Perfect World (Chinese: 完美世界, commonly called PW and W2) is a 3D adventure and fantasy online game with traditional Chinese themes. Players can choose different races and classes, which determine their roles in the game.

Perfect World International, also known as PWI, is the more recent name for the game.

Characters gain experience by completing quests, which helps them level up. They can use and improve weapons, both physical and magical, and work with other players to fight monsters in special areas, battle bosses in the open world, or compete against other players. Some players sell their accounts to avoid spending money on in-game purchases, farming for experience, or learning skills. However, this is not allowed by the game's rules, and accounts involved in this activity may be blocked.

Players can join a guild if accepted, becoming part of a group with up to 200 members who share common goals. The game world is divided into many territories, which guilds can fight to control through Territory War. Winning these battles gives rewards, usually coins, that benefit the guild and its members.

Territory War is a battle between 80 players on each side, with a maximum time limit of 3 hours. Each class within a race has unique roles, and teamwork and strategy are essential for success. On the US version of the game, the time limit was shortened to 1 hour and 40 minutes because fewer players participated. Currently, few players are interested in Territory War due to weak rewards, though some factions still take part. The most competitive Territory War seasons happen on Twilight Temple and Dawnglory servers, followed by Tideswell and Etherblade servers. Etherblade has only one faction that actively tries to win Territory Wars in recent seasons.

Perfect World is based on Chinese mythology and takes place in the mythical world of Pangu. The game was released in January 2006.

In April 2022, the North American branch of Perfect World Entertainment was renamed Gearbox Publishing San Francisco. This new name will also be applied to past games published by Perfect World.

Expansions

PWI has many versions:

• The Lost Empire was released in December 2008
• Age of Spirits was released in May 2009
• Rising Tide was released in December 2009
• Genesis was released in March 2011
• Descent was released in February 2012
• Sirens of War was released in November 2012
• New Horizons was released in December 2013
• Eclipse was released in December 2014
• War Front was released in November 2015
• Elysium was released in April 2016
• Neverfall was released in April 2017
• Wonderland was released in January 2018
• Redemption was released in September 2018
• Wings of Rebirth was released in May 2019
• Northern Realms was released in June 2020
• Dawnlight was released in June 2021
• The Wildwalker was released in November 2021
• Fountain of Fate was released in August 2022
• Divine Fury was released in May 2023
• Seal the Sky was released in November 2023
• Song of the Surging Waves was released in December 2024

Boutique

Perfect World is a game that is free to play, but players often need to spend a lot of money to improve their chances of winning and compete effectively. The game earns money by selling items in a store inside the game called the cash shop. Using the cash shop is not required, but many items sold there are necessary to improve gameplay. Only a few items are for appearance only and do not affect gameplay.

Money used in the cash shop can be purchased from websites owned by the companies that operate the game. Alternatively, players can buy cash shop money from other players in the game’s auction house by trading it for in-game currency.

Perfect World International sells pre-charged cards that can be bought at stores like 7-Eleven, Target, and GameStop. In Malaysia, players can add money to their accounts using CubiCards. Other payment methods, such as Ultimate Game Cards, are also available through the PayByCash option to purchase cash shop currency.

To protect player accounts from hackers, Perfect World offers a feature called Phone Lock. When activated, this feature stops the account from being used until the player calls a number linked to their account. Once the number is confirmed, the account is temporarily unlocked for login. The player must log in within 10 minutes of unlocking, or the account will be locked again. Players can continue playing even if the account is locked. If the player logs out after 10 minutes, they must call the number again to unlock the account. The Phone Lock feature is only available in the Chinese Malaysian version of the game.