Star Wars: The Old Republic is BioWare's free-to-play MMO sequel to Knights of the Old Republic, set roughly 300 years later with fully voiced class stories and ongoing live updates. Knights of the Old Republic itself is the finished, single-player original — shorter, free of any MMO structure, and the story SWTOR builds on.
SWTOR is the spiritual MMO sequel to KOTOR, set roughly 300 years later in the same conflict between the Republic and the Sith Empire. The choice is really solo, finished RPG versus ongoing, free-to-play MMO with voiced companions.
| Star Wars: The Old Republic | STAR WARS™: Knights of the Old Republic | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Free-to-play MMORPG, ongoing | Single-player RPG, complete story |
| Released | 2011, still updated | 2003, finished |
| Download size | ~75 GB | ~5 GB |
| Story delivery | Fully voiced class stories, MMO structure | Fully voiced single story, no other players |
| Multiplayer | Full MMO — raids, PvP, guilds | None |
| Cost to start | Free with a subscription tier for full content | Free (GOG-distributed commercial classic) |
You want an ongoing, fully voiced Star Wars MMO with companions, raids and PvP, and don't mind a subscription for full content.
You want the shorter, complete, single-player story that started the whole Old Republic era — no other players, no subscription.
Knights of the Old Republic is one of those games where the Star Wars license almost becomes secondary to how good the RPG actually is. BioWare gave you a party worth getting attached to, decisions that genuinely change how you experience the story, and a galaxy that feels worth exploring rather than simply recognizable. And then it pulls off that twist.
KOTOR clears the PlayBound Bar because its choices matter most when they change how a companion sees you, not when a meter changes color.
Star Wars: The Old Republic is BioWare's free-to-play MMO sequel to Knights of the Old Republic, set roughly 300 years later with fully voiced class stories and ongoing live updates. Knights of the Old Republic itself is the finished, single-player original — shorter, free of any MMO structure, and the story SWTOR builds on.
You want an ongoing, fully voiced Star Wars MMO with companions, raids and PvP, and don't mind a subscription for full content.
You want the shorter, complete, single-player story that started the whole Old Republic era — no other players, no subscription.
Yes. Star Wars: The Old Republic is released under Free to Play and STAR WARS™: Knights of the Old Republic under Commercial · DRM-free purchase. Both are entirely free with no trials, paid tiers or in-game purchases.