The galactic melting pot of video gaming still retains a few trick cards up its ever-shifting sleeves. One card that many of us have been waiting to be played for nearly a decade is finally hitting the table in grand fashion in 2015. MMOs and social online gaming is finally making a proper, triumphant leap onto the latest console generation.

What began with little more than a whimper long ago with titles like EverQuest Online Adventures and Final Fantasy XI is on the cusp of a proper platform explosion. To be blunt: it’s about damn time.

There have been many AAA MMOs slated for console release dating as far back as Age of Conan in 2008, but few have successfully made that leap, let alone made it stick. Some of the more recent pioneers in that space include DC Universe Online and Final Fantasy XIV, but there are plenty more waiting in the wings to follow in their footsteps.

Interestingly, console gaming has been one of the primary influencers in MMO game design for years now. Countless developers have cited action gaming and the slickness and immediacy of console-centric combat as the inspiration point for finding ways of breaking away from traditional hotbar and tab-targeting systems on PC.

The match has been struck, and the candle is finally being lit in 2015 with a suite of major AAA MMOs and social online games hitting your home entertainment systems throughout the year. In no particular order, we’ve handpicked some of our most anticipated entries into what could quite easily evolve into the Great MMO Console War.

Neverwinter

Developer: Cryptic Studios

Platform: Xbox One

Release Date: March 31, 2015

The folks at Cryptic Studios have stated from the very beginning that the active combat system in Neverwinter is heavily influenced by console action games. Being billed as “the premier Dungeons & Dragons MMORPG experience”, Neverwinter has had a successful run to date on PC, but it was only a matter of time before it would make the leap to additional platforms. That leap is happening sooner than you may think, as the game is already available to pre-download on Xbox One prior to its release this Tuesday.

Perhaps the best part is that – just like its PC client – Neverwinter will be 100% free to download and play.

The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited

Developer: Zenimax Online Studios

Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4

Release Date: June 9, 2015

When it was first announced that The Elder Scrolls Online would be getting proper console ports prior to the game’s PC release, the news was met with mixed reactions from longtime fans of the Elder Scrolls franchise. The nexus for debate was focused on TESO’s subscription service which has thankfully since been reworked make it optional. Given the surge of new and returning players this has recently sparked on PC, this is a good sign that ZOS might be able to make the intended splash on both Xbox One and PlayStation 4 when it drops this June.

PlanetSide 2

Developer: Daybreak Studios

Platform: PlayStation 4

Release Date: 2015

Another title that has been earmarked for an eventual PlayStation 4 release, PlanetSide 2 has been showcased on that platform already at numerous industry events. In fact, the game is currently in beta on PS4 and will no doubt be one of the first titles to showcase the potential of social online gaming on the platform when it sees a full release later this year.

Tom Clancy’s The Division

Developer: Massive Entertainment

Platform: Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4

Release Date: 2015

While not a traditional MMO, Tom Clancy’s The Division is more of a gateway experience that blends an open world with social gaming hooks. In much the same way that Destiny helped spread awareness that taking a divergent path from the more traditional EverQuest formula can be a better fit for newer generation gamers, The Division is expected to help drive that point home for good. It seems like the game has been on pre-order status for ages now, but the wait will finally be over sometime later this year.

Above: The Division has been a mainstay of the official Xbox One "Upcoming" category

SMITE

Developer: Hi-Rez Studios

Platform: Xbox One

Release Date: Q2 2015

Currently available to select gamers in Alpha, SMITE is shaping up to be a major player on Xbox One. As the massive prize pool for the World Championship back in January helped illustrate, there is plenty of room in the wide world of MOBAs for gameplay that isn’t a blatant rip-off of the original Defense of the Ancients.

Instead, Hi-Rez leveraged its experience in the realm of MMOs to create a game that may look and feel familiar enough to hook in MOBA purists, but also prides itself on being equally accessible to fans of MMO arena combat.

Gigantic

Developer: Motiga

Platform: Windows, Xbox One

Release Date: 2015

While not an MMO proper, Motiga has taken that concept of blending the immediacy of MMO arena combat with directed MOBA match flow to all new extremes with Gigantic. In a recent announcement it was confirmed that Gigantic would be hitting Xbox One; a point that can be hard to miss with even a casual glance at both the official website and the Xbox One upcoming releases page.

Above: Since the announcement, Gigantic has found a home at the top of Xbox One's "Recommended" listings

Perhaps less popular is the announcement that – while not a requirement at release – eventually players will be required to run Windows 10 to play the game on PC. The exact reasoning for this is unclear, but the good news is that Motiga is working with Microsoft to allow gamers to seamlessly switch between Windows 10 and Xbox One clients without skipping a beat. There won’t be any awkward synching hoops to jump through, your account will update cross-platform automatically.

It also helps that Windows 10 will be free, and even has a technical preview currently available for those of you interested in giving it a test drive.

There are plenty of rumblings of other noteworthy AAA MMOs and social online games slated for console release as well, but the titles listed here have all be verified and are in various stages of testing.

An interesting footnote is that Xbox One seems to be leading the charge in the realm of bringing social online gaming to home entertainment systems. I wouldn’t consider the PlayStation 4 out of the race just yet, though. I suspect that this this new console war has only just begun, and that things will continue to heat up heading into E3 2015.