MapleStory Classic World is live. Grand Launch opened on Wednesday 21 October 2026 at 11:00 AM PDT, free for everyone on the Nexon Launcher and Steam, and the Founder's Access characters that started on 6 October carried straight over.
Launch day is when everyone who skipped the Founder's Packages arrives at once, so Victoria Island's best maps will be busy and channel-hopping pays. Everything below is from Nexon's Grand Launch release notes and maintenance notice, checked on 22 October.
MapleStory Classic World launch time in your time zone
Nexon ran one global launch at 18:00 UTC on 21 October, after a maintenance that took every Classic World server down from 6:00 AM PDT. If you're reading this just after launch, here's what the opening looked like where you play:
| Where | Servers down | Grand Launch |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles (PDT) | 6:00 AM, Wed 21 Oct | 11:00 AM, Wed 21 Oct |
| New York (EDT) | 9:00 AM, Wed 21 Oct | 2:00 PM, Wed 21 Oct |
| Berlin, Paris (CEST) | 3:00 PM, Wed 21 Oct | 8:00 PM, Wed 21 Oct |
| Sydney, Melbourne (AEDT) | 12:00 AM, Thu 22 Oct | 5:00 AM, Thu 22 Oct |
| Auckland (NZDT) | 2:00 AM, Thu 22 Oct | 7:00 AM, Thu 22 Oct |
What's new at Grand Launch
Nexon promised "brand-new content" for launch without saying what. The release notes fill that in. Nothing here raises the level cap or opens Ossyria, but there's more of Victoria Island to play than Founder's Access had.
Perion Excavation Site
A new zone off Perion with the Ghost Stump, Wooden and Rocky Masks, Skeledog, Mummydog and three Skeleton ranks, from Skeleton Soldier up to Commander Skeleton.
Housing
Citizens of Henesys or Kerning City with a Visitor grade or higher can buy a home for mesos from Bianca or Scarlett, furnish it and invite visitors. One home per account.
Modern keybinds and controllers
Pick Classic or Modern key bindings at setup. Modern gives you WASD movement. Xbox and PlayStation controllers work once you enable Controller Support in Game Options.
Stumpy joins the roster
Launch bosses are Mano, Stumpy, Mushmom, Shade, Zombie Mushmom and Jr. Balrog. Stumpy is the newcomer since Founder's Access.
- Trade restriction on new accounts: every trading feature unlocks 24 hours after a character on the account reaches level 15. Plan your first meso trades for day two.
- Kerning City Party Quest: "First Time Together" from level 21 now runs on Channels 3 to 12, up from 3 to 6 during Founder's Access.
- Languages: English, plus Spanish and Korean in beta. The UI and class names stay English.
- Forgotten Hollow: still closed. Nexon says the path opens in November.
Did Founder's Access progress carry over?
Yes. Nexon went straight from Founder's Access to live service with no wipe, so Orange Mushroom and Zakum package owners kept their characters, levels and mesos. Package sales closed on 14 October, a week before launch.
Launch events worth doing
Three events opened with the servers and run until 18 November. Start the daily check-in on day one: rewards go by how many days you've claimed, not the calendar, so every day you skip pushes the Store Permits back.
The Journey Begins
Collect 30 Maple Leaves from level 10+ monsters and hand them to the Maple Administrator. Day 1 is a Snail pet with food and potions; Day 4 and Day 12 are a 7-day Store Permit.
The Marks We Leave Behind
Talk to Jay in Henesys and follow the clues across Victoria Island to find the Mark of the Beta.
To Classic Beginners
Finished the event quests in either Closed Online Test? The Classic Beginnings Label Ring and Chat Ring are waiting in your mailbox, one set per test completed.
Halloween Candies
Malady's candy hunt in Henesys and Kerning City, plus Orange Slimes in the main towns. The hidden mission pays a Pumpkin Basket, a fast one-handed sword with 27 attack.
Is 3rd job in MapleStory Classic World?
Nexon's stated plan is to add content gradually: "we do not intend to rush the expansion of new regions and content." For now Victoria Island is the whole game, and the climb to 100 is the whole endgame. Our training spots guide covers where to level at every bracket, and the mesos guide covers where the money comes from.
Mesos, trading and the Free Market
Classic World keeps the old player economy. You trade face to face, and the Free Market is open: a Store Permit from the Cash Shop lets you list up to 12 items at a time, and the launch check-in event hands out two 7-day permits for free.
If you'd rather spend launch week levelling than grinding for gear money, we sell Classic World Mesos, handed over by face-to-face trade in game. Our Mesos page covers how delivery works.
Quick answers
Is MapleStory Classic World out yet? Yes. Grand Launch opened on 21 October at 11:00 AM PDT, and the game is free on the Nexon Launcher and Steam.
Is MapleStory Classic World free to play? Yes. You don't need a Founder's Package, and package sales closed on 14 October anyway.
Is MapleStory Classic World pay to win? Nexon says it will avoid selling items that boost EXP or make characters stronger. The Cash Shop sells cosmetics and convenience items like Store Permits, and the Founder's Package items are cosmetic.
Can I play MapleStory Classic World on Mac? Yes. The launch build runs on Windows and macOS through the Nexon Launcher or Steam.
When does Forgotten Hollow open in MapleStory Classic World? November. Nexon hasn't given a date, and it's the only new area with a month attached. Orbis and El Nath have none.