. Its launch included live events in Malaysia and Vietnam.

MapleStory Universe is a collection of games that use cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. MapleStory N, which is part of MapleStory Universe, was launched worldwide in May 2025.

Media adaptations

The Japanese anime series titled MapleStory ( メイプルストーリー , Meipuru Sutōrī ) was created based on the game and made by Madhouse. It was shown on TV Tokyo from October 7, 2007, to March 30, 2008, and had 25 episodes. The story follows a warrior who travels to restore the world tree.

Nexon America launched a MapleStory trading card game on November 6, 2007. Nexon Korea and Nexon Japan later released similar trading card games, while Nexon America no longer offers this service.

Nexon began a public beta test for MapleStory Adventures on July 27, 2011, as a version adapted for Facebook games. The game focused mainly on single-player gameplay but included the main goals and themes of the full MapleStory game, such as creating an avatar, fighting monsters, and completing quests. This version was no longer available after July 31, 2013.